Plastic Classic Forum

I have started work on upgrades and repairs for Loon this season, beginning with new spreaders. The old ones were spruce and not in very good shape, so I am laminating new ones out of 3/4 inch ash which will be shaped, coated in epoxy and varnished and painted on the tops. I've been told that ash is not an ideal wood for this project, but it's the best I could find in the area and I'd rather have to replace them in a couple of years than spend a month not sailing this season because I haven't finished the project.

I'm also upgrading the running rigging, replacing the main sheet and traveler control lines and replacing some worn out blocks on the traveler. Finally, I'm starting to replace the standing rigging, beginning with the back stay and two upper shrouds. Stay tuned, pictures to come...

Look forward to it

Ash is plenty strong enough, though it does like to rot.

but wait... why laminating? Ash doesn't work and play well with some glues.

If I could not get sitka spruce, my second choice would be douglas fir.

Figment: I may have been mislead on the laminating. I was under the impression it would be stronger. That may not be the case. How does ash do with epoxy?

earlylight: Alas, no fir to be had around here. Neither that nor spruce, nor locust, or anything else I was told to use.

You may wish to try Exotic Lumber in Annapolis, MD. They specialize in boat-building lumber and have a very large selection. I know they will ship via UPS or FED-EX. and shipping should not break the bank for enough to fabricate a pair of spreaders. Here is their URL: http://exoticlumberinc.com