Sail Slides

[Project_Mayhem]

Does anyone have experience with Bainbridge Allslip slides? I'm trying to reduce friction without breaking the bank on an external system. I currently have nylon slides which are likely five years old. I lightly cleaned the track before stepping the mast but it definitely wasnt good enough. I recently cleaned all the slides and lubricated them but I'm still experiencing issues. A winch is necessary for the last 2/3-3/4. I've gotten great results on my last boat with a proper cleaning and lubrication. I need at least one new slide so I thought I'd look at the Allslips. I have flat slides BTW

 

[Tricia]

I had Allslips on my Freedom 25 - big main, full battens. They made a noticeable difference.

 

[shemandr]

Looking at the Bainbridge section of the US Fisheries website I note many varieties of slide style based largely on the track style you have.
Is this the system?

External Sail Slide - Bainbridge International | Fisheries Supply

Save More on Your Bainbridge International External Sail Slide at Fisheries Supply. Excellent Customer Service, Ready to Ship. Marine Supplies Since 1928!

www.fisheriessupply.com

If so I had those on my Ranger 29 and can report relatively low friction.

 

[Foswick]

To answer your question - no, I have no experience with those.

But, are you sure that the slides are the issue? Right before my masthead sheave completely blew up on a previous boat, it started to get really "tight" toward the top. Raising the sail was basically OK until the halyard started to get more loaded, then it got harder than it should have.

The final straw was when the sail would not come DOWN when we were out on the water, requiring me to go up the mast in bouncy conditions to bring it down. Not super fun. But, that's when I saw the problem - that the sheave was just barely doing anything, by that point.

Not saying this is your issue. Just throwing it out that it might not be your slides/track at all. Or, that might not be the only issue.

That said, one of my best inventions was a little rig that allowed me to hoist a can of dry-lube and activate the sprayer as I pulled it down the mast, lubing the entire track. It was magic! I lost it, at some point, though and need to reinvent it.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

To answer your question - no, I have no experience with those.

But, are you sure that the slides are the issue? Right before my masthead sheave completely blew up on a previous boat, it started to get really "tight" toward the top. Raising the sail was basically OK until the halyard started to get more loaded, then it got harder than it should have.

The final straw was when the sail would not come DOWN when we were out on the water, requiring me to go up the mast in bouncy conditions to bring it down. Not super fun. But, that's when I saw the problem - that the sheave was just barely doing anything, by that point.

Not saying this is your issue. Just throwing it out that it might not be your slides/track at all. Or, that might not be the only issue.

That said, one of my best inventions was a little rig that allowed me to hoist a can of dry-lube and activate the sprayer as I pulled it down the mast, lubing the entire track. It was magic! I lost it, at some point, though and need to reinvent it.

I actually have a separate thread going for mast cleaning which is likely the main issue but I'll take the advantage of lower friction slides! I actually just finished designing a device to hoist a spray can up the mast that can be activated by pulling on a separate line. Just need to verify a few dimensions before printing it!

 

[Foswick]

I actually just finished designing a device to hoist a spray can up the mast that can be activated by pulling on a separate line. Just need to verify a few dimensions before printing it!

Nice!

The things I had to tweak on my early designs were:

• I added a little spray hood to really direct the spray right into the track. The spray hood was integrated into a track slide-sized lug to ensure it was pointed exactly where it needed to go.
• This actually made it TOO efficient. So, to avoid spraying too much and just having it run down, I had to bring the can down pretty fast or sort of "pulse" the sprayer intermittently. Much easier to do with a second pair of hands. My initial design depressed the sprayer as long as you were pulling down on the rig. This was simpler to operate, but you had to be pretty quick to avoid a waterfall. The second version did what you are doing - using a second line.

I have actually been working off-and-on on a sort of mast robot. It is just a more sophisticated version of the hoist-a-can, with a camera and multi-purpose tool arm. The idea is to avoid going up the mast to inspect and do some light work. This just rides up the track on a halyard.

I think the only reason I haven't built it yet is because I haven't had a pressing need since I started the design. It kind of falls under the classification of over-engineered solutions for relatively simple jobs. But, I kind of love that. I built a robot to clean my home gutters, when a ladder would have solved the same problem with a better result.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Nice!

The things I had to tweak on my early designs were:

• I added a little spray hood to really direct the spray right into the track. The spray hood was integrated into a track slide-sized lug to ensure it was pointed exactly where it needed to go.
• This actually made it TOO efficient. So, to avoid spraying too much and just having it run down, I had to bring the can down pretty fast or sort of "pulse" the sprayer intermittently. Much easier to do with a second pair of hands. My initial design depressed the sprayer as long as you were pulling down on the rig. This was simpler to operate, but you had to be pretty quick to avoid a waterfall. The second version did what you are doing - using a second line.

I have actually been working off-and-on on a sort of mast robot. It is just a more sophisticated version of the hoist-a-can, with a camera and multi-purpose tool arm. The idea is to avoid going up the mast to inspect and do some light work. This just rides up the track on a halyard.

I think the only reason I haven't built it yet is because I haven't had a pressing need since I started the design. It kind of falls under the classification of over-engineered solutions for relatively simple jobs. But, I kind of love that. I built a robot to clean my home gutters, when a ladder would have solved the same problem with a better result.

Mine has a cylinder to hold the can (will probably add some screws to hold it still and accommodate different sizes) and the red plastic spray tube goes through a series of holes depending on the height. I've also incorporated a screw to limit how much the spray tip can be depressed. I thought about a spray hood but I need to get some dims of the mast. I'd like to incorporate a cleaning sponge, cloth, etc

 

[fred1diver]

We want pics

 

[garymalmgren]

RE: I'm trying to reduce friction without breaking the bank on an external system. I currently have nylon slides which are likely five years old.
The slides can rotate or twist in the track if the tape connecting the slide to the sail is old/ worn/ loose.
It could be a lower one that is twisting.
Check for loose or wobbly (that is the technical term ) slides.
Then get some new tape and reconnect then TIGHTLY.
Nice easy Speedy Stitcher job.

Gary

 

[Project_Mayhem]

We want pics

It technically doesn't exist yet

RE: I'm trying to reduce friction without breaking the bank on an external system. I currently have nylon slides which are likely five years old.
The slides can rotate or twist in the track if the tape connecting the slide to the sail is old/ worn/ loose.
It could be a lower one that is twisting.
Check for loose or wobbly (that is the technical term ) slides.
Then get some new tape and reconnect then TIGHTLY.
Nice easy Speedy Stitcher job.
View attachment 233954


Gary

It's connected to the slide with a shackle but I know there's play in it. I saw the lower end of the first slide go aft a bit when I first started pulling on the halyard. Too bad I can't get the halyard to connect to the sail, closer to the mast

 

[Hayden Watson]

I put allslips at each of my full battens. They have a external slide that helps with sliding once the batten starts to load up.