Forums, Mast, Rigging and Sails, Spreaders on JJ Taylor CO32

Tazling at 13/05/2014 05:16:02
Hi all

I am scratching my head over the spreaders on my JJT CO32. The spar (mast) is by Linked I believe, a sturdy if not beautiful stick. The spreaders are the hollow foil-shaped type which slip over tangs or stubs on the mast (where the lowers terminate).

Here’s the puzzle: the spreaders rotate freely through several degrees. Like 20 degrees on one side, a bit less on the other. The pins are intact, and there still seems to be metal (not powder) inside the spreaders where the big tang or stub is.

Are they supposed to rotate? Or is the CO32 design supposed to have fixed spreaders?

If this is a case of egging out the hole in the tang, I’m puzzled as to how the clevis pins can have eaten so much of a slot in a 1/4" thick aluminium tang rather than destroying the much thinner metal of the spreaders themselves.

So… calling all early 80’s Contessa owners: are your spreaders fixed, or are they designed for a certain amount of rotation?

Perplexed (how worried should I be???)

De
S/V Tazling
JJT Co32 ’81

moongirl at 14/05/2014 19:10:06
UK boats have ‘fixed’ spreaders ie no rotation. Taylor boats have taller masts but I would think that they too would have ‘fixed’ spreaders.

Regards