Nov 12 2007
San Juan 21 Spreader Repair
What is wrong with this picture? After Gene found himself dismasted last week I got to thinking about my standing rigging. In particular my spreaders have always been extreemly wobbly whenever I lower the mast. I decided it was time for a closer look.
After some quick measurements and mechnaical review, I realized that my spreaders are 4 inches too long, and that there was nothing holding them on but compression force. Originally SJ21s came with 29 inch spreaders, but latter years the spreaders were cut down to 25 inches (which is the minimum allowed by class rules). This reduction helps pointing ability if you are sailing with the 135% Genoa. I don’t sail with a Genoa but some day I may try so I decided if I was going to replace the bolt which was no longer holding the spreaders on I might as well cut them down to the minimum lenght.
First item of business was to remove the old spreder bolt. This wasn’t to hard as it was completly sheared through on both sides of the mast where a hole had been drilled throught the bolt to permit a cotter pin. See below.
I could have just pulled the spreader off but I didn’t realize that until I got a little deeper in the deconstruction. After I pulled the pin and removed the spreader to reveal the spreader bolt. See Below.
When I removed the remnats of the pin I had nothing but a holy mast.
Below is the sheared remnats of the spreader bolt.
