The Selden in mast furler on my 2003 Hunter 386 seems to have developed cracks in the extrusions, most probably as a result of water in the mast that froze during storage in the NY winter here on Lake Ontario. It happened last winter, and I noticed it when I was unfurling the mainsail when the wind suddenly gusted to 20+ knots, and about 10' of the mainsail luff popped out of the extrusion track, about 10' from the head of the sail. I could not dowse the main, as it appeared to be stuck in the track, but was able to sail the rest of the season by simply rolling the mainsail in a few wraps to give a small reef. When the mast was unstepped, I got the sail off the mast, and noticed the cracks in the inner part of the tracks for the lufftape boltrope on two extrusions inside the mast. Has anyone had this problem? Is the only solution for this taking the spreaders off the mast during storage? With the sweptback angles on the B&R rig spreaders, it seems like it would be difficult to store on a conventional rack- might need a higher set of racks with lots of lateral room? Or build a really high bow stowage unit to store the mast atop the radar arch and the bow unit, like I used to do with my Catalina 30 (on the bow and stern pulpits)? The marina will start charging me by the area to store my mast as well as the area to store my boat next year...
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Because
Because it's better for the boat, puts less strain on the rig and the hull. It allows you to check the fittings on the mast, change the bulbs, wax the mast and lubricate the sheaves. Sailnet just had an article on furlers for headsails and how to maintain them and they recommended taking the stick down each year. Check it out- I just got it in my email today.
Because it's better for the boat, puts less strain on the rig and the hull. It allows you to check the fittings on the mast, change the bulbs, wax the mast and lubricate the sheaves. Sailnet just had an article on furlers for headsails and how to maintain them and they recommended taking the stick down each year. Check it out- I just got it in my email today.
Not Every Year
OK You are right to drop the stick to check these things out for sure is a very good Idea. But not every year,maybe every other year or two. Nick
OK You are right to drop the stick to check these things out for sure is a very good Idea. But not every year,maybe every other year or two. Nick
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