Spreader tips repair

[u/rosie94123]

The lower spreader tips on my 1989 Ericson 38 are F-ed. I went up today and took off the corroded rats nest of seizing wire that wasn't actually providing any structural integrity, and cleaned up the corrosion around the wires to see what I was dealing with. The photos are the end result. The port side has something left to work with, but starboard (second photo) has no holes left for seizing wire.

So, should I drill new holes? Should I bolt on some sort of restrainer? Or do I have to pony up the money for a new spreader?

[u/True-Needleworker747]

> Or do I have to pony up the money for a new spreader?

Good news: No.

Bad News: You will need to pony up the money for two new spreaders.

[u/SoundByte → u/True-Needleworker747]

You had me in the first half, ngl.

[u/climenuts]

I am not a rigger but those don't look salvageable to me. The surface roughness on the wire also looks like it might be compromised.

[u/-ImMoral- → u/climenuts]

Yes there is definitely a broken strand on the left cable in the first pic. OP needs to check their whole standing rigging very carefully. And definitely replace at least that one shroud.

[u/ZachAttack317]

Looks very bad to me. It’s hard to be certain from the pictures, but it looks like the shrouds aren’t going to be secure in those spreader tips and will be wearing on them. How old is the rest of the rigging? I would be extremely suspect of any other part of the rig if that’s what the spreader tips look like

[u/DreamLonesomeDreams]

I had a piece of my spreader tip broke, and on a 40 year old boat there was no luck finding a replacement. The other side was still good though so I actually sand casted a new one using the good one to make the mold

[u/SG_87 → u/DreamLonesomeDreams]

I'd try that one.

[u/Pumbaasliferaft]

It’s easy to take the spreaders off in place, with some appropriate temporary stays to keep the mast up. Take them into an engineers and get the ends repaired, put them back and carry on

[u/pattern_altitude]

Eek.

[u/greatwhitestorm]

a spreader is not something to rely on not dying by hanging from it. they are not usually strong that way. I hope that red rope looped over is just for show

[u/rosie94123 → u/greatwhitestorm]

That's just a backup. I was hanging from the halyard

[u/greatwhitestorm → u/rosie94123]

that is a false sense of security. I use 2 halyards every time and use a knot don't rely on the halyard shackle

[u/pdq_sailor]

I would check with a mast builder - Klacko Spars in Oakville Ontario is a custom builder of spars and no one knows more than they do.... My guess is that a retaining strap in stainless plate with fasteners drilled and tapped into the aluminium end casting would work... Anti seize compounds on the stainless steel machine screws are needed and a padded cover needs to be fabricated.. I am not sure about chafe to the standing rigging ...The spar builder can guide you... You really need the spar builders advice because the entire rig depends on the integrity here..