We have a Hunter 336. Find it very difficult to raise the main once it gets about 2/3 of the way up. We lubed the slides and mast with McLube but did not help much. Any ideas ?? Thanks
Difficult to raise Mainsail
- Thread starter ifundum
- Start date
Are all of your other control lines (vang, outhaul, sheet) eased while hoisting?
They need to be.
I also have a 336 and had this problem when I first bought it a few years back.....my learnings:
- make sure jiffy reef lines are pulled thru boom end by hand.....
- when you drop sail leave full jiffy lines out and fold into sail when storing
- I switched my Halyard to a size smaller than recommended but high strength....helped a ton
- spray mclube periodically as you have already done
no issues now at all.......if my first mate is on board I will pull up by hand at mast and she will pull thru and lock...
Good Luck... great boat!
- make sure jiffy reef lines are pulled thru boom end by hand.....
- when you drop sail leave full jiffy lines out and fold into sail when storing
- I switched my Halyard to a size smaller than recommended but high strength....helped a ton
- spray mclube periodically as you have already done
no issues now at all.......if my first mate is on board I will pull up by hand at mast and she will pull thru and lock...
Good Luck... great boat!
I have a 98 - 340 and have discovered that all the little things like lube make " little" difference. You need to make sure to release all your lines ,but what helps the most is to pull through the reefing lines manually when the main reaches about 1/2 mast. The idea of using a slightly smaller dia sheet in a higher strength is interesting I think that would make a big difference.
Of course, could be that the main halyard pulley is frozen. Happened on my much older (1980) H30. You can tell by grabbing the halyard at the head of the sail with one hand and where it exits the mast with the other. Work the line back and forth with various tension and you should be able to tell if the line is riding on a rolling pulley or sliding over a stuck one.
We had this issue with our H'31. Reduced our halyard size and it made all the difference. The line that caused the problem with 1/2" StaSetX, and we replaced it with 7/16" SatSet. Probably would have gone with a lower stretch line if I was doing it again.
Agree with other posters about the too-large line sizing - this can drag thru the cheeks at the top.
Reducing halyard size is a good idea. 3/8" might be even better, and use t-900, which is about as strong as the shrouds on the boat.
Next up at some additional cost/hassle, change out that masthead sheave for a roller bearing one from Harken or equivalent. That 180 Degree turn at the top really adds a lot of potential drag with a stock solid axle sheave.
Loren
Loren
Reducing halyard size is a good idea. 3/8" might be even better, and use t-900, which is about as strong as the shrouds on the boat.
Next up at some additional cost/hassle, change out that masthead sheave for a roller bearing one from Harken or equivalent. That 180 Degree turn at the top really adds a lot of potential drag with a stock solid axle sheave.
Loren
Loren
Reef lines
I added blocks to the main sail where the jiffy reefing lines ran through grommets in the sail. That helped quite a bit
I added blocks to the main sail where the jiffy reefing lines ran through grommets in the sail. That helped quite a bit