mast repairs

Hi,

I started a post about a month ago regarding repairing/replacing a broken spreader bracket - here is the link http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=7781

Well, my dad and I took the mast down yesterday without any real trouble; The only thing was that the VHF radio cable was run right from the top of the mast through to the radio - I was expecting there to be a coupling of some sort that I would just undo once we picked the mast up; so given that the mast was hanging there I cut the cable.

I've attached photos of the broken spreader bracket and mast collar.

I ordered new brackets and spreaders from Dwyer Mast as was suggested from a fellow poster and they arrived today. As the brackets are not shaped to form to my teardrop shaped mast I'm not sure how to go about attaching them - any suggestions here would be wonderful; also, as you might be able to see in the pictures, the mast is dented where the old spreader brackets were - another poster on my last thread suggested a sleave to go around the mast - any other comments on this idea?

The last thing is that one of my goals in unstepping the mast is to secure the VHF cable from slapping inside; I've had some suggestions and read some posts which included running pvc pipe to drilling holes and securing the lines with wire and pop rivets to foam - the owner of the boat I'm tied up against at the dock suggested something like a styrofoam pipe insulator with a split - that I could just wrap around the cable and feed it up the mast - what do you think?

For eliminating the slapping wire sounds, I like the idea of using a jumbo sized tie wrap every foot or so. Alternate the directions of the ends of the tie wraps by about 120 degrees. Do not cut the tails off of the tie wraps....leave them in place so they will hold the wires away from the inner walls of the mast.

I haven't done this yet, just read about it. The PVC conduit the P/O put in my mast is noisey.

To attach the Dwyer brackets, make sure your internal compression sleeves are there when you thru-bolt the lower tangs. Locate a position on both sides of the mast and trace out mounting holes and pre-drill holes and rivet bracket with s.s 1/4 rivets.

tie wraps in the mast

Keith Parcells said:

For eliminating the slapping wire sounds, I like the idea of using a jumbo sized tie wrap every foot or so. Alternate the directions of the ends of the tie wraps by about 120 degrees. Do not cut the tails off of the tie wraps....leave them in place so they will hold the wires away from the inner walls of the mast.

Thanks Keith - I now recall reading this as well, it may be the way I go; my boat is back beside the dock now (I am at a rafting harbour) and so will be able to take the mast onto the dock to do some work; I'll let you know how it goes and if I run into anymore questions

Regards,

Trevor

Click to expand...

attaching new spreader brackets

Rob Hessenius said:

To attach the Dwyer brackets, make sure your internal compression sleeves are there when you thru-bolt the lower tangs. Locate a position on both sides of the mast and trace out mounting holes and pre-drill holes and rivet bracket with s.s 1/4 rivets.

Click to expand...

Thanks Rob - You've been a big help; I wasn't too clear in my opening post about what my concerns are. With the brackets being shaped differently they do not sit flush on the mast - what I mean is that if the left side is flush against the mast, then the centre is touching but not the right side etc. - it doesn't look like it, but did you put anything between the bracket and the mast? I had a suggestion to use some fiberglass to "fill in" the spaces - what do you think about all that?

Also, as the new bracket is much smaller than the original I think I'll need to drill new holes for a smaller size compression bolt (I'm not sure if that is the right term) that the lower shrouds attach to - my new brackets didn't come with anything like that.

And the last thing is that the spreaders are about 3 inches shorter than the ones that were on the mast - can I compensate for this somehow? maybe by placing the spreaders lower on the mast?

Thanks again for all your help,

Trevor

IMHO, you are now in the "get professional help" category. I've been watching this thread and its difficult to quarterback it from a keyboard. I know the problems you are facing and I'm reasonably sure that I could come up with a solution if it was my boat.... But its not. Getting this wrong could bring your mast down and worse injure or kill someone. You start messing with spreader lengths and the geometry of the mast/rigging and you had better know what you are doing. Its one thing to swap like parts for like parts. Its entirely another to change load points and angles. RT

more information

I'm starting to think I may have been a little hasty in ordering the spreaders and brackets that I did. I ordered the parts before I had the mast down and before I made any measurements.

The old spreader is 35" from the bracket to where the shroud touches is 3" wide and 1" deep sitting on a bracket that is 5 1/8" from top to bottom, whereas the DH2503 spreader I ordered is 32" plus about 3/8ths of an inch for the end piece is 1 7/8" wide and 3/4" deep with a bracket that is 3" from top to bottom. The shroud doesn't fit in the cutout on the tip of the new spreader as it is much smaller, about 6/32nds of an inch compared to the 1/2" on the old one. And I see now in the picture from Rob that there is only 1 lower shroud attached to the tang on the throughbolt whereas I have two lower shrouds on each side (the old tang is bigger than the new bracket.)

I'm going to send an email off to Dwyer to see what they suggest.

great minds

rwthomas1 said:

IMHO, you are now in the "get professional help" category. I've been watching this thread and its difficult to quarterback it from a keyboard. I know the problems you are facing and I'm reasonably sure that I could come up with a solution if it was my boat.... But its not. Getting this wrong could bring your mast down and worse injure or kill someone. You start messing with spreader lengths and the geometry of the mast/rigging and you had better know what you are doing. Its one thing to swap like parts for like parts. Its entirely another to change load points and angles. RT

Click to expand...

the title is wishful thinking on my part; it is timely that I was writing how I was feeling I made a mistake as you were writing a confirming message.

I would think that Dwyer will take care of you, they have a good rep. Talk to them about it, send them the parts if necessary. Or find a local rigger to help. You can't be the only one with this problem and it has been solved before. RT