I just bought a 1986 Hunter 28.5 and I want to replace the slugs on the main sail but can’t find the end of the track to remove the sliders. Can somebody help?
Mast rail
- Thread starter GrantBrown
- Start date
I thought there would be a removable stopper that will allows the sliders to be removed but i don't see how to get them out.
I know I'm missing something.
I'm not looking at it right now but it must be behind the gooseneck and that does not look easy to remove. Uhhg.
nvm what I first posted here… it looked like screws holding the gooseneck on, but a closer look shows rivets… so not as easy as I first thought.
Got a pic further up the mast? There is prolly an opening a but higher up.
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That gooseneck looks like it is riveted to the mast. Unless it is not the original location for it I really doubt the gate is behind there. Those ss rivets are very difficult to drill out. The gate is normally about a foot above the boom. There may be a plate closing the opening and leaving just enough of the slot open to allow the slides to pass through. If your sail is down and you are holding the bundle just above the boom, you may not be seeing the gate.
Thanks for the replies. I'll be back out there this afternoon for a closer look. It's just strange that the sliders have passed the gate and reached the gooseneck without either...A. being stopped or B. falling out.
"Gate" means there's a gate that keeps the slides in the groove, but that they can slide past. You open the gate by unscrewing part, or something like that, and they the slides can come out.
I've found that there are at least 2 ways to use this gate. On my Starwind, I had a stopper that is inserted in the slot just above the gate that holds the slides captive so they can't slide down to the gate. Obviously, the stopper is installed in the spring after bending the sail on to the mast and removed in the fall when taking the sail off.
The other, I have on our Catalina, is a metal plate installed after the sail is on that closes the gate but leaves a slot so that the slides can slide on down to the boom. I suspect that is what you have.
When you took this picture, was the sail fully raised or was the sail down and gathered above the boom? If you raise the sail, you will probably find the gate. BTW that black tape around the mast indicates the bottom of your "P" measurement. It looks like it is right at the boom, where it should be. I really doubt the gooseneck is covering the gate. If the gooseneck is fixed in place, and it looks like it is, Hunter did not cover the gate with the gooseneck.
There is probably a similar marking at the top of the mast indicating the top of "P".
There is probably a similar marking at the top of the mast indicating the top of "P".
Yes, I saw that. So I can pull the sliders out at that point? In your pic is the gate closed, locked in place? I don't see a opening in your rail.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,042
Grant
Your boat is not unusual. The goose neck is fixed in the place so that the sail is the correct length from boom to Mast head.
The sail slugs drop down from the gate. There will be a gap in the placement of the sail slugs so that they sit in the mast above and below the gate.
Move the slug up to the opening in the mast slot. The slug should slip out.
Your boat is not unusual. The goose neck is fixed in the place so that the sail is the correct length from boom to Mast head.
The sail slugs drop down from the gate. There will be a gap in the placement of the sail slugs so that they sit in the mast above and below the gate.
Move the slug up to the opening in the mast slot. The slug should slip out.
You can see the 2 screws in the photo ... remove the screws and the plate comes off ... be careful not to let anything bounce overboard!
I wish I was out there now. This is the first time I've ever posted on a message board and I feel much more confident after all the great replies. Thanks everybody.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,042
Sounds like you feel the way I do when I see those Parties in the French Quarter, and hear the sound of blues oozing out of my computer speakers.
It is winter and we all north of the 38th parallel all want to be splashing out boats. Perhaps that is why all this great knowledge bank is sitting here full of insight.
Go for it. Work can wait. Play hooky...
The previous owner was somewhat derelict and it's been sitting for years. I'm just going over everything to see what needs replacing. First time raising the main and I noticed one broken shackle and as i yanked on the sail several other shackles and sliders broke. It may need new sails and running lines too. This is a project boat for me and I've been fixing what i can myself and for the harder stuff getting professional help.