Pivoting spreaders on wooden mast (good or evil)

[Ian McColgin]

Ahoy there.

You need a good engineering consult with a competant rigger. I've had pivoting and non-pivoting spreaders on a variety of boats and there is definatly, especially in the older traditional boat, an important place for pivoting spreaders. There are plenty of places where a rigid spreader will actually fail at the spreader/mast connection due to fatigue.

And it is absolutely the case that a rigid spreader/mast connection will not prevent mast bend or pumping with any safety, though it may put both off pending catastrophic failure.

So, cure or control the bend first. For example, I cured a yawl with a wicked wierd upper mast bend when I figured out from filled in holes on the face of the mast that she'd had jumpers to oppose the staysail. Running backs alone did not quite do it. This example may have nothing to do with your situation. Don't let it mislead you into looking for a wrong cause. Just start with: Why the bend?

G'luck

Ian