Jury Rig for Spreader

Moderator: GreenLake

Jury Rig for Spreader

Postby GreenLake » Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:33 am

ON ANOTHER NOTE: This is the second time I have loaded my boat on a trailer for storage. When I lowered the mast, I have broken a spreader, EACH TIME!!!
Aside from feeling like a dummy, I am not happy about the money I am burning up, doing this. I am obviously doing something VERY WRONG!! What is the proper procedure when stepping down the mast?? Once I have it lowered, and try to move it forward to the trailer support, I get the spreader " caught " on something and snap it. I NEED HELP. Thanks.


Spreader jury rig: if you have a spreader that's on a "pin" and held there simply by a hole 1/4" from the edge of the tube, I have a jury rig for you.

Takes 2-3 beefy cable ties and a bit of electrical tape.

The spreader is loaded by compression, so as long as something holds it to the pin when unloaded, so that when load comes on it it the pin rests in the center of the spreader that's all you need.

If the hole has ripped out, remove loose metal. Clip most of the tails off 2-3 long cable ties, but retain enough tail on each to make it easily around the spreader. Form them into a U that goes behind the pin and up the two sides of the spreader. Cinch very tight the remaining part of the cable ties around the spreader and "legs" of the U formed by the former tails of the cable ties.

Now, instead of brittle metal you have two or three strips of pretty tough plastic centering the pin on the spreader. Wrap everything with electric tape, to protect the plastic from UV. You will find, the jury rig has some "give" to it, so that it can handle (briefly) catching something without further damage.

I hit upon this when I broke a spreader so I could still go on the water. It's been up on my boat for many years now. After more than five years I've unwrapped the tape and checked on it: good as new. (Your spreader should be connected to the stay with a tight wrap of stainless steel wire, so that it can't slide up/down the stay.)
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
GreenLake
 
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