Swept back spreaders

[monark192]

What is the purpose of swept back spreaders vs those perpendicular to the mast on a rig that still has a backstay?

Aside from the issue of chainplate attachment, can swept back spreaders be moved forward? The stays on my rig terminate approx 10" behind the base of the mast and it is an obstacle to tabernacleing (sp?) the mast to fit under a bridge.

[Jeff_H]

Swept back spreaders help prevent the mast from pumping and help keep the forestay tensioned in a number of ways. Eliminating them is usually a major operation involving relocating the chainplates and beefing up the rig and often means going to running checkstays or running backstays. Since the mast generally hinges aft with a tablernacle the aft set shrouds and swept back spreaders should help rather than hurt dropping the mast.

Jeff

[tsenator]

monark192,

The main purpose of swept back spreaders( vs those perpendicular to the mast on a rig) is to allow tighter sheeting angles for the genny? This typically translates to pointing a few extra degree''s higher.

This is how the boat was designed, and as Jeff said I am not so sure I would go to all sorts of changes as it would be a major hassle. But, more importantly, it might drasically change your boats sailing characterisics. Swept back spreaders in and of themselves are not there to prevent the mast from pumping that would be function of the your stays . But if you "did" go to a perpendicular spreader AND you have a backstay (as you described) then you probably won''t need running checkstays or running backstays and you will end up with a very tradional (and sturdy) single spreader rigged boat.

I would pose this question at a very good site on rigging for Boats its http://www.briantoss.com/ and you can post the question in the "SPARTALK" section.

[fer@fer]

As Jeff said "Swept back spreaders help prevent the mast from pumping and help keep the forestay tensioned in a number of ways." As a matter of fact they replace running checkstays.

I´ve started seeing swept back spreaders back 20 yrs on cruising fractional rigs, thus obtaining the performance of such rig in cruising conditios.

But agree with my colleagues, eliminating swept back spreaders is a major operation.

Regards

Fernando

[Jeff_H]

With all due respect, swept back spreader have nothing to do with sheeting angles for a genoa. The side loads that they impart are determined to a great extent by their distance from the centerline of the boat. Swept back speaders allow the elimination of forward lowers while reducing the mast tendancy to pump by introducing a forward pressure on the mast in much the same way as forward lowers would do. They first show up in the late 1930''s on boats like the Folkboat.

Jeff

[tsenator]

I stand corrected....some swept back spreaders do have the added benefit of better sheeting angles, but obviously not the sole purpose of design.....I still beleive its a bad reason to change the intended original design of the rigging on this (apparent) trailer sailor

[davidk]

But I would say the main purpose of swept back spreaders is to replace the need for running back stays. When we moved from a traditional wooden mast with plenty of wire to carbon fibre the rig got a whole lot more simple and we did away with the runners. Now the backstay is essentially their for bend ratrher than holding it all up. I did worry that 22.5 degrees of spreadback would to all intents and purposes be the only thing that stops the lot going forwards and that was asking a lot but as far as I understand it, that is the set up you get in the high tech rigs. Anyway it works for us and so my worries have slowly turned to self confidence in our rig (includes rod rigging and some high stress numbers)