Hello all,

I am in the process of purchasing a 1982 J30 - my first boat. I am having her surveyed and doing a sea trial this Saturday and had a question I am hoping someone can answer. I had heard from a friend that there was an original "flaw" with the mast/spreaders on the J30 design. His contention is that it was universal enough that there was a standard "fix" for the issue. The surveyor I spoke to was unfamiliar with the specific issue (if it exists) and wondering if anyone knows what I should be looking for (if anything) along those lines.

Glad to be a new owner and forum member... I'll have LOTS of questions for y'all as the months progress.

best

Nick

This is a known problem that all J/30s should have taken care of. Rob Van Name's blog post on the spreader bar fix for Nordic Star has some good photos so you know what to look for. Here are some old forum links that discuss this:

• Annapolis Rigging Spreader Bar Kit
• Spreader thru-bars

Most boats have had this done. Bill Murphy used to own the boat you are looking at for a long time. Send him a message and maybe you can learn what he did before he sold the boat.