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Am asking advice on setting the proper angle on new spreaders. The old spreaders look like they've been shaped at the mast end to angle slightly upward. I understand the angle on either side of the outside of the spreader and the shroud should be equal. Here is a side view of one of the old spreaders:
Looks to be angled about 10 degrees to accomidate the proper angles at the other end. My friend made up new spreaders for me and he made the mast end a little thicker so I could sand them down to a proper fit. He also suggested we use an electric drill to make the mounting holes on the spot. Here's what I have to work with:
I'm planning to sand some off the bottom and some off the top to achive the proper angle. I figure close is good enough as I'll be able to adjust the outboard end with hose clamps on the shroud (and under the boot) to "fine tune" the outboard angles.
Any advice will be appriciated as I've never done this before ...............
The brackets you have on the mast, to which you secure the spreader, ought to have that upward angle built into them. Not only does the angle look better, it also prevents the spreader from slipping downwards when the shroud is under tension. Yes, the guideline is that the spreader should bisect the angle formed by the shroud over the spreader.
Trim your new spreaders to the proper length and bevel at the inside edge to match and accommodate the brackets you have.
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Forum Founder--No Longer Participating
If a spreader is at the proper angle to the shrouds, the only significant force on it is compression. The strongest wooden shape to handle compression is straight. Any angle in the spreader itself, like a bevel on one side of the end creates grain run out and adds some shear forces, which will make the spreader much more prone to splitting under load than a simple straight one.
Dave Finnegan
builder of Spindrift 9N #521 'Wingë'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gresham’s Law of information: Bad information drives out good. No matter how long ago a correction for a particular error may have appeared in print or online, it never seems to catch up with the ever-widening distribution of the error.
Just wanted to say thanks, we got the job done Wednesday afternoon (man it was HOT!) and the spreaders look great. My friend Norm went up the mast and put the spreader in place. I went to my neighbors dock and eyeballed the outboard angle of spreader and shroud, Norm then drilled the holes, bolted to the brackets and secured the outboard angle with a hose clamp on the shroud. Once they were safety wired to the shroud and the boots attached we were done. I've got the next three days off ....... and I'm goin sailing!
She's over 40 years old so I know there'll be more problems and I'll be asking for more help.
