Rigging Repair ?

[gregleeber]

Looking for some advice on repairing my spreaders. There is a bronze ring that bolts to the mast. It has a (I guess I would call it a clasp) which bolts to the wooden spreaders on each side.

What is this called?

both of the clasps have broken off. Can I take it off with the mast still standing and have it repaired? Its made of bronze. Or does this need to be made from scratch using the broken one as a template?

Any ideas on who could repair this or where I could get a replacement?" (I'm in Maine) It would help to know what it is called too.

thank you.

[Gold Rock]

Your description isn't clear enough for me to carve anything in stone, but it sounds like you may have something akin to a mastband which incorporates mounting provision for the spreaders. I've seen arrangements of this general type before. Nonetheless, broken, cracked, or fractured copper based alloys can often be welded, but it is important to correctly identify the alloy. This can be difficult, yet without this information a reliable weld cannot be guaranteed. Having new bits cast is a sound option. If you desire your old parts to be used as patterns, be aware of the shrinkage that will occur, netting you replacements that are marginally smaller than the originals. It would also make sense to determine the nature of the failure in the first place. If there is some design shortcoming in the existing parts or rig arrangement, you would presumeably not want to duplicate a situation doomed to repeat failure. Good luck.

Chuck

[gregleeber]

Chuck,

the cause for the break was haste, poor planning and bad judgement. That coupled with bad weather and an engine failure left me with some repairs both to my ego and my 37 foot Sam Crocker, Milky Way.

There are quite a few threads about the trip on WBF in the "Bilge" section.

My tail is still between my legs...

Thanks for the advice. I am pulling her and will check it out once I've removed it from the mast.

Greg