spreader tips cracked

[andrew]

does any body have any ideas or sources for a hinged split spreader tip two of my tips are cracked open,I was going to replace all 6 but the thought of cutting the nicro fittings and terminals, has me looking for any other options. any ideas ????

[Matt Haberman]

Andrew,

I know some people have taken the standard tip and slotted the end. Then they either put a small screw through it or use sizing wire to keep the diamond wire captive.

[andrew]

thanks matt I guess i,ll wait untill the new tips come in and see what kind of modifications i can make to them captive screw or cap. just by looking im assuming the threaded swage terminal would not fit thru the hole.i dont mind cutting the nicro off.or am i looking at both fittings anyway. thanks again andrew

[Matt Haberman]

Andrew,
You are correct, the threaded rod end will not fit through the hole in the tip. The hole in the tip is slightly larger then the wire and it is put on prior to swaging.

[Kevin Keller]

The one thing I thought about was taking a bandsaw and cutting the spreader from the inside end up to the hole. A little slot sort of. Then slip the wire up to the hole and putting a thin shim back in the slot to fill in the cut portion and then cramming it into the spreader. Does that make sense?

I ended up making some new spreader tips on my lathe.

[andrew]

hey kevin pretty good idea, I,ve got two question,s for anybody could somebody post a photo of the new style beam clamps with the welded ends. and i want to dry sail my boat on the trailer this summer any concerns leaving the boat rigged on the trailer. i use the aquarius pad,s that i removed the padding and replaced with a thicker padding my concern is compression marks on the hulls, would adding a third set of pad,s help ? thank,s for any help andrew

[Matt Haberman]

Kevin,
I think your idea would work, but you need to make sure that the cable is retained and cannot come in contact with the end of the spreader tube.

Andrew,
Two sets of cradles/pads should be fine. We keep our boat dry sailed all season long and we have a set of pads under the main beam and the second set is under the rear beam. The reality is if you put a third set under the hulls it won't make much difference, 99% of the weight will be sitting on two sets of pads the and the other one will be there for show.

Regarding the beam strap. Here is a photo of what I think your talking about. This is an older version, but the newer one is actually a little beefier and looks even nicer in my opinion.

[Kevin Keller]

I guess you could make the shim in the shape of a T so it would have some over hang over the spreader tube end. That should prevent the shim from slipping further down the tube and also keep the diamond wire from touching the spreader tube.

[andrew]

matt thanks for the photo,if that is an older version then my straps are original,just plain stainless strap material. i think its time to up grade. as for my tips i put my aluminum slugs with set screw in a pull test the outer hole wanted to open up slightly, back to the drawing board. thanks again andrew