326 Ice Box or Refrigerator

[Dubai]

Hi all

I am new on the Forum so please forgive me if I screw up with protocol.
I have recently purchased a Hunter 326 and just getting used to it. I have a couple of questions
1 Not sure if I have a refrigerator or just an ice box. There is a breaker on the main panel labelled refrigerator but doesn't seem to do anything. I read somewhere that the refrigerator was an option. Would appreciate any useful pointers to determine if I have a faulty refrigerator or just an ice box.
2 The mainsail does not raise easily. It seems to jam in the slide a lot and also gets fouled in the lazy jacks. What is best way to ease the smoothness of the runners in the slide?
All suggestions, ideas will be much appreciated.
Best

 

[Sailm8]

Is there anything inside the ice box? There should be a cold plate or freezer compartment. If you turn on the breaker does it get cold?

There are several silicone sprays you can lube your sail track. To raise a sail with lazy jacks you must be exactly into the wind. Some systems have a way of relaxing the jacks or dragging them to the mast getting them out of the way to make raising easier.

 

[seadaddler]

Ditto

Ditto on already mentioned,if you don't have the option of REF but sounds like you have all the things to add it and when I first got my 2001 290 it didn't have REF and so we added it but not sure the name but so many ways to add a cold plate,if you have REF there should be some kind of cold plate down inside with a thin small tubing going thru the box and to what ever you may have to make it cold,I had Lazy jacks that I folded to the mast when hoisting the main and unfold when dropping the sail into the lazy jacks,check the sail track and use a dry lube should help when pointing into the wind,yes always point bow into the wind when rasing and lowering the sail.
Nick

 

[Benny17441]

In order to ease raising the main I suggest taking the following steps. 1) Keep the track clean and lubricate with a silicone product. To clean I use a track slide covered with cotton cloth which I raise with the halyard and lower with a downhaul line. Impregnate the cloth with lubricant and clean and lubricate simultaneously. You can also lubricate the individual slides with a spray lubricant. 2) Loosen the Lazy jacks, loosen the boom-vang and make sure the reefing lines are loose as well. 3) Point and hold the bow of the boat straight into the wind 4) the idea is to center the sail and then raise past the 1st batten and then center again and raise past the 2nd batten and you are practically home free. 5) The large roach sail is heavy so the use of the cockpit mounted winch is advisable to finish raising it up. As far as the refigerator goes it should have a cold plate and a thermostat, if these are not present you have a cooler.

 

[Dubai]

Many thanks for all the suggestions. I will get down to the boat this weekend and try them out. Somebody here in Dubai has suggested using washing up liquid to lubricate the track and slides. He advised me against any other sort of lubricant on basis that the sand would stick to it and act more as an abrasive than a lubricant!! Not sure if that would apply to silicone sprays.