Spreaders and Shrouds - Mast being stored for winter after trucking

[JP in Sandusky]

With our new E38 being moved by truck this week, she will not return to the water until springtime. That leaves me with a boat with the mast removed for the winter.

Question for all: The spreaders were removed for shipment. Should I reset the spreaders and seeze (seize?) the shrouds this fall, or should wait to reassemble the upper section of the mast until springtime, immediately before stepping the mast back on the keel?

I have some time to make any other decisions about changing lights, delicates, or AIS/radar. Regarding the top of the standing rigging, though, I am not sure if I should "put it all back together" now, or if there is any disadvantage to that.

Does it matter?

 

[Loren Beach]

The spreaders were removed for shipment.

I hope you tagged each/every piece for reassembly.

 

[tenders]

I have not found it particularly difficult to reassemble the spreaders and shrouds on my 32, which is a double-spreader, deck-stepped rig with forward and aft lower shrouds. I don’t know how much more complicatedthe 38’s rig is than that.

But wow, once the mast is down and the spreaders are off, in my experience there is always a lot of work to be done before those things go back on. My spreaders are wood, and I’ve refabricated or significantly reinforced and painted them every time the mast has come down. The spreader bases tend to need to be stripped and repainted, and they’re aluminum, making that extra-complicated. The tubes that go through the mast to support the mast cross-section where the spreader base through-bolts penetrate the mast usually need to be replaced (and, while you’re at it, the bolts too). The wiring channel down the inside of the mast might need to be reattached and/or replaced, along with the wiring. And you aren’t going to re-use those raggedy old spreader tip covers, are you? You’ll need to know what size. And then there are the bazillion clevis pins, halyard sheaves, toppinglift fittings, fixtures, electronics, and who-knows-what-else to worry about on that mast.

I guess my point is that all that stuff will need to be looked at carefully, sized, worked on, replaced, or reconsidered. The attachment of the shrouds is the least of the worries.

 

[Nick J]

I was really concerned about adjusting the spreaders on my recent rerig project, but it turned out to be really simple. The spreaders and shrouds make it more difficult to work around as well, so the longer you can wait, the better.

The "while your at it" mentality can be difficult, but there are a few things that are next to impossible to address with the rig in place. Sheeves and wiring on the Kenyon mast are items I wouldn't want to tackle in the air. If you don't step your mast every year, I would take advantage of it being down and address those items in the off season. The mast step is another area to look at.

 

[Kenneth K]

Should I reset the spreaders and seeze (seize?) the shrouds this fall, or should wait to reassemble the upper section of the mast until springtime...

I'd definitely keep the spreaders off while the mast is out for storage. I'd be worried about somebody bumping in to the mast/spreaders and damaging them.

I'd reinstall the spreaders right before you put the mast back up, but I wouldn't seize the shrouds until they have been tensioned. The mast is so flexible and the spreader brackets allow so much play that I don't think it's practical to position and seize them until there is some tension on the rig.

 

[JP in Sandusky]

I have not found it particularly difficult to reassemble the spreaders and shrouds on my 32, which is a double-spreader, deck-stepped rig with forward and aft lower shrouds. I don’t know how much more complicatedthe 38’s rig is than that.

But wow, once the mast is down and the spreaders are off, in my experience there is always a lot of work to be done before those things go back on. My spreaders are wood, and I’ve refabricated or significantly reinforced and painted them every time the mast has come down. The spreader bases tend to need to be stripped and repainted, and they’re aluminum, making that extra-complicated. The tubes that go through the mast to support the mast cross-section where the spreader base through-bolts penetrate the mast usually need to be replaced (and, while you’re at it, the bolts too). The wiring channel down the inside of the mast might need to be reattached and/or replaced, along with the wiring. And you aren’t going to re-use those raggedy old spreader tip covers, are you? You’ll need to know what size. And then there are the bazillion clevis pins, halyard sheaves, toppinglift fittings, fixtures, electronics, and who-knows-what-else to worry about on that mast.

I guess my point is that all that stuff will need to be looked at carefully, sized, worked on, replaced, or reconsidered. The attachment of the shrouds is the least of the worries.

The spreaders on the 38 are aluminum. (I think.) I am expecting a fair bit of prep before and after restepping the mast. I'm planning to start by just making a list this month. Right now, I plan to prep the mast in April, which should give me a few weeks to source any last minute hardware.

Spreader tip covers: they appeared in good shape to me. They were almost entirely covered in tape. One more thing I'll need to decide this winter.

 

[AK67]

Related suggestion: if stored outside: cover the base end to stop rodents etc. from nesting inside over the winter and damaging wiring and rigging.

 

[JP in Sandusky]

I wouldn't seize the shrouds until they have been tensioned. The mast is so flexible and the spreader brackets allow so much play that I don't think it's practical to position and seize them until there is some tension on the rig.

So, to be clear....go up in the bosun's chair with everything tensioned, but the spreaders not seized/tied or wrapped. Correct?
I am planning to do all of this in April. I have time to learn and study, but I want to start thinking about the order of operations correctly. I want to do as much on the ground as possible, but I am realizing that some of the checklist is going to require working in the air.

 

[JP in Sandusky]

Related suggestion: if stored outside: cover the base end to stop rodents etc. from nesting inside over the winter and damaging wiring and rigging.

Currently stored outside, up high on a rack. (I can't even get to it without scheduling the yard to pull it down to horses for me. I need to check this weekend that it was wrapped all the way down. The furling drum was "lowered" to the bottom of the mast and wrapped to the mast, per the carrier's instructions. I will get a look at it.

On that subject: should I place dryer sheets or do anything else on the interior of the boat itself to keep mice away? Bugs? On our ski boat, I used to put a dryer sheet in the drain plug and hang about dozen of them on the bottom of the winter cover each fall. It seemed to work well.

 

[Kenneth K]

So, to be clear....go up in the bosun's chair with everything tensioned, but the spreaders not seized/tied or wrapped. Correct?
I am planning to do all of this in April. I have time to learn and study, but I want to start thinking about the order of operations correctly. I want to do as much on the ground as possible, but I am realizing that some of the checklist is going to require working in the air.

Yeah, sorry, I should probably talk back some of my previous comments. I was coming form the perspective of having just replaced my shrouds with the mast & spreaders already in place.

For re-stepping the mast, you'll need something to hold the shrouds in-place in the half-round spreader tip detents while the mast is being re-stepped. If the shrouds fall out of the spreader tips, you can't then climb the mast to reposition them because the mast would be too unstable. This is an argument in favor of just seizing them in place before you raise the mast.

A second argument for doing so is that, while hanging from the mast (bosun's chair or climbing harness), it's pretty difficult to push yourself out far enough (using your legs) to access the spreader tips while still maintaining two free hands to hold, pull, twist and seize the wires with pliers all while maintaining your balance on a rope 40 ft in the air.

You can probably do a much neater job of seizing them in place while on the ground. Just don't seize them so tightly that you can't make final adjustments slightly higher or lower once the shrouds have been tightened. So, a trip up the mast is still likely required for the final positioning of the spreaders. Perhaps folks who seasonally step/unstep their masts can chime in on how they do it.

 

[bigd14]

In my experience with the 30+ the spreaders more or less self-align as the mast is going up. The spreaders are rigidly attached. The shrouds fit into a slot on the spreader tip but are not seized so tight that they can’t move. I have had the mast out a couple times and I never really had to think about the spreaders upon reinstallation. I just left the seizing in place. YMMV.

 

[Kenneth K]

On my 32-3, the spreader brackets are very rigid (you can't clamp them down against the spreaders), and spaced widely enough that the spreader base "floats" in the brackets with some play. So even with the two spreader bolts tightened down all the way, the spreader tip has 4-6" of adjustability where it meets the shroud. When I first adjusted the spreaders, I centered them in the brackets (set them at the same angle as the brackets), but this left the spreader tip angles asymmetric. I think the port-side brackets were welded on at a slightly different angle than the starboards. These are the reasons why I suggested the spreaders may need additional adjustment after stepping the mast.

 

[JP in Sandusky]

You can probably do a much neater job of seizing them in place while on the ground. Just don't seize them so tightly that you can't make final adjustments slightly higher or lower once the shrouds have been tightened. So, a trip up the mast is still likely required for the final positioning of the spreaders.

This is pretty close to what I was starting to think. I suspect the yard and/or my local club's rigging guru will also have some thoughts.

It is, for some reason, just now dawning on me that I will likely need 4-6 days at the dock, after the mast is stepped, before I plan to sail the 190 NM across Lake Erie to Sandusky.