Lost a spreader, How unsafe is it to sail with only one?

[MrBill_FLL]

no motor? - boats us unlimited tow...

move it away from the dock, then make the call, then you need a tow to the yard you want to pull it.

 

[zeehag]

the fitting on my mizzen spreaders was sloppy and making wobbly actions--i had to take it off and re do the welds and then replace--isnt a big deal--just dont stress rig with no spreaders. can be troublesome.

 

[25yearslater]

I have been in the process of reanodizing and powder coating my mast. Shipping from Rochester, NY to Charlotte, NC - 525.00 A new extrusion - 2994.00 no hardware. Ya really wanna risk it? Maine sail and the others have it right. That sucker is more than likely to bend in half and do you want to risk an injury or death when it comes crashing down? Lost one mast on a 22 several years ago and that is an adventure I don't want to repeat. Easier to get a spreader and have it installed with the mast on saw horses. Better yet upgrade them both at the same time.

 

[Lake Superior Sailor]

Unless you removed the mount it will still be on the mast as it's only two stainless plates as far as climbing the mast all you need is a good step ladder as it's only 16 ft. Use the other one as a pattern. Recreate the plates if you need them.Just two pins hold it on & cotter keys.you may have to drop spreader lites if you have them ,But;it's easy!..Dale

 

[ablesailor]

Unless you removed the mount it will still be on the mast as it's only two stainless plates as far as climbing the mast all you need is a good step ladder as it's only 16 ft. Use the other one as a pattern. Recreate the plates if you need them.Just two pins hold it on & cotter keys.you may have to drop spreader lites if you have them ,But;it's easy!..Dale

Dale. Thanks again for the encouragement. I did in fact drop the plates when up on the bo'sn chair and they made it into the depths. The pins holding those plates (with the little piece of rotten spreader that was left between them didn't seem like much to hold the rig taught but I guess some play is allowable / desirable....I def. appreciate the encouragement. I guess I'll be fashioning some sort of new plate using the opposite one which I still have as a template. probably going with wood again even tho many recommend the aluminum spreaders...simply for the fact that i'd like to avoid having to redo/replace/refashion the mounts-to-mast. I'll be doing this "up there" is it really 16 feet...seems a hell of a lot higher when up there. I believe I have the extra-tall mast option on the cal 2-27...it's HIGH! spreaders look to be without measuring right at halfway up. the entire story i'm spinning here is going to be all temporary. the whole boat eventually will be gone over, mast down, high and dry, etc. in a few months. Just trying to get her set up to sail the 20 miles to that destination. Can't say enough how encouraging and appreciated ALL of the advice given herein has been. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Ray T]

I had a 1978 Cal 2-27 and it had aluminum spreaders. You might check into this through D & R marine. I had bought a new rub rail for my Cal through them.

 

[Chris Patterson]

Shoot man, if you're just going to move it twenty miles and then haul it, I believe I'd hire some power boat around there to tow it to the hill before I went to all that...

 

[Scott T-Bird]

It seems odd to me to have wood spreaders on an aluminum mast. A Catalina 27 tall rig? ... If it were my boat, I wouldn't do anything less than buy new brackets and spreaders and do it right, never to be concerned about it again. It's a small investment for peace of mind. Use ss rivets for the bracket attachments to the mast. Simple, easy, not too expensive and why do anything less?

 

[mark_swart]

Why are you even considering this? Don't tempt fate, just motor the darned thing and get it fixed. This is NOT something you want to Band-Aid, and I am actually a big fan of jury rigging stuff. You want to try and catch that mast if it comes down in your lap?
20 miles is nothing to motor, would probably be good for your boat.

 

[capta]

It seems pretty simple to me.
All you have to do is hit a WAKE under sail (or power, for that matter) w/o your rig being tight enough and you could lose it. You will not get a halyard tight enough unless it's dynema; polyester (Dacron) line can stretch 7%!
Do not make a very expensive mistake and it's down right DANGEROUS when a rig comes down around you!

 

[MrBill_FLL]

the entire story i'm spinning here is going to be all temporary. the whole boat eventually will be gone over, mast down, high and dry, etc. in a few months.

Just trying to get her set up to sail the 20 miles to that destination. Can't say enough how encouraging and appreciated ALL of the advice given herein has been. Thanks for sharing your experience.

you're NUTS! motor the entire 20 miles and live another day.

clearly you've not seen a bent mast or one fall.

the saying 'sometimes your purpose in life is meant to be a warning to others' applies here

 

[MrBill_FLL]

http://www.boatus.com/towing/unlimited.asp

coverage only if you are not at the dock. got a paddle:

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I had a boat with a wooden spreaders- 50+ yrs old, still going fine. As long as no rot, no problems.

One tip- when you do put the new ones in, paint the top surface white, and varnish the bottom. White paint will last for years in the sun, and the varnished under sides will lket you inspect them.

But I sure as hell wouldn't try to sail a boat ANYWHERE with a spreader missing. I've been aboard two , under sail, when the mast came down- exciting!!

 

[finding41]

I'm kind of surprised this has gone into the 2nd page.
Please Don't sail without proper rigging or risk damage or injury!

 

[Chris Patterson]

Yep, most of this could have been summed up with one word. No.

 

[Sail123]

Anything on your sailboat that is a major player, that is out of service, benches your boat till it is rectified.

No

 

[Lake Superior Sailor]

Set of spreaders on Ebay # 11993360910 are larger then you need ,But would be easy to cut down to your size. Wood with hardwear..Dale

 

[LloydB]

Had you asked "How can I safely SAIL my boat to a repair point without fixing my spreader first" the answers probably would have been different. Maybe something like: 'sail on reefed main only-no foresail and don't raise sail head above lower shrouds'.
Had to throw in my two cents after reading some of 'shoot your eye out' type comments but when it gets right down to it you could have paddled to it by now.

 

[Chris Patterson]

HaaaaaHa. I liked that.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Blesailor;

I have sailed for over 50 years and repaired many masts and boats as a former sailboat dealer. I have seen alot and read alot too. The best advice for you sir as it appears that you are a recreational sailor is to go ahead and bite the bullet and replace the spreader with one that is of the same material and length. Sailing without a spreader or one that is not the same deminsions and so forth can lead into mast failure. In two cases I recall but vividly one, the skipper and owner of the boat was concerned about the cost but did not heed the advice. The mast fell and struck his young son in the head. I attended the funeral which was tragic and sad all due to the father wanting to save a few pennies.

Make shift or nothing done will in many cases hurt someone. Please fix that problem. If your mast was kenyon isomat, contact jim culibert in charlotte, nc with charleston spar. If a Dwyer mast, contact Bob at Dwyer Aluminimum. If not, contact Ken or Jean at Seco South as previously suggested.

dave condon