Does anyone know if the old Kenyon (now Rig Rite) 4060 section J30 masts can be retrofitted with a 15 degree aft angled spreader thru-bar? Original equipment spreader attachments for the Kenyon J30 masts are steel plates rivited to each side of the mast. This configuration is prone to causing mast fatigue and failure due to compression loads.

Yes - I had Hall Spars in Bristol, RI do the through bar spreader fix on Rhapsody's mast 2 years ago. Corey Butlin who owns J/30 Blitz works there and can set you up. Call him at (401) 253-4858

Thanks..

Can a local rigger do this with the right parts? I am in Southwest Connecticut...not close enough to Cory, and it's a big mast to transport as you know.

Can you explain what was involved in the conversion? I imagine simply removing the steel plates, cutting out the slots (1/8" x 2 1/4" I believe) and putting the thru-bar in. Of course, nothing is really that easy, or is it?

My main concern is the fit of the thru-bar on each side of the mast. Has to be cut precisely and fit snug and not have any "play" in it.

I guess I should ask Cory all of these questions....!!!

Yeap - ask Corey. I have read on this board that others have done the fix themselves. On Rhapsody when they removed the rivets holding the spreader bracket steel plate, there were stress cracks through many of the holes in the mast. Hall Spars ended up grinding the cracks out, heliarc weld filling, then grinding it smooth. If you have any complications like this, you'll need a pro. My repair ended up costing $850, much cheaper than replacing the mast if the rig came down - a very possible event given what was hidden.

Bill

Just spoke with Corey...sounds like a good fix. Thanks Bill

Note to all others without thru-bar retrofits...Corey confirmed most masts will have stress cracks developing between the rivit holes, even if not raced hard. 25 years of flexing can take a toll. You can't see these cracks until you remove the brackets...

An ounce of prevention...is worth a pound of cure?

Hey...last year I got Annapolis rigging to make up a "kit".... they've done alot of the bars and have a section of mast to work it. He sent me off with everything to do the job, rivets and all. My rigger in the Virgin Islands did the work with the mast up and the boat on a mooring... can't be that difficult. And surprise, I had no cracking/ stretching of the holes in the mast... but the stainless T fitting for the spreaders was cracking nicely.

I am going to get a spreader thru bar (or something) to make certain that my rig doesnt fail there. So I had my marine services pro call Cory @ Hall, and the estimate is a whopping surprise. $950 for the kit, plus 16 hours installation = $1250 labor = $2200 out the door price. What is going on? I read the above $850 out the door price for Cory's /Hall's work and that sounds great, but $2,000+ is almost a deterrent instead of a fix ! Did everyone else spend that kind of coin ? Is there another way ? HELP!
Dell

Is Hall traveling to your boat to make the installation? 16 hours is a lot of time. Sounds like travel time.

No. Hall is selling the kit to my local guy who is installing it. It sure does sound like a lot of time.

I am considering an alternative fix.

Taking out just the forward center rivit on each spreader bracket and passing a stainless bar threaded on each end through the mast and securing it with washers and nuts on each side.

This will prevent the front of the spreader bracket's from flexing away from the mast under load due to the swept back spreaders and mast pumping. It transfers the stress to the other side's stainless steel bracket like a thru bar.

Halyards would feed inside the mast to the aft of this bolt, and bolt would be smooth inside (not threaded) to avoid chafe.

I am told that the masts have a welded bar inside aft of the spreader brackets already, this simply duplicates this feature forward, but additionally connects the port and starboard stainless brancket to each other.

Any thoughts on this?