Spreader Angle

[bgruen]

S2 newbie here, first season under belt.. Now, can anyone tell me the the spreaders are supposed to be level, or angled upwards and if so, what is the angle.
Both of mine are angles up, however the port spreader is about 1.5 - 2" higher at the tip than the starboard one.

[dave]

All spreaders are supposed to angle up somewhat. The idea is to bisect that angle from the chainplates to the hound, thus putting the spreader in pure compression. Having it out of whack causes one side to be in compression and the other side in tension and can cause a spreader failure if taken to extremes in out of whack angle and spreader loading.

[Stef]

In the Boston tuning guide (somewhere on this site) the spreaders should be up as far as they go. Makes sense that they are the same!

Started following the tuning guide 2 years ago and have been 1st place in my local handicap racing club ever since.

[dave]

In the Boston tuning guide (somewhere on this site) the spreaders should be up as far as they go. Makes sense that they are the same!

Started following the tuning guide 2 years ago and have been 1st place in my local handicap racing club ever since.

As far as they go??? Which way would be helpful to the uninformed questioner, with all due respect!

[bgruen]

I removed the spreader from the port side, which was higher than the starboard. I didn't see any cracks in the bracket, but it is evidently bent up in order to cause the uneven levels..

[dave]

You MIGHT be able to straighten them to the same angle as the other side but go easy: aluminum doesn't like to bend more than once! Even if it does it won't be as strong as before. Is loosing a mast worth it?

I think that a new bracket would be safer. Then make sure that the angle bisects the upper shrouds and tighten the set crews properly so that the spreader tips don't slip either way.

[bgruen]

I figured the bracket on the mast was SS , as it is chrome plated. The rivits holding it to the mast are rusting too, so maybe time for remove & replace. Where would someone find a new bracket???

[dave]

I've been wrong before and will be again, but I've never seen a chrome plated spreader bracket. Try scratching it with a nail or something similar. Chrome won't scratch, aluminum will. If you have rivets rusting then someone has been in there and replaced the rivets with BS rivets!!!! Dissimilar metals leads to corrosion. Although there is sometimes no alternative to using SS rivets in aluminum masts, monel is better as far as corrosion goes. http://www.anzor.co.nz/?t=24&PCT2=112

[dave]

I was going back through this section looking for anything on spreader brackets cracking and came upon this. I must have been having a brain freeze through this one.......................................... because the spreader bracket if OF COURSE made from SS!!!!!

Sorry for my erroneous answers on the subject!

On the former subject: I typed spreader "bracket cracking" and "spreader brackets" into the search box and came up with no hits...................... strange, because I remember more than a few discussions on that very subject!!!!