How Much Weight can I hang off the lower spreaders ?

[Benz]

I'd give the guy in the crow's nest the strongest spotlight I could find. Better put a cup-holder up there too, and maybe a removable mesh bag to keep snacks in. Best way to stay awake: snacks and coffee.
All these worries about weight aloft and stability would only affect you if you were trying to round the horn in a big swell with the centerboard up.

[Franziska]

Snacks and food is not what he'll need, much more likely a puke bag or bucket.

Here a video I took few days ago. Tick.. tick... tock... Just like a Metronom.



Add the crows nest and it will be far worse.



Normal production boat, zero wind and a bit of swell :

https://we.tl/t-g0LtDG6B7s


PS. :If someone can share it directly feel free to go ahead.

[Jim Jones]

Yep, I get you re the weight concerns. I am the diametric opposite of rounding the horn in a big swell. I am on a lake (although it is massive - almost an inland sea). It can get rough at times during and after storms but its nothing like the ocean.

Thing about the camera with a strong spot light integrated is that the camera can be programmed to "patrol" so that spot beam can be programmed to patrol as the spot beam is built into the camera - replacing humans with machines where you can is the way to go - humans are so unreliable . Where I am our security guards sleep most of the night anyway - I will have him in a safety harness so that when he dozes off he doesn't fall to the deck.

[Jim Jones]

So I am not the only fool thinking of doing this.....

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Jim Jones

So I am not the only fool thinking of doing this.....

The camera is much less of an issue, but 70kg of human being and the crows nest weight is more of an issue.



I'm not saying you can not do it, but, ideally you counterbalance by a heavier or deeper keel.
Trouble with both is though you open up the next can of worms, is the hull strong enough for the higher forces / leverage...

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by Franziska

The camera is much less of an issue, but 70kg of human being and the crows nest weight is more of an issue.



I'm not saying you can not do it, but, ideally you counterbalance by a heavier or deeper keel.
Trouble with both is though you open up the next can of worms, is the hull strong enough for the higher forces / leverage...

Thanks for your inputs, I do appreciate the comments from all of you here - it helps me focus my thoughts and zero in on a final solution.

The guys where I am are small people - its that not that far from where pygmies are found after all !

The average weight of a guy here would be more like 50Kg - they really are small people here. This is why a guy up the mast works - me - i am far too fat :-)

I do get your points on weight - I totally get the need to be careful of how much weight is added up there. I am adding somewhere around 600Kg of LiFePo4 batteries - right next to the keel box (retractable keel) so thats the exact right place to add more weight - also the ballast is built into the floor of the boat - on each side of the keel box - so the ballast is in the exact same area where another 600Kg is going. The batteries will act as more ballast. This should help.

The boat is a Garcia Aluminium expedition boat - strong as - 8mm flat chine runs down the middle, 6mm sides, 5mm decks. I have added a 12mm plate to the front section of chine - for hippo strikes. so its very beefy.

[nofacey]

Weight aloft.....how many boats do you see out there with furlers up? You think that isn't distributed weight aloft? Mast mounted radar, bullhorns, decklights....
- Does your boat become unstable when you send a person to the masthead??

Don't get fussed over the weight of the camera, or a simply built "crow's nest" at the first set of spreaders.
Do pay attention to mounting them in a manner that doesn't snag halyards & sails.
- I'd add ratlines to get up there easily too.

Good luck with the bandits!

[gulfislandfred]

Might be a good idea to put something on the outboard end of the spreader, or on the shroud, to keep the spreader end from drooping. Cable clamp, lashing set in adhesive, light line over the spreader end in a figure 8 above and below, maybe saturated with adhesive.
If the spreader end is supported, it's a lot stronger close to the mast.

I'm not very picky, but a sagging spreader bothers me.

[merrydolphin]

On my Kelly Peterson 44 Cutter I had ratlines and would go up and stand on the spreader for hours while weaving through coral heads in the Caico Banks. I am 200# and it was no issue.

[Jim Jones]

5.30am as I write this....about to head out to the airport for my flight back to the boat. I will be with the mast guy sometime this week and will discuss all this - thanks to this conversation I am a bit more informed of what to consider/look out for.

Thank you all for the discussion so far. I will update this thread as I go and get some pictures up of the work as progress is made.

[VNCruzer]

https://arkeus.com/products/drt

Take a look at this software... works autonomously and can probably machine learn canoes and crocs

[VNCruzer]

Their cameras are awesome too... take a look at Trakka cameras also....

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by gulfislandfred

I'm not very picky, but a sagging spreader bothers me.

I'm not too picky either, but a sagging spreader gives me cause for alarm.
So many masts have come down due to a spreader dropping too far.
Discontinuous rigging or spreader lifts are a worthwhile feature for a cruising boat.
Any efforts needed to positively secure a spreader such that it bisects the angle of the wire above/below are highly recommended.

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by VNCruzer

https://arkeus.com/products/drt

Take a look at this software... works autonomously and can probably machine learn canoes and crocs

Thats very interesting indeed. Need to contact them to find out more about the software.

Thanks for the heads up.