I have a H23 and for the last two seasons when I step the mast my starboard side spreader seems to "droop" angling slightly downward when compared to the port side. I have loosened the boot and the wire stays inside, tried to bend the spreader upward before stepping the mast, tried to hold upward pressure on it as I tighten the rigging...nothing seems to work....it is still "unevenly low" compared to the starboard side....any thoughts?
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Drooping spreader
Your spreaders need to do two things. 1. Be balanced side to side. 2. Bisect the angle at the spreader tip. Once the rig is up and tensioned the spreaders will rise as they go outward from the mast. The angle formed by the shroud should be equal above and below the spreader. There should be a way to fix the spreader tip to the shroud to keep it from moving up or down while stepping the mast and adjusting the tension
Your spreaders need to do two things. 1. Be balanced side to side. 2. Bisect the angle at the spreader tip. Once the rig is up and tensioned the spreaders will rise as they go outward from the mast. The angle formed by the shroud should be equal above and below the spreader. There should be a way to fix the spreader tip to the shroud to keep it from moving up or down while stepping the mast and adjusting the tension
Adjust it
You did not say which of the three brands of mast sold as original equipment on h23s you have. Noting that I have a FranceSpar, I had the same problem. While I had the mast down, I loosened the "j" shapped bolt that holds the stay to the spreader tip and moved it a few inches, then tightened it down. No further problems. You should consider measuring the length of stay from the spreader tip to upper attachment point on both sides to see if they're equal. Then tighten the bolt at the spreader tip so it cannot slip. I disagree with Dennis W's statement that the spreader should bisect the angle. Keep in mind that this is a swept-back speader. The spreader's attachment to the mast is set for the spreader to be perpendicular to the mast at the point of attachment, and able to sweep back in a flat horizontal plane. Raising it to bisect the angle would be, at best, counterproductive. Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo
You did not say which of the three brands of mast sold as original equipment on h23s you have. Noting that I have a FranceSpar, I had the same problem. While I had the mast down, I loosened the "j" shapped bolt that holds the stay to the spreader tip and moved it a few inches, then tightened it down. No further problems. You should consider measuring the length of stay from the spreader tip to upper attachment point on both sides to see if they're equal. Then tighten the bolt at the spreader tip so it cannot slip. I disagree with Dennis W's statement that the spreader should bisect the angle. Keep in mind that this is a swept-back speader. The spreader's attachment to the mast is set for the spreader to be perpendicular to the mast at the point of attachment, and able to sweep back in a flat horizontal plane. Raising it to bisect the angle would be, at best, counterproductive. Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo
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