[Public-List] Spreader Material

[Gordon Laco]

Hello David - great club.

It's not the swages I'd suggest examining - Bruce is right that one needs to
X ray or acid pigment them to reveal trouble - it's the pins, shackles,
tangs, spreaders, sheaves etc that more frequently and regularly wear out.

Gord  Surprise #426


On 07/10/13 3:00 PM, "David Gilbert" <bigkanu at rogers.com> wrote:

> My Club, ABYC in Toronto, is moving towards a mast up haul out for
> certain larger vessels. I will not take advantage of this because
> dismasting an Alberg 30 is very easy given the right equipment and
> people. ABYC is a self help Club and sports both. I loosen the rig,
> replace the locking rings on the clevis pins with a length of copper
> wire, very easy to remove. Then take the clevis pins out of the
> forward and aft lowers and let them hang loose; move to the mast crane
> area. Put the straps around the mast and lift to just below the
> spreaders. Good idea to have a secure line pulling down on the strap
> and secured at the base of the mast. Remove the footing bolt, ensure
> the strap now has the weight of the mast. Remove the four cardinal
> uppers, lift the mast and it's done. The copper wire/clevis pin method
> beats turning off turnbuckles by several minutes.
> When we had the boat in Prinyer's Cove for 7 years we never took the
> mast down. Conventional wisdom says to always take it down to inspect
> the swaged fittings. I asked Bruce Burgess at the rigging Shoppe about
> this and he told me that the only way you can identify weaknesses in
> the swaging is by Xray. So it stayed up. Of course I have aluminum
> spreaders but, if they were wood I would want to inspect them every
> year.
> David
> On 7-Oct-13, at 2:07 PM, Dominic Amann wrote:
> 
>> I noticed you suggested that it is a good idea to take down the mast
>> for
>> winter. I assume you have not yet done so for your boat? If not,
>> would you
>> accept a volunteer to help (so I can learn how it is done for my own
>> boat)?
>> 
>> 
>> On Mon, Oct 7, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Very interesting Greg.
>>> 
>>> Black locust is wonderful wood.  We're making block shells out of
>>> it, and
>>> I'm planning on using it for the toe rails and rubbing strakes of
>>> my wooden
>>> boat as part of her rescue.
>>> 
>>> Best of all, when varnished it's got that lovely blonde look white
>>> oak has.
>>> 
>>> Thank you.
>>> 
>>> Gord
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 07/10/13 11:53 AM, "Greg Bover" <gregbover at cbfisk.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I think I recognize the wood properties chart from page 4-7 of
>>>> The Wood
>>>> Handbook: wood as an engineering material, put out by the Forest
>>> Service. A
>>>> well-thumbed copy sits on my desk in the organ building company
>>>> where
>>> I've
>>>> been a wood worker and designer for 35 years. It is available at
>>>> many
>>>> libraries, especially academic ones, and can be had for cheap second
>>> hand at
>>>> Alibris. Hickory does have great compressive strength parallel to
>>>> the
>>> grain,
>>>> but is in the grouping of "slightly or non-resistant" when it
>>>> comes to
>>>> decay, (page 3-18). The best domestic wood with the highest
>>>> compression
>>>> rating and in the "resistant to very resistant" category is black
>>>> locust,
>>>> followed closely by white oak. The book goes on to say that decay is
>>>> hastened by water intrusion, so as others have mentioned, keeping
>>>> the
>>> finish
>>>> up and the bolt holes sealed is the key to longevity.
>>>> 
>>>> Greg Bover
>>>> A-30 #114
>>>> LINNET
>>>> Gloucester
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> 
>> 
>> Dominic Amann
>> M 416-270-4587
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Please support them.
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> 
> _______________________________________________
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> Please support them.
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