C25 / C27 Spreader Brackets Retrofit Tip

[philwsailz]

For those of you who have the old aluminum castings for spreader brackets and are considering the new stainless ones from Catalina Direct, I have a handy tip. I am a thinker, tinkerer and a doer and usually end up working by myself. There is a satisfaction I get from figuring out how to make a two-man job into a one-man job. This is one such example.

The CD instructions that come with the kit suggest cutting a notch in a piece of PVC pipe to hold the compression tubes while pushing them up the mast for installation. This necessarily is a two man job, and will be a frustrating one at that, even with two people.

I was working on installing mine last night and knew there had to be a better way. I fabricated a sled from some plywood scraps, sufficiently wide to firmly support the compression tubes. I then cut notches in the "sled" to support the compression tubes at the proper height. I left the sled asymetrical top-top bottom, so I could lift it to get the compression tubes past the halyard cleats' fasteners; the sled does not fully fit the interior of the mast, top to bottom. The sled I used looked a lot more crude than the one drawn, but one can take the basic idea and fit it to their skill set. I did not do both tubes at the same time as the drawing would suggest, but rather did one at a time.

With the sled, the compression tube installation becomes a one-man job. Fasten the compression tube in the appropriate slot with some masking or duct tape and slide it in to the proper pre-determined length. The compression tube will be at the right height, or mostly so, and is well supported so that once you push it in to the proper length, you can just walk up to the work location and know the tubes will not drop, as it might with the recommended PVC tube method.

I have made a crude sketch of my apparatus, modified with some hindsight... I hope that this helps someone in the future.

 

[Joel H.]

Sorry to but-in, but are there not already compression tubes under the original alum. spreaders?

 

[philwsailz]

Sorry to but-in, but are there not already compression tubes under the original alum. spreaders?

There is at least a small one at the lower tangs, (mine was corroded solid to the stainless bolt, it was a bear to remove) but I do not know if there is a larger one directly between the spreaders. Regardless if there is just one or if there are two, they are loose and not fastened to the mast in any way. The kit provides new ones, so I used them. The old small compression tube at the tangs will fall out when I pick the stick up for stepping. Maybe a big one will too, I just don't know.

 

[Joel H.]

I see. I am planning to update my spreaders soon and am hoping I'll only need to make sure that the existing tubes don't move in the process. If that's not the case your plywood sled idea will come in handy. Thanks for the tip.
Joel H.

 

[philwsailz]

Hopefully you can use the existing ones. AND, hopefully, the small one is not so totally galled and corroded to the thru-bolt like mine was. Mine would NOT come off of the bolt! Cutting it was quite the experience. Then getting it out of the way was almost as much fun!