Hi Todd,   Thanks for all the info.  After re-reading the owners manual and your info, and looking at pictures/videos and everything else I can find I'm feeling a bit more confident about getting this rigged.   I guess I just got a little spooked (there are how many stays?).     Joe Dempsey posted a Dwyer spec sheet that seems to place the spreader length somewhere in the 34.5 to 35.5 inches range which seems to jive with your numbers (loosely).  I'll measure mine and cut or replace as seems best.  I'm guessing that an inch or so of spreader length will come out in the wash.
   When I drag the boat home it'll be based at Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park a bit north of Pittsburgh.  After I get used to it for a bit I'm hoping to take trips to the great lakes.   She has the IMF mast and the original general boats roller furling head sail system.  Not sure about the traveler, I didn't know there were different versions other than original and the newer endless line system.  (It's not the new one).
   I consider myself somewhat handy and would welcome any info on your mast raising system.
Again, thanks to everyone for helping me through the learning curve. Peter

    On Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 09:41:47 PM EST, Todd Tavares <tavares0947 at gmail.com> wrote:

 Peter,
Can you give us a little information first so we can give you more help and better advice?
1.) Where will the boat be located when you take possession?  Maybe someone will be close enough to help with the mast raising.
And if you are handy, I can give you enough info and pics to build your own system. I use the trailer winch. You may not know these answers yet.
2) What type of foresail furler do you have?3) What type of mast do you have? 4) What type of traveler do you have?
Ok...As the other Peter said, both spreaders should be the same length.You could cut the longer one down to match or make 2 new ones depending.
I have 2 sets. One on my 1984 and a set from an older 1976 in the garage. Both standard masts (not IMF).The ones on the 1984 are 35½" (measured 35 5/8ths when measured from the side of the mast to tip when sitting in the bracket) and the ones from the 1976 are 35" measured directly. So the 35½ is probably the better length for your 1986 if its a standard mast. In that range should work as long as they are both the same.
We'll help you sort out the arrangement of the shrouds and stays when you're ready.I'll give a brief description now and you can refer back to it when the time comes.
I have the standard mast so this applies to my set-up.The spreader brackets should be triangular on the bottom. The lower shrouds (shortest ones- 4 each) attach to the two holes under the spreaders and go to the chain plates on the cabin top. Forward and rear goes without saying.
The upper shrouds are attached to a tang on either side of the mast, just below the mast head fitting. They run through the spreader tips and to the chainplate tangs coming out of the toe rail on the sides of the deck amidships.
Your masthead fitting may be different than mine, but the forestay attaches to the front of the fitting. My forestay has swaged T bolt and toggle fitting swaged at the top. That connects to another toggle that rides over a pin going through both sides of the masthead. The bottom attaches to the chainplate tang on the bow.
The backstay is a continous wire that has a swaged fitting creating an inverted V with a loop at the top. It attaches to the masthead fitting by a single toggle over a pin through the masthead fitting. The bottom ends attach to the chainplates on the stern corners.
Todd T

On Sat, Feb 18, 2023, 2:57 PM peter beckerman via Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:

Hi all,  Well it seems that I've gone and purchased a 1986 Rhodes 22!  Consider this the first in a series of pleas for help and information that I expect will continue for a least the foreseeable future and quite likely well beyond.  I'm a fairly green sailor and purchased my Rhodes based on research and reputation, I have not even sailed in one (perhaps I'm a bit impulsive also).  At any rate, I'm in the process of title transfer and registration and have not yet taken possession of the boat.  I do however have the shrouds, at least two of which require replacement, which I'll take care of soon.  
    Interestingly, the spreaders which I have are of different lengths by a couple of inches.  Is that normal? On which side does the shorter spreader belong?  Also as I'm getting the boat with all the stays removed, does anyone have a diagram of which shroud attaches to which chainplate?  I have the manual from the "Documents" section, and it maybe obvious once I start putting it all together, but a picture is worth a thousand words if there is one to be had.   Lastly, unfortunately this boat does not come with the mast raising system, so I'd love to know if anyone has any info re:  alternate mast raising methods, perhaps gin pole and trailer winch, or the like.
Thanks, 
   Peter Beckerman  s/v name pending