Thank you all for your replies and suggestions, some of which were off-list.
Responding to points in the order received: 1. "Is it safe to sate that the main mast damage is from the screws ripping out of the mast itself?” The main mast damage IMO is the indentation from the aft edge of the spreader bracket plate. The screw holes are also damaged, but fixable. 2. "From the pictures it seems that the mast was horizontal on the transport trailer and the spreader took a shot that pushed it back, parallel to the direction of the mast?” The mast is horizontal on a set of custom sawhorses I fab’d - the top pieces are scalloped per the cross-section of the mast. While the rig was still up and the boat was being towed forward, the starboard spreader took a shot from some tree branches which twisted it aft. 3. "I think you need to have a conversation with the yard about the damage.” There was no yard involved. The boat was being towed by my good buddy on my crew (the same guy who fab’d my new teak handrails and drink holders), and hitting the trees on the way to the gin pole was an accident. I was there in another car, and saw all the tree trimmings, but I didn’t notice the damage when we dropped the mast. I only noticed it later when removing the spreaders to tidy up the mast storage for the offseason. 4. "You could take it [the bracket] to a metal shop and have them straighten it or make a new one. Up to you. To straighten the tube part …" A side-by-side comparison with the port bracket (newly uploaded IMG_0240.jpg at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FI3QhFi82jrSOzQtpJ-9Z54XK3lHvlIr <https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FI3QhFi82jrSOzQtpJ-9Z54XK3lHvlIr>) suggests the tube part isn’t straight. More likely the backing plate is warped, making the tube look bent aft. 5. "You did not send any photos of the spreader. Was it bent or weakened?” The spreader itself is 1 5/8” OD thick-wall aluminum tube, and was not bent or weakened in the incident. See newly-uploaded IMG_0243.jpg and IMG_0245.jpg at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FI3QhFi82jrSOzQtpJ-9Z54XK3lHvlIr <https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FI3QhFi82jrSOzQtpJ-9Z54XK3lHvlIr>. Based on input received, I think I will go the following route: * repair the screw holes in the mast - flatten by pounding / grinding, then drill larger and re-tap * fab a reinforcement plate to fasten between mast and spreader bracket, and shorten spreader accordingly * straighten the bracket (or fab a new one) and fasten to the reinforcement plate and mast * proceed with painting plans * not file an insurance claim Fortunately I have a nice long offseason, as my lake closed 1.5 months early this year, and will open one month late next year, due to reservoir expansion and related reconstruction (https://chatfieldreallocation.org <https://chatfieldreallocation.org/>). The good news is next spring we’ll have a brand-spanking-new marina facility! So I want Grenadine to be looking sharp :) Meanwhile I’ll occupy myself with ocean sailing - going to Catalina the next two weekends in a row, and probably the Virgins in the spring. The other good news is that my rebuilt mast step supports are solid as rock after two seasons. Removed the step and inspected them yesterday. This season in particular we had some strong winds that I’m sure stressed the rig. Twice I tore a headsail when the wind suddenly jumped from 10 to 35 mph, and another time I was caught in 48 mph under main only. Partway through the season I noticed slack in the backstay and wondered if the step had settled, but no sign of that, even after cranking up the backstay tension from time to time. I’d set the rake at the start of the season but never re-checked it. Thanks again for all your input. I don’t know what I would do without this mail list. Cheers, Randy > On Sep 24, 2018, at 10:52 PM, Randy Stafford <randal.staff...@icloud.com> > wrote: > > Listers I am in need of your wisdom. > > My boat is hauled for the offseason, and I dropped the mast again to > facilitate towing the boat somewhere for painting. > > Yesterday I discovered damage to the mast and starboard spreader bracket. I > suspect the damage occurred when the boat was being towed to the gin pole to > take the rig down - the rig was towed through some non-trivial tree branches > on the starboard side, resulting in substantial tree trimmings on the boat > and on the ground. > > Supporting that theory, the spreader bracket and mast show damage consistent > with a head-on force levering the spreader aft - the spreader bracket plate > is bent outboard on the aft side, and the mast has an indentation at the aft > edge of the spreader bracket plate. Also the screw holes in the mast for the > forward part of the spreader bracket plate are pulled out (that’s how I first > noticed the damage - those two screws were pulled out). > > I’ve put pictures at > https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FI3QhFi82jrSOzQtpJ-9Z54XK3lHvlIr > <https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FI3QhFi82jrSOzQtpJ-9Z54XK3lHvlIr>. > IMG_0227.jpg is of the mast where the starboard spreader bracket fastens. > The mast is laying horizontally with the forward edge up, and the picture is > taken from “below” looking “aloft”. > IMG_0234.jpg is looking at the aft side of the starboard spreader bracket, > laying on its plate on my workbench. > IMG_0237.jpg is looking at the bracket plate from above, with the tang down. > IMG_0238.jpg is also looking at the bracket from “above”, but with the plate > flat (I wish) on the workbench, and the tang obscured by the tube. > > In the photos of the bracket you can see the deformation of the plate. > > So, my questions to you listers: > 1. How catastrophic is this? Am I looking at mast replacement? > 2. Thoughts on repair strategies? (esp. for the mast - I can probably get a > new bracket fab’d, and can enlarge and re-tap the screw holes) > 3. To make an insurance claim or not? > > Note I have the port spreader bracket as a template and for fit-testing etc. > It’s undamaged (as is the port side of the mast) and symmetric with the > starboard bracket save for the location of the set screw hole for the > spreader. > > Grateful for any wisdom you can share. > > Thank You, > Randy Stafford > S/V Grenadine > C&C 30-1 #7 > Ken Caryl, CO >
_______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
