Hello, all. Site newbie here seeking advice. As a little background, my wife and I owned a Catalina 22 for about 5 years a number (too many) of years ago, so we do have some sailing experience. We just bought a 1980 Catalina 25. We moved her to her new port over the weekend, and had a chance to do a little shakedown sailing. We had problems raising the mainsail, because the nylon sliders seemed to be jamming in the mast track. I was thinking of trying some silicone lubricant in the track, but am wondering if there is a better lube to use? Any advice appreciated. Jack
Lubing Mainsail Track?
- Thread starter Cactus Jack
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D
Dan
sailcoat
don't use silicone. it will stain your sails. use sailcoat.it's a spray on dry lubricant. good stuff. won't gum up. are you sure that you are "head to wind" when raising the main? have fun!
don't use silicone. it will stain your sails. use sailcoat.it's a spray on dry lubricant. good stuff. won't gum up. are you sure that you are "head to wind" when raising the main? have fun!
W
Warren M.
Raising the main
In addition to using Sailkote, others things to check would be the condition of your slides and the mast track itself. Make sure you have the right size plastic slides and that they are in good condition, i.e., no chips or burrs. If you can get up the mast with a bosun chair or other device, check the condition of the mainsail track and make sure it, too, doesn't have any burrs. If you can't get up the mast for any reason, take the best look at it you can with a good pair of binoculas. When I bought my boat, which had been on the hard for some time, I was surprised to find that the mast track had become the home of lots of spiders and their nests....none of which helped getting the main up. Bye, bye, spiders....
In addition to using Sailkote, others things to check would be the condition of your slides and the mast track itself. Make sure you have the right size plastic slides and that they are in good condition, i.e., no chips or burrs. If you can get up the mast with a bosun chair or other device, check the condition of the mainsail track and make sure it, too, doesn't have any burrs. If you can't get up the mast for any reason, take the best look at it you can with a good pair of binoculas. When I bought my boat, which had been on the hard for some time, I was surprised to find that the mast track had become the home of lots of spiders and their nests....none of which helped getting the main up. Bye, bye, spiders....
Slot burrs
Its normal that the slot gets a little fuzzy with burrs if it hasn't been used for awhile. Some Sailkote and regular use will keep it in order. Also check for excessively worn slides. Pull some replacement slides up on a continuous halyard first if its tearing up the permanent ones.
Its normal that the slot gets a little fuzzy with burrs if it hasn't been used for awhile. Some Sailkote and regular use will keep it in order. Also check for excessively worn slides. Pull some replacement slides up on a continuous halyard first if its tearing up the permanent ones.
Thanks!
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'll give these ideas a try this weekend. I'm sure we'll have things smoothed out shortly with the help of these ideas. Jack
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'll give these ideas a try this weekend. I'm sure we'll have things smoothed out shortly with the help of these ideas. Jack
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