ideal spreader attachment

[Robbie.g]

The load is spread over a large area, and using a band has made the spreader load land on double the thickness of material and more than quadruple the spreader cross section surface area.
Spreaders should not move, any movement would in itself, cause fatigue and wear. Many carbon rigs have the mast and spreaders etc glued n glassed. No movement there.

Possibly the 'deflection resulting in flex inducing fatigue' in you post, is an opinion from a bygone day.
Regards

[Ian McColgin]

Since many boats of "a by-gone day" are still sailing, any look at flex or not should start with understanding the engineering of the boat and rig. One might also recall that while there are times when you might get away with a rigid spreader to mast attachment, there are very very few (if any) times when an intelligently engineered flexable connection will do anything but good.

G'luck