Hard to raise mainsail

[Bronte]

Hunter 35.5, large main, tough grind. Any advice or lubricant suggestions.

 

[kappykaplan]

Use a dry lube like McLube SailKote on the slugs and in the track. Cleaning the track with a little McLube Sailkote on a rag that you pull up and down the track can help. You can make a cleaning cloth that fits the track and is hauled up using the main halyard and pulled down using another attached line.

 

[shemandr]

My H356 could be a bear to get up. That boat had in mast furling so I only had to raise it a couple of times a season. You can use dry lubricate spray which helps some. But if the mast is up it is difficult to do much above the first spreaders. I would do the sail as it went into the track if I had a helper.
You should take out any pre-bend as that doesn't make it easier.
The best track system I've ever encountered is the Tides Marine external track or similar product. On a 34 J boat I used to sail on I could have the main up in 10 seconds and it only took a few cranks to set the luff tension. I'm sure it's pricey but I would judge it as a value. How often do you decline to sail because it's such a hassle to put the main up?

Sail Track & Slide System by Tides Marine – Sail Care

You can go electric winches but my concern with them is tearing of damaging the sail or other hardware with all that forces.

 

[Tally Ho]

I used to use any dry silicone lube and would run a rag up and down the mast slot. Also, check your slugs and make sure they are not broken, split, etc.

I eventually bought a new full-batten mainsail and North Sail suggested the Tides Marine strong track... a HDPE track that slides into the mast slot and really heavy duty stainless steel slugs that work great.

And then, just because I am lazy, I raise the sail with a Milwaukee Right Angle 28M drill and a winch bit...

I went out the other day with my buddy...his boat has a Seldon in-mast main... and I was on my Oday with the traditional main. I had my sail raised and was bearing away before he had his main unfurled ;-)

I just noticed @shemandr posted before I got mine sent... another vote for Tides Marine.

Greg

 

[Bronte]

Thanks for the replies. I’ll try cleaning track and using dry lubricant first. Not about too change my sail track, but the drill with winch bit sounds great. Expensive? Difficult to find or to use?

 

[thinwater]

Use a dry lube like McLube SailKote on the slugs and in the track. Cleaning the track with a little McLube Sailkote on a rag that you pull up and down the track can help. You can make a cleaning cloth that fits the track and is hauled up using the main halyard and pulled down using another attached line.

Yes, but two improvements.

1. Make a track cleaner out of a length of luff tape and two grommets. You can glue on cloth for a tighter fit. Easy to haul up and down.
2. Either a solvent (xylene for wax and grease) or soap (for dust, bird and bug junk) will work even better. You will need to rinse the soap out or it will be sticky.

And obviously friction through the blocks if it leads to the cockpit. This is one down side of leading ropes to the cockpit; you can't just use your weight and there is more friction. From the mast you could raise that size main in seconds. Clean and lube the blocks.

It could be a seized masthead sheave. Fix it. (Commonly the sail will be easy to drop and a bear to raise, because of the difference in load on the sheave--a common tell.)