We recently acquired a '96 Hunter 336. Every time we try to raise the sail it binds on the way up. It takes a decent amount of finess to get it fully raised. Last time we tried brute force and broke a four clips on the front of the sail, which while not expensive, is annoying. The mast has a definite curve to it, shaped almost like an archery bow if you were going to shoot a big arrow off the front of the boat. Is this right? Can anyone offer advice? Mark
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You are not alone!
Mark: It seems like everyone has the same complaint. Do you have a full batten main? Have you cleaned your sail track? Have you lubricated it? If you did what did you use? What type of clutches do you have? I have SpinLock clutches and have found that if I open them ALL the way open I have very little difficutly raising the main. If I leave them closed or partially open, then the sail does not raise easily at all.
Mark: It seems like everyone has the same complaint. Do you have a full batten main? Have you cleaned your sail track? Have you lubricated it? If you did what did you use? What type of clutches do you have? I have SpinLock clutches and have found that if I open them ALL the way open I have very little difficutly raising the main. If I leave them closed or partially open, then the sail does not raise easily at all.
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Andy Falls
Check the gate
Make sure that the gate at the mast is not catching the sail slides. If you are breaking the slides they must be binding on somthing more than mast bend
Make sure that the gate at the mast is not catching the sail slides. If you are breaking the slides they must be binding on somthing more than mast bend
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Colin Nielsen
Double halyard
I also have a 1996 336 and have found the main hard to raise. A local marine store employee advised me to modify the main halyard as follows, and it has helped: Install a single sheeve swivel block in the main halyard shackle and install a new main halyard, with the bitter end connected to a fitting at the masthead. The main then goes down the mast to the block on the mainsail halyard, thru said block and back to the top of the mast, through the existing block down the inside of the mast and back to the cockpit. This is a relatively inexpensive fix. On the positive side, it gives you double the purchase (physics 101), reducing the effort to raise the main. On the minus side, you have somewhat more halyard in the cockpit (or cabin) when you are sailing. Works for me and hope this helps.
I also have a 1996 336 and have found the main hard to raise. A local marine store employee advised me to modify the main halyard as follows, and it has helped: Install a single sheeve swivel block in the main halyard shackle and install a new main halyard, with the bitter end connected to a fitting at the masthead. The main then goes down the mast to the block on the mainsail halyard, thru said block and back to the top of the mast, through the existing block down the inside of the mast and back to the cockpit. This is a relatively inexpensive fix. On the positive side, it gives you double the purchase (physics 101), reducing the effort to raise the main. On the minus side, you have somewhat more halyard in the cockpit (or cabin) when you are sailing. Works for me and hope this helps.
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Steve
Sail Mod
I had my sails looked at for wear this winter, and the suggestion was made to add stitching where the loops hold the car in place on the main. The loops allowed the cars to have too much play, and would bind as the main was raised. With a full batten main, the loops were fairly long. I will see if it helps in the spring. These were new (2001) sails that came with the boat (UK Sails), so I suspect that there might be a few of the out there with the same problem. It is a cheap fix, and it might help along with the other inexpensive fixes suggested.
I had my sails looked at for wear this winter, and the suggestion was made to add stitching where the loops hold the car in place on the main. The loops allowed the cars to have too much play, and would bind as the main was raised. With a full batten main, the loops were fairly long. I will see if it helps in the spring. These were new (2001) sails that came with the boat (UK Sails), so I suspect that there might be a few of the out there with the same problem. It is a cheap fix, and it might help along with the other inexpensive fixes suggested.
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Pete
336 main sail
Mark, we also have a 336 and yes the main is a bear to raise. In addition to all the other good suggestion let me add to check to see if the mast has to much rake and if it binds where he mast starts to rake. We also have found that sometimes forgot to open a rope clutch for the reefing system, it will bind the sail when being raised. The reefing system lines must be free and not binding,they also add drag to the sail, I disconnected my second reef and found that it goes up better without it (just disconect the pully from the sail and mount it on the mast so that you can reconnect it if needed) Try disconnecting both of the reefing lines and I think you will notice a big difference. Hope this is helpful Good Luck!
Mark, we also have a 336 and yes the main is a bear to raise. In addition to all the other good suggestion let me add to check to see if the mast has to much rake and if it binds where he mast starts to rake. We also have found that sometimes forgot to open a rope clutch for the reefing system, it will bind the sail when being raised. The reefing system lines must be free and not binding,they also add drag to the sail, I disconnected my second reef and found that it goes up better without it (just disconect the pully from the sail and mount it on the mast so that you can reconnect it if needed) Try disconnecting both of the reefing lines and I think you will notice a big difference. Hope this is helpful Good Luck!
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Colin
New sail slides.
I had this problem with my 89 h335 my sailmaker installed a different style of sail slide and the problem went away. What happens is that the slides at the end of the battens twist in the track and jam. The new sail slides have a groove for the mast to fit into the slides then can no longer twist. I can hoist the main on my 335 without using a winch. if you do a search in the archives you should find an item I wrote earlier on this which should include the slide manufacturers name. No kidding, this was a $30 investment with wonderful results.
I had this problem with my 89 h335 my sailmaker installed a different style of sail slide and the problem went away. What happens is that the slides at the end of the battens twist in the track and jam. The new sail slides have a groove for the mast to fit into the slides then can no longer twist. I can hoist the main on my 335 without using a winch. if you do a search in the archives you should find an item I wrote earlier on this which should include the slide manufacturers name. No kidding, this was a $30 investment with wonderful results.
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Colin
Checked the slide manufacturer.
The sail slides that were installed on my Hunter were made by Bainbridge. Hope this helps.
The sail slides that were installed on my Hunter were made by Bainbridge. Hope this helps.
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Mark
So it's not just us!
Gentlemen, Thanks for your responses! I knew there was a better alternative than beating the mast with a sledgehammer. Steve Dion: The main's leading edge alternates between battens and eyelets with those simple horseshoe clips. We broke two of the sliders that were sewn into the battens and two of those horseshoe style clips (all plastic). The sail track is clean and we've given it some shots of silicon spray, but that was several weeks ago. We broke the parts on Saturday. I'm not sure what particular brand the clutches are but they're the clamping type. We make sure they're full open when we raise the main. Pete: We did have some problems with the reef lines binding (in the clutches we neglected to unclamp (felt dumb on that one)) and ever since we make sure they're open and the lines are free to run. Come to think of it, the sail seems to go up smoothly until about the point the reef lines start to go up. I'll try unhooking one or both of the lines as you suggest. The main also has lazy jacks. Could those be causing a problem? Colin of Burlington: The slides are plastic and we were discussing how we'd feel better if they were stainless with bearings. I'll see if I can find some Bainbridge sliders and get them installed. At $30.00 if it doesn't help I won't feel too bad. Thanks for the tip. Steve of Port Huron: The battens are short and didn't seem to be sewn too loosely, but your response is right in there with most of the others - the slides are shifting around and binding. Hopefully the Bainbridge sliders will help that out. We'll make sure we sew them in tight to minimize the play. Andy: Pardon my ignorance - What's the gate? I want to check that too. Colin Nielsen: The block-and-tackle method sounds pretty feasible, and I wouldn't mind extra halyard in the cockpit if it means I can get the main up without making my face turn purple. I'm a little worried that the extra force may break some more parts. If the other ideas don't work I'll try the block-and-tackle. Next step would be beating the mast with a sledgehammer. At any rate, a bad day of sitting on a Hunter in San Diego is better than the best day at work. Thanks again, guys.
Gentlemen, Thanks for your responses! I knew there was a better alternative than beating the mast with a sledgehammer. Steve Dion: The main's leading edge alternates between battens and eyelets with those simple horseshoe clips. We broke two of the sliders that were sewn into the battens and two of those horseshoe style clips (all plastic). The sail track is clean and we've given it some shots of silicon spray, but that was several weeks ago. We broke the parts on Saturday. I'm not sure what particular brand the clutches are but they're the clamping type. We make sure they're full open when we raise the main. Pete: We did have some problems with the reef lines binding (in the clutches we neglected to unclamp (felt dumb on that one)) and ever since we make sure they're open and the lines are free to run. Come to think of it, the sail seems to go up smoothly until about the point the reef lines start to go up. I'll try unhooking one or both of the lines as you suggest. The main also has lazy jacks. Could those be causing a problem? Colin of Burlington: The slides are plastic and we were discussing how we'd feel better if they were stainless with bearings. I'll see if I can find some Bainbridge sliders and get them installed. At $30.00 if it doesn't help I won't feel too bad. Thanks for the tip. Steve of Port Huron: The battens are short and didn't seem to be sewn too loosely, but your response is right in there with most of the others - the slides are shifting around and binding. Hopefully the Bainbridge sliders will help that out. We'll make sure we sew them in tight to minimize the play. Andy: Pardon my ignorance - What's the gate? I want to check that too. Colin Nielsen: The block-and-tackle method sounds pretty feasible, and I wouldn't mind extra halyard in the cockpit if it means I can get the main up without making my face turn purple. I'm a little worried that the extra force may break some more parts. If the other ideas don't work I'll try the block-and-tackle. Next step would be beating the mast with a sledgehammer. At any rate, a bad day of sitting on a Hunter in San Diego is better than the best day at work. Thanks again, guys.
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Pete
Raising the main
Mark, in addition to checking the slides, you probably should check the sheave at the masthead. On my 430, I hadd the same problem and found that the sheave (plastic!) had completely worn through, and wouldn't rotate. Therefore the halyard just slid, instead of the sheave rotating. Replaced the sheave with a ball-bearing one, and the problem has disappeared. Good luck. Pete S/V KAILANI
Mark, in addition to checking the slides, you probably should check the sheave at the masthead. On my 430, I hadd the same problem and found that the sheave (plastic!) had completely worn through, and wouldn't rotate. Therefore the halyard just slid, instead of the sheave rotating. Replaced the sheave with a ball-bearing one, and the problem has disappeared. Good luck. Pete S/V KAILANI
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Carl and Juliana Dupre
Raising the Main
Hi, Mark. We have an H340; same main, same mast, same issues. First, the mast does have a lot of pre-bend (the archery bow look); that's an integral part of the fractional B
Hi, Mark. We have an H340; same main, same mast, same issues. First, the mast does have a lot of pre-bend (the archery bow look); that's an integral part of the fractional B
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Mark
Clarification
Sorry, I realized my response below wasn't exactly clear. The main has full battens. The nylon straps that hold the front of the battens to the slider are short and sewn snug. We broke two of the sliders that are held by those straps, and they're relatively beefy. The vang is cinched down somewhat tight and we usually have the main sheet pulled pretty tight to keep the boom from swinging while motoring in and out of the harbor. We'll loosen those up next time. Since storms in San Diego are rare I'm just going to unhook the reef lines. From the responses, they seem almost more trouble than they're worth. Also will start lubing the sliders more frequently. Thanks again, Mark
Sorry, I realized my response below wasn't exactly clear. The main has full battens. The nylon straps that hold the front of the battens to the slider are short and sewn snug. We broke two of the sliders that are held by those straps, and they're relatively beefy. The vang is cinched down somewhat tight and we usually have the main sheet pulled pretty tight to keep the boom from swinging while motoring in and out of the harbor. We'll loosen those up next time. Since storms in San Diego are rare I'm just going to unhook the reef lines. From the responses, they seem almost more trouble than they're worth. Also will start lubing the sliders more frequently. Thanks again, Mark
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Rich
Don't have to remove the reef lines
Mark, You don't have to remove the reef lines. Just make sure that you pull enough slack through to the mast end of the organizer so that there's no drag. I just tuck mine in to the folds of the sail for storage rather than pulling them in and out all of the time. Also, if you have a topping lift, use it to raise the boom slightly past parallel when raising the main. That takes the pressure off of the luff. You will also have to release the vang and the mainsheet to get it to go up smoothly. Hope this helps.
Mark, You don't have to remove the reef lines. Just make sure that you pull enough slack through to the mast end of the organizer so that there's no drag. I just tuck mine in to the folds of the sail for storage rather than pulling them in and out all of the time. Also, if you have a topping lift, use it to raise the boom slightly past parallel when raising the main. That takes the pressure off of the luff. You will also have to release the vang and the mainsheet to get it to go up smoothly. Hope this helps.
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