H260 Mainsail Luff Tension - lug lube?

[Jeff Gray]

Hi there H260 or similar owners...

Anybody else have trouble getting enough tension on the main halyard to pull all the wrinkles out of the luff of you main? Even dead into the wind, I seem to get enough friction in the lugs to prevent me from getting the leading edge of the sail as tight as I'd like, and with no Cunningham in the design there's nothing I can do about it. I want to try to pull the draft forward a bit, but can't.

Any suggestions? I was thinking I might try a silicone lubricant on the lugs.

Jeff

 

[kappykaplan]

Try McLube Sailkote. It's a dry lube that works wonders.

 

[Jackdaw]

It sounds like your bolt rope has shrunk over time, and there’s more sail cloth in that area and there is rope. Many mainsail ropes are adjustable. You should check to see if you can release yours an inch or two.

 

[Jeff Gray]

Thanks guys, I'll check the rope thing. That makes sense. No idea whether it's adjustable or not. I'll also get some of the McLube either way. Can't hurt to have the lugs slide easier.

 

[rgranger]

I used to have a tremendous problem with that but I got a new main with new slugs and the new slugs seem to slide better. It is still not a smooth as it should be but I can get my main all the way up. You might look at your slugs and see if they are scared or dirty. You may also want to take a light gauge small wire brush and clean out the sail track on you mast.

 

[jwing]

When I observed the same symptoms that your are experiencing, I used whatever dry spray lube that I found at Lowes. It worked perfectly. I might have sent a lube soaked rag up the mast track, too, but I don't remember for sure.

 

[jviss]

ditto what @Jackdaw said. Look for a "tail" of bolt rope hanging form the sail near the tack.

 

[isaksp00]

I also have folds or wrinkles in my main at the luff, and sent a photo to the loft that has done my repair work. He echoed what Jackdaw said - may be a shrunken bolt rope, which is supposedly easy to fix. I also used McLube dry on my track and slugs, after having run a bit of cloth up and down the track with a spare slug and wetted with some of the lube. That has helped raising the main a lot.

 

[Kermit]

I’ve been saving this link for several years just for y’all.
http://www.cruisingonstrider.us/TrackLube.htm

 

[kappykaplan]

I remember that link well, @Kermit !!!