Mainsail Friction

[Tony Wilcox]

Raising the mainsail has always been a challenge. I have all lines running free and I have a 44st electric winch. So the sail does go up but it is still creating friction, the main halyard has a tremendouse strain on it.When I drop the sail I find I have to be at the mast and pull a lot of the sail down by hand, the sail does not just drop.My sailmaker is suggesting to install a complete batcar system. Before I start to get into this type of expense, does anyone have any different solutions to this problem, the 376 is not the only boat with the bend in the mast,full battens and large roach in the sail.Many ThanksTony WilcoxP.S. I have Dutchman fittings on the 2nd and 3rd battens.

 

[Bruce Hill]

Lubricate the track

I have a manual winch, so my problem is worse. Go to our local marine store, they should have several products to reduce the friction on the track. See if you can find a teflon spray. Be careful after you do this, because the sail comes down damn fast after doing this.

 

[Mickey McHugh]

Lube too

Like Bruce, I regularly use teflon spray to keep things running smoothly. Debbie uses the electric winch to take me up and as she slowly lowers me down, I spray and wipe up any over spray. Twice the main halyard masthead sheeve has self destructed and required replacement. It took a while to go bad so it wasn't easy to notice. I just thought I had to lube the track. It became VERY apparent when I had to go to the mast to pull the sail down. A quick trip to the masthead confirmed the need for replacement. I took the spare sheeve up with me. You have to ride the topping lift up, using the main halyard as a safety. (We ALL use a safety when going aloft don't we??) When you buy spare mast sheeves, always buy two. The cost of batt cars, track and installation seems high compared to the cost of a can of teflon spray and regular trips up the mast should be part of a routine maintenance schedule.

 

[Rich McCue]

things to check

We have the same problem.We had the mast stepped to repair a lightning hit.The line organizers under the sea hood were bent and not spining.We have been raising the main by hand at the mast.I would upgrade all pullies on that side.

 

[Les]

Halyard Drag

Tony,Plain old Joy dishwashing detergent makes a pretty good lubricant. It doesn't stain and washes out after the first rain so must be reapplied. I find it makes a big difference.Also to check the sheaves under the hood, stand at the mast and try to raise the sail to some point like the first spreader. Then go back to the cockpit and manually raise the sail to the same location. If the sheaves are starting to wear you will feel it. If there is drag and you can get a power washer, try to spray out the crud from the cockpit side forward. If you endup having to pull the hood be very careful not to damage. I've heard they are difficult to replace.Lastly, one reason the sail comes down so slowely is that when the halyard is released it allows the batten to drop. The batten becomes a big, long lever that twists the slide in the track and acts like a brake. The batcar allows the batten to turn without jamming the slide. You can achieve some of the same effect by moving the slide that is immediately below the slide (the one that gets twisted) down several inches. This allows the batten to turn but keeps much of the force off the slide. Its not the best solution but much cheaper and pretty effective and you can do it yourself.Good luck,Les

 

[chet p]

sail slides

sailcare has some slides made of carbon fiber or something like that that is very slipery. i replaced several of my upper slides with them and it made a world of difference. at about $5 each they are cheaper than batcars although i did ues a single batcar on my single upper full length batten. check them out at any of the up coming boat shows or on line . cp