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
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