My co-owner and I have had a problem since we had a new (fully battened) mainsail fitted last year to our 1989 Legend 335. We are now considering fitting the zspar batten car system to our mast to make hoisting and lowering the new sail (not just easier, but) actually possible! Do any other 33.5 owners out there have any relevant experience and/or advise? We do not want to "gamble" another £1200 to find the problem is not much better.
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My experience with 33.5 main
I installed a Doyle full batten main sail two years ago. I originally had a problem with some of the slides used on this sail by Doyle. The smaller white nylon(?) slide fit the slot perfectly. The larger black slides used at the battens and some other points were made with a lip which caused it to bind on the plate used to cover the track entrance. This problem was cured by a sailmaker having the black slides milled down to fit. I can raise the main back at the cockpit about 2/3 the way by hand using brute strength, then winching the rest of the way. I find that if I go to the mast and "jump" the main halyard, the main goes all the way up easily. I have read recent posts here about using a slightly smaller diameter halyard and think that is the best way to deal with this problem. My halyard is probably 15 years old (fresh water only). You might also search the archives here on this site for more opinions.
I installed a Doyle full batten main sail two years ago. I originally had a problem with some of the slides used on this sail by Doyle. The smaller white nylon(?) slide fit the slot perfectly. The larger black slides used at the battens and some other points were made with a lip which caused it to bind on the plate used to cover the track entrance. This problem was cured by a sailmaker having the black slides milled down to fit. I can raise the main back at the cockpit about 2/3 the way by hand using brute strength, then winching the rest of the way. I find that if I go to the mast and "jump" the main halyard, the main goes all the way up easily. I have read recent posts here about using a slightly smaller diameter halyard and think that is the best way to deal with this problem. My halyard is probably 15 years old (fresh water only). You might also search the archives here on this site for more opinions.
Sheeve
Our previous boat was a 335 and one of the main sail problems was the sheeve at the top of the mast. We found that it failed very from high stress wear and tear. The pivot pin would wear and a sheeve would cock and jam. The problem only becomes apparent once the sail is part way up when the load is on the sheeve has increased. Without the weight of the sail the sheeve appeared to run free. Take a close look at the sheeve. They are inexpensive and easy to replace if you don't mind the trip up the mast. We fixed ours and the sail would go up and down by hand quick and easy.
Our previous boat was a 335 and one of the main sail problems was the sheeve at the top of the mast. We found that it failed very from high stress wear and tear. The pivot pin would wear and a sheeve would cock and jam. The problem only becomes apparent once the sail is part way up when the load is on the sheeve has increased. Without the weight of the sail the sheeve appeared to run free. Take a close look at the sheeve. They are inexpensive and easy to replace if you don't mind the trip up the mast. We fixed ours and the sail would go up and down by hand quick and easy.
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