Sail slides breaking

[Skipper]

Of course I've been in boats and sailing forever, but I too get mystified by some things:
I get slides breaking in multiples. 2 or 3 at a time, adjacent to each other.
Sometimes they break at the loops, in which case they all do, sometimes they break at the slides, in which case they all do, as they did this time (pic).
Happens without any notable coinciding incident, although there may have been some minor slatting in low or no wind.
I always have medium tension on the halyard, enough to be taut but not so much to curl the luff.
Bolt roped with many slides, about every 18 inches. Half battens.
I've thought of getting metal slides but figured I'd see if anyone else has this issue and a remedy.

 

[Apex]

is the track clean so the slide runs free?
What is the outhaul tension? The slides can easily be overcome if luff is too light and outhaul too tight.....think of the proper reefing order and why...
How old are the slides? Perhaps they are simply brittle.

 

[Dennis Kitchen]

I went through a similar period of breaking sail slugs. I know violent jibes broke some of them but then seemed to have a rash of failures. I installed the metal encased slugs at the batten locations, learned to jibe more gently, and every year at the start of the season I coat the mast groove and slugs with sailcoate so I am not straining and wearing the slugs while raising sail.
I've had no issue for 3 seasons now. Of course all my slides are now newer.
Dennis

 

[dlochner]

Two thoughts, sun and UV degradation weakens the plastic or some chemical might also weaken the plastic. If you have lubricated the sail track the residual lubricant might be reacting with the plastic.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Questions asked need to be answered paticuraly the age. What about some lubricant in the sail track

 

[Skipper]

is the track clean so the slide runs free?
What is the outhaul tension? The slides can easily be overcome if luff is too light and outhaul too tight.....think of the proper reefing order and why...
How old are the slides? Perhaps they are simply brittle.

Track is clear, sail goes up and down easily. I don't put anything in the track. It stays clear in its own, due to consistent sailing.
Outhaul is usually medium-loose, for our typically light to medium winds.
Some slides are old, but have had a new one break as well.

 

[Ken Cross]

Look carefully at the failed slug. Does it have a chalky appearance? Are there other cracks? Yes means likely U V light degradation. If not possibly just over stressed.

Ken

 

[Skipper]

Look carefully at the failed slug. Does it have a chalky appearance? Are there other cracks? Yes means likely U V light degradation. If not possibly just over stressed.

Ken

Not chalky on the loops. Shiny.
Some on the slides but probably from contact with track.
I'm thinking over stressed. The imprecise fit inside the track allows for smooth operation, but if the slides were thicker it would be more stable in there. But they don't come thicker. Not that I've seen.
Edit: thicker as in the sliding part, the height of the slide if it were laying flat level. Not length or width.

 

[Skipper]

Just thought of something. Apex's post triggered it.
The slides are breaking on the upper half of the sail.
When the wind quits I typically haul in the mainsheet tight to eliminate the boom swing. With a straight up zero-prebend mast, this may be putting more tension on the slides aloft. The slatting does the rest.

 

[Jackdaw]

Are they the wrong size? Just because they go in does not make them the right size. A too-wide slide will put leverage on the unsupported middle of the slide and crack it under load. Make sure to carefully match your slides to your track. You may have to switch to round or half-round.

Or solve it once and for all and get a Tides Strongtrack system.

 

[Skipper]

Are they the wrong size? Just because they go in does not make them the right size. A too-wide slide will put leverage on the unsupported middle of the slide and crack it under load.
.

Never thought of too wide. They seem to fit well laterally, with about a mm of play.
Are you saying narrower might be better? Seems they might jam(?)

 

[rardiH36]

I am guessing that Skipper's slugs/slides are really really old. Looking up a Bristol 29.9, the boats were manufactured in the late 1970's through mid 1980's? If the slugs/slides are from the same period, there is no mystery here: 1) Not made of the newer formulations of plastic. 2) Irrespective of exposure to UV, they have become brittle with age = snap!

A non boating example: When still in my 30's, I bought a pair of ski boots of mid 1980's manufacture. I used them only a dozen times the first year or two. Then life obligations kept me away from skiing for a decade. The boots were stored in my cool crawl space until I resumed skiing again in the mid/late 1990's. First time out, while coming off a mogul, but not twisting or falling, my ski suddenly was no longer with me. OK, so the binding prematurely released I figured. I skidded to a stop on my other leg. I remember noticing when I started climbing up-slope to recover my ski, that something didn't feel right on the sole my lost ski foot. When got to the ski, between the front and back binding pieces, was the entire sole of the boot. It had broken clean off from the rest of the boot. The boot plastic, originally pliable, had gone brittle over the years. I got down the rest of the slope on one ski. By the time I got to the bottom, the other boot also was cracking apart.

The slugs/slides on my 1980 Hunter did the same thing as Skipper's during the first few years after I bought the boat in 2007. The boat was still fitted with the OEM mainsail. And I am sure the slugs also had been in the mast track for the same.

Initially I just replaced the broken slides. But when I realized what was happening, I ordered a complete set of new plastic slugs from Sailrite. None have broken since. Even sailing San Francisco Bay's "The Slot" on every outing.

 

[Jackdaw]

Never thought of too wide. They seem to fit well laterally, with about a mm of play.
Are you saying narrower might be better? Seems they might jam(?)

Yea could be, they really need to match the inside of the track. If it has any curve and the side is too wide, only the edges will touch and the whole width of the slide is under leverage by the pull in the middle.

 

[Jackdaw]

I am guessing that Skipper's slugs/slides are really really old. Looking up a Bristol 29.9, the boats were manufactured in the late 1970's through mid 1980's? If the slugs/slides are from the same period, there is no mystery here: 1) Not made of the newer formulations of plastic. 2) Irrespective of exposure to UV, they have become brittle with age = snap!

A non boating example: When still in my 30's, I bought a pair of ski boots of mid 1980's manufacture. I used them only a dozen times the first year or two. Then life obligations kept me away from skiing for a decade. The boots were stored in my cool crawl space until I resumed skiing again in the mid/late 1990's. First time out, while coming off a mogul, but not twisting or falling, my ski suddenly was no longer with me. OK, so the binding prematurely released I figured. I skidded to a stop on my other leg. I remember noticing when I started climbing up-slope to recover my ski, that something didn't feel right on the sole my lost ski foot. When got to the ski, between the front and back binding pieces, was the entire sole of the boot. It had broken clean off from the rest of the boot. The boot plastic, originally pliable, had gone brittle over the years. I got down the rest of the slope on one ski. By the time I got to the bottom, the other boot also was cracking apart.

The slugs/slides on my 1980 Hunter did the same thing as Skipper's during the first few years after I bought the boat in 2007. The boat was still fitted with the OEM mainsail. And I am sure the slugs also had been in the mast track for the same.

Initially I just replaced the broken slides. But when I realized what was happening, I ordered a complete set of new plastic slugs from Sailrite. None have broken since. Even sailing San Francisco Bay's "The Slot" on every outing.

Or maybe a new sail? Holy crap who want to sail with a 40 year old sail??

 

[Roland5048]

Went years without breaking a slug then...whammo... started breaking two to three every time out. Always adjacent ones. They were always the all plastic slugs. The slugs with the stainless loop thingies, (that's a technical term), never had a problem. Had the slugs with the stainless loop thingies put on my new sail. So far, no problem but it hasn't been on very long.

 

[Skipper]

Or maybe a new sail? Holy crap who want to sail with a 40 year old sail??

She's only 33. And doesn't look it.
The last 29.9 built. Hull #216.
The mainsail is fair. Runs good. Have kept it updated. Would replace immediately if I were rich. As it is, it serves well.
To the other poster: some of the broken slides were newer.

I thinks it's the tension from the mainsheet as mentioned earlier. I'll adjust my technique. And buy metal or reinforced slides for parts inventory.

 

[Whatfiero1]

Sail slugs are like anchor chain if link breaks you don't replace that week link you replace the whole chain

 

[agprice22]

I am always surprised at how easily the slugs bind in the track. This weekend, my wife could NOT raise the main sail. She hauled, I hauled, we could not raise it. We checked for all impinging factors. We found none, but we still could not raise it or lower it freely, so I called for the McLube. We sprayed the track and each slide. It went up and down like a shower curtain. She could haul it without the winch. We had lubed them just a month ago, and we had no problem any other sail. The only factor we could determine was that the boat was out of the water, on the trailer on a dirt road in the boat yard, mast down. We think it got dust and dirt in the track sitting there.
I know that those slides get pretty torqued, so if I was breaking them, I would first make sure the sail slides up and down easily. Then I would simply replace them all.

 

[Jackdaw]

I know that those slides get pretty torqued, so if I was breaking them, I would first make sure the sail slides up and down easily. Then I would simply replace them all.

Do you have a full batten main? If yes then you really need a track system.

 

[agprice22]

Do you have a full batten main? If yes then you really need a track system.

Sounds interesting!