mainsail slides

[Don Lucas]

The battened mainsail on my 410 is just a bear to get up and down!

So looking for opinions on various slide systems people have installed as how they liked them etc and what it cost them.

 

[r.oril]

I have heard that you can put a piece of soap in the slot and drag it up and down with the top two slugs. I cleaned mine with WD40. It helped some. Now I will try the soap idea. Should work. Someone will add to this comment.

 

[duality]

have you tried sailkote by mclube: http://www.mclubemarine.com/sailkote/
i think you will be pleasantly surprised on the result.

mike

 

[r.oril]

duality - Thanks for the info/link.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

I would definately try the sailkote. I spray it on the luff of the sail. It does help it slide easier in the track.

 

[Don Lucas]

have done the lube it isn't the answer

 

[eianm]

you need to do this the hard way- in a bosuns chair - up and down the whole length of the mast - both sides- it will slide like new when you are finishsed- mine did anyway! I used a simple silicon spray.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

None of the above good suggestions can compare with a good quality sail slide system. Most systems are comparable, require a track and cars but you will find that, compared with slides or a bolt rope, the difference is jaw-dropping in terms of speed and ease with which you can raise and lower the sail. Obviously the price is a consideration but of the few I have had, the Harken Battcar system, which is only slightly more expensive thean the competition, is by far the best in terms of both durability and minimized maintenance required.

Your boat and mine have pretty substantial main sails and the main goes up with ease and down like a rock. We've never had any issues with our Harken system since installed when the boat was new almost 20 years ago.

 

[Don12364]

Don,
I feel this is an endemic problem on Hunters with bent masts and fully battened sails.
I have wrestled with it since 1996 and made numerous measurements of winch handle loads versus weights hanging on the halyard. I now use a much thinner halyard attached to a shackle at the masthead (there is a hole in the crane for one) and a roller bearing block on the headboard. The halyard is double length and now has a 2:1 mechanical advantage. The tail of the halyard comes directly from the mast heel block to the jammer, above the deck to eliminate the dreadful friction introduced by the two deck organiser blocks. The sail comes down easily too when released.
Though the halyard is much longer, being much thinner it still lives happily in the halyard bin in the cockpit.
See my previous postings as below:-
See post #5 in http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=414042&highlight=main halyard from 2006
and #2 in
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=592180&highlight=main halyard from 2009
and
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=299348&highlight=main halyard from 2005.

 

[Steve Dion]

Don:

The first thing I would suggest is to clean the track (top to bottom) and spray it with McLube.

If that does not help or is of little improvement you can try some silicone/teflon sail slugs. I don't think you need to replace all of them but maybe the top 3 or 4 should help too. Bainbridge International has these.

 

[r.oril]

Interesting Idea!

[ I now use a much thinner halyard attached to a shackle at the masthead (there is a hole in the crane for one) and a roller bearing block on the headboard. The halyard is double length and now has a 2:1 mechanical advantage. ]

I am liking this idea from Donalex. I normally pull my main up by hand and finish with the winch. I might have enough halyard to try it one time.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

I'd love to do the Harken Battcar on my 40.5 but up to this point I have not had much issue with getting the main up easily and have had good luck with sailkote spray. This means I can jump the halyard at the mast and hoist at least three quarters of it by hand before I have to put the halyard on the winch.

 

[Don Lucas]

At this point I'm thinking the Tides Marine system. While I don't think it is as good as say the Harken roller system; it an easier install. And I had it on my last Cal-39 and it worked good (and for it the Sail Kote did make a difference). Even though the main on my 410 is much later than the Cal it should be OK as while I want it to go up easier than now I am much more interested in it coming down when I need it to.

 

[dkdoyle]

I had a serious problem withe same thing. Tried it all and was about to go for a new saul track system when I saw some slugs in the sailrite catalog that were just a little longer. Since mine was serious binding at the top 1/3rd we decuded to try replacing just the top few slugs. I have not had a priblem since then.

 

[timvg]

McLube, McLube, McLube. I also find it easier to raise it at the mast, while it is being taliled in the cockpit. It's much more enjoyabe than going to a gym.

 

[dkdoyle]

McLube, McLube, McLube. I also find it easier to raise it at the mast, while it is being taliled in the cockpit. It's much more enjoyabe than going to a gym.

Funny . I did use a can of Pam and sail track lube for a whole season. I had to take the sail off and scrub it. Buying 7 slugs has made it a pleasure instead of a challenge.

 

[LuzSD]

FWIW, we were told that PO using WD40 is most likely the cause of our badly chipping paint on our mast. Love our boat to death, but the mast is terrible. Also anything like WD40 would just collect dirt wouldn't it? Sailkote or similar is clearly a better choice for most lubing I would think.

 

[Solace H340]

Most of the comments have to do with lubricating the slides, but here are some other thoughts. If you have the normal reefing system - with the reefing lines going through rings at the luff -- it produces A LOT of drag when the sail is raised. Each reefing line goes through a pulley at the mast base, up to a ring on the main, down to a pulley in the boom, to another pulley at the end of the boom and through a ring in the leech of the main. Times two reefing lines! I put small pulleys forward on the main (attached to the rings) and it helped. Make sure the reefing lines are running free. Also, be sure the main sheet and vang are eased when you are raising the sail. I found the boom being pulled in tight makes it very hard to raise the main. Also, be sure you are headed into the wind when the sail main is raised. Do not use WD40 on the slides. Use only sailkote spray. Hope these other ideas help.