Cranse Iron re-bedding

[Brion Toss]

Hi,
A loose fit isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, assuming that you have lots of compression surface to bear on, and that the loads on the iron run straight down the bowsprit. Unfortunately, few cranse irons are designed to provide this vector; most often the bobstay pulls aft harder than the forestay does. The result is crushed wood, rot, and sometimes failure of the end of the bowsprit. I go into this at some length in the "Apprentice."
For our clients, we always fair in some structural epoxy filler, to provide a proper fit, even if the geometry is right.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss