Catalina spreader bracket compression bushing

[dive7mmwet]

Ok its been gone over but upgrading / rebuilding our 1982 Cat, wanted to pull the spreaders and of course could not get bolt out 31 years can do this aluminum and stainless steel do funny things, some have found out.
not sure Id try this in a bosun chair!
Cut the head off the one end bolt side was my failure side so I just pried up spreader bracket a bit and used a hand saw, And leave nut or vise grip on other side.
Next clean the nut side out a small dremel tool bit would of been sweet ! bushing compresses the aluminum mast and sort of flares hole so no way you can get froze bolt and bushing out till you clean it out good luck!

 

[KingAirDriver]

Yikes! I am not looking forward to doing that job on mine...

 

[dive7mmwet]

Yikes! I am not looking forward to doing that job on mine...

get the mast down the best way! after that not bad job to do in Florida, we were doing it 25knt NE winds , 28degF -wind chill bone chilling!

 

[KingAirDriver]

Ughh

 

[Joe]

You are replacing with the recommended stainless steel retrofit bracket aren't you?

http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=491

 

[dive7mmwet]

You are replacing with the recommended stainless steel retrofit bracket aren't you?

http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=491

Joe
Its what was on there the Stainless brackets,
Yes were doing the whole shebang with new spreader brackets and poles as other spreaders were worn flat on one side,

 

[Joe]

Joe
Its what was on there the Stainless brackets,
Yes were doing the whole shebang with new spreader brackets and poles as other spreaders were worn flat on one side,

Excellent...... quite a job.

 

[Ajay73]

I had the same problem on my 1980 C27. I cut the bolt head off flush and then started drilling out the flush cut end untill there was enough clearance where I could cut the other side flush and have the bolt/tube fall out. I did mangle the hole a little though in the process. What a real PITA. When I tried to take the mast head off that bolt would not come out either. I assume there is some kind of compression tube in there as well. Just left that one alone for now.

 

[bratzcpa]

Oh man . . . I guess I should quite complaining. At my masthead, some of the pins were frozen in so the masthead cracked when I pounded on them to remove.

But the bolts at the spreader brackets came out just fine!!! phew.

Now . . . getting that new compression tube in place that was part of the spreader bracket upgrade was another story!!!!

mark

 

[philwsailz]

Inserting a compression tube in a mast? I built a sled on a long PVC pipe, and lightly taped the tube onto the sled. It slid exactly into place. Insert bolt, pull and remove sled by breaking tape...

 

[dive7mmwet]

Phil, yes it can be done but we made the fatal mistake of having the wire tracers or lines in the mast for pulling new coax and new wiring in, this got all tangled up as I spent 2 hrs in the freezing cold just trying to get the old one pushed out.
Just before I thought about taking a sawzall to the mast and a can a gas to the boat I realized I was fighting my lines, Pulled that stuff out and old one pushed out new one (2) new ones pushed in on 3/4" pvc electrical conduit with v notch and electrical tape holding bushing on with the better half with a eye on the holes and we were done!
Then back to the heated warm boat as the snow was blowing to find our next project new fuel fill & transfer and vapor lines are required, Its amazing 30+ years and this stuff just dose not last!! shame on you Catalina!
Just Joking ,
Crazy Brad & Linda from Wet & Cold Wisconsin!

 

[philwsailz]

Phil, yes it can be done but we made the fatal mistake of having the wire tracers or lines in the mast for pulling new coax and new wiring in, this got all tangled up as I spent 2 hrs in the freezing cold just trying to get the old one pushed out.
Just before I thought about taking a sawzall to the mast and a can a gas to the boat I realized I was fighting my lines, Pulled that stuff out and old one pushed out new one (2) new ones pushed in on 3/4" pvc electrical conduit with v notch and electrical tape holding bushing on with the better half with a eye on the holes and we were done!
Then back to the heated warm boat as the snow was blowing to find our next project new fuel fill & transfer and vapor lines are required, Its amazing 30+ years and this stuff just dose not last!! shame on you Catalina!
Just Joking ,
Crazy Brad & Linda from Wet & Cold Wisconsin!

Glad you got it done. Here is a pic I drew of eeh sled I built. Sorry, I should have shared sooner. This was a push into place and then walk arond and poke bolts through process. I did it solo.

 

[bratzcpa]

Phil - that's cheating!

Hey Phil, that little sled thing you built/used is cheating. I mean really now!!! That completely eliminates the fun, vocabularly improving, process of trying to blindly move and position a snugly fitting pipe on the end of a 20 foot wobbly piece of pvc.

Actually, that looks pretty handy. That might even encourage putting the two compression posts in there . . . in the right order too!!!

Cheerz!

But I'll still feel a special sense of pride when I look at my new shiny SS spreader brackets and remember just how I did it "my way"!!!

~mark