I spoke to Jay Herman at Annapolis Rigging today. He confirmed that the holes in the new plates match the holes in the mast from the original spreader brackets. Jay recommended installing the new plates and using them as guides to cut the slots. He also said all the halyards, wires, etc should go aft of the thru bar except the topping lift which can go forward if desired. The bar goes thru from the port side so you would use a wire inserted thru the starboard slot to keep the halyards aft of the thru bar. The original spreaders slide onto the bar and Jay recommends they be through bolted with two 1/4" bolts per spreader. Use of the original spreaders is an advantage I see over the Hall kit.
[This message has been edited by Rob Van Name (edited 12-06-2007).]
