Missing rivets on spreader

[Tenedos]

Ahoy sailor,

We are in the process of buying a new boat (Jeanneau 43 DS) and the rigging survey results came back with the following photo. You can see missing rivets (and a separate hole above the spreader).

Surveyor says the missing rivet is cosmetic only and not something to worry. However, he recommends to get it addressed when the rigging is replaced sometime (emphasizes no urgency).

Missing rivets makes me nervous. Should I be concerned about this?

Thanks in advance.

[Tenedos]

This is the quote from surveyor:

The spreaders and spreader tips were observed to be in good order. The spreaders are installed on solid aluminum through-spars that closely fit slots in the main tube. The fit is controlled by the aerodynamic extrusions pinned onto the bar port and starboard so that they are flush with the surface of the shims at their bases. Thus they are captured effectively, and are symmetrical in length, dihedral and sweep. There are pressed aluminum shims at the bases of each spreader that convert the straight sawn cut at the base of the spreader to a compound curve that will match the radius of the mast wall. These have been installed with fewer rivets than there are holes provided. The empty holes are at the aft end of the shims and they are empty because rivets in these locations would intrude on the smooth interior wall of the tube that houses the furled mainsail. The lack of rivets in these holes does not compromise the strength of the shims.

[Jim Cate]

That is a unusually good analysis by your surveyor. He does not worry about the missing rivets, nor should you. The loads on the spreader are mostly compressive and the missing rivets do not compromise that situation. It appears that the boat came from the builder in that form and has not suffered from it so far. Seems a non-event to me.

Jim

[double u]

more disturbing: no jointing compound (Duralac,...) used under stainless spreadersocket. Saltwater trapped under it will eventually start to corrode the mast (& yes, despite the anodizing)

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by double u

more disturbing: no jointing compound (Duralac,...) used under stainless spreadersocket. Saltwater trapped under it will eventually start to corrode the mast (& yes, despite the anodizing)

What stainless spreader socket? That’s all aluminum there (except for the pins and rivets).

[double u]

if aluminium (I'm not so sure): stagnant saltwater between mast & spreaderbase is still bad (differential oxygenation)

[marshmat]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

That is a unusually good analysis by your surveyor. He does not worry about the missing rivets, nor should you. The loads on the spreader are mostly compressive and the missing rivets do not compromise that situation. It appears that the boat came from the builder in that form and has not suffered from it so far. Seems a non-event to me.

Jim

This is correct. The builder used an off-the-shelf component from their catalogue, and it happened to have two holes that are not needed - indeed, would cause a problem if used - in this case.
If the holes really bother you, you can put a couple of plastic filler caps on them for cosmetic purposes. But I'd just leave them as is.

[Tenedos]

Thank you all, very much appreciate the responses.

[SaltyMetals]

Tenedos,

Best of luck with yr 43ds, i bought a 2004 version 5 years ago. V happy with it. I think that Jeanneau was a bit reluctant to put rivets in places where they thought things were already well-pinned together. For example, look under the boom where the plates that hold the vang and the U-bolts for the mainsheet are pinned to the boom. There should be two rivets in each plate. Mine only had one and in fact the vang had broken the single rivet. Use Monel and duralac, if you can, to fix it.

Depending on the vintage of the 43ds there may be a problem where the block has partially collapsed under the compression post under the mast. Models dated 2002 and earlier typically had this problem. Mine was OK. What happens is that the roof gets depressed by the pressure of the mast so your windows will start leaking and , in extremis, the panes will drop out. The problem has a well-known solution but the mast has to be taken off and the compression post removed in order to beef up the support. You will find more info and probable costs on the Jeanneau Owners' website.
Any other questions about the 43ds, including the aft cabin dividing panels, pls send me a PM.
Andrew

[Manateeman]

You have a good surveyor and he is correct. If you pull the spar to do the compression post, you might want to look at the spar under the castings to make sure there is no corrosion hidden.
Think like you are water and you want to find a nice place not to dry out... some place where your friends dirt and salt hide...that’s where to check.
I’m impressed with the analysis from your surveyor so I think you are in good hands. What else did he say .
Happy trails to you
Mark and the Eggnog Bombed manatee crew

[Tenedos]

Originally Posted by SaltyMetals

Tenedos,

Best of luck with yr 43ds, i bought a 2004 version 5 years ago. V happy with it. I think that Jeanneau was a bit reluctant to put rivets in places where they thought things were already well-pinned together. For example, look under the boom where the plates that hold the vang and the U-bolts for the mainsheet are pinned to the boom. There should be two rivets in each plate. Mine only had one and in fact the vang had broken the single rivet. Use Monel and duralac, if you can, to fix it.

Depending on the vintage of the 43ds there may be a problem where the block has partially collapsed under the compression post under the mast. Models dated 2002 and earlier typically had this problem. Mine was OK. What happens is that the roof gets depressed by the pressure of the mast so your windows will start leaking and , in extremis, the panes will drop out. The problem has a well-known solution but the mast has to be taken off and the compression post removed in order to beef up the support. You will find more info and probable costs on the Jeanneau Owners' website.
Any other questions about the 43ds, including the aft cabin dividing panels, pls send me a PM.
Andrew

Thank you Andrew. We are also pretty excited. We love the boat based on what we have seen so far. This is the second offer we put on a 43 DS. For the first one, owners decided not to sell her.

Full survey is on Monday so we are looking forward to it. This is a 2006 model. It is either the last one that is built or one of the last ones. Broker thinks it is certainly the latest one in US but who knows. We did read about the compression post issues and we intentionally looked for it but we didn't see any issues. I am waiting for the full survey results (fingers crossed).

I may take take you up on your offer as we discover the boat more and have questions, thank you!

[Tenedos]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

You have a good surveyor and he is correct. If you pull the spar to do the compression post, you might want to look at the spar under the castings to make sure there is no corrosion hidden.
Think like you are water and you want to find a nice place not to dry out... some place where your friends dirt and salt hide...that’s where to check.
I’m impressed with the analysis from your surveyor so I think you are in good hands. What else did he say .
Happy trails to you
Mark and the Eggnog Bombed manatee crew

Thanks Mark. Indeed, we have been happy with our surveyor. If you PM me your e-mail address, I can send you the full report.