Catalina 350 International Association

We are the happy new owners of hull number 402 - it arrived on a truck yesterday. It was commissioned at the dealer and we did test sail it there. Today I was re-assembling the mast after its removal from the boat for the trip. I found it difficult to attach the spreaders to the spreader roots, at least the second spreader. I think that some compression is required to squeeze the mast so the holes in the root and spreader line up and the pins will go through. Anyone have ideas on how to do this easily? The thought of inserting a tapered punch and prying and then hammering the pin in from the other side, does not appeal!

Hi Peter,

Congrats on the new boat. Ours was delivered on Friday and we splashed on Saturday. We are in Kincardine. I have not put my mast together yet. We are leaving that until next weekend. Sorry I cannot advise you yet. I Guess I'll be figuring that out too. We plan on heading up to Port Elgin this summer. We'll look you up.

-Ralph

Well I went through the same thing this weekend. I ended up using a #2 phillips screwdriver in the one hole, and pried the two pieces together to get the pin in the 2nd hole. I think next year I may try a clamp and squeeze the mast together and see if that is an easier way of attaching the spreaders. Everything else went fairly straight forward during the stepping of the mast.

-Ralph

OK. About the "some compression is required" from the mast maker, here's how I did it this year.
Parts required: 2 lengths of good 2 x 4 lumber about 18 inches long, one 24 inch piece of 1/2 inch threaded rod with four large flat washers and four nuts, hack saw, wrench
Preparation: drill holes in the two pieces of wood (i went through the flat/wide part) that will easily clear the threaded rod, cut the threaded rod into two equal lengths
Method: put one length of threaded rod through the two pieces of wood with flat washers then nuts on the outside. Drop over the mast (lying horizontal on saw horses or other support) near the spreader roots and run the second piece of threaded rod through the other two holes and put flat washers and nuts on the outer ends. Position this assembly and tighten the upper nuts until the wood is parallel to each othe and tight against the mast. Put the root through the mast and attach one spreader with the two pins. Place the other spreader on the protruding root. Now simply tighten the nuts, alternation top and bottom pairs, until the mast is compressed enough to slip in the other two pins through the second spreader and its root. Release the compression by undoing the nuts and repeat the whole deal at the other spreader.
You need a LOT of compression (or, at least I did) and one piece of 2x4 cracked in the process.
But it worked beautifully.

Peter Richards
Catalina 350, # 402, "Imagine"

Hi Peter,

Yes this year I did use compression as well. However I just used a large wood clamp, with a couple of pieces of wood for scratch protection, and cranked her down. A little tapping with a hammer on the pins and all was well.

PS. I tried to look you up the weekend of August 17. We made a heavy weather stop in Port Elgin coming down from Tobermory on our way back home to Kincardine. Unfortunately you were out sailing.