Sticking mainsail

[bnewt]

New to the forums. Just bought my first boat and all is very new to me. Need advice on what to use to help get the mainsail down quicker. I have a 1986 Cat 30 and pulling down the mainsail is tough. I have seen other boats that the mainsail basically falls down the mast. On my boat i have to grab the sail down by hand over hand method. is this how it is? Wondered if there is a lubricant that makes this process less painful. Thanks.

 

[hvbaker]

You can spray some Teflon based dry lubricant in the slug track. This will require that you go up the mast.

 

[hvbaker]

Or send your wife the mast.

 

[hvbaker]

[Q

 

[caguy]

I use silicone spray on the slugs.

 

[bnewt]

Thanks for the input. I'll try spraying the slugs first.

 

[Patrick S/V Shangra-La]

Lubricant is a great idea....Also make sure you are pointed into the wind to take any pressure off the slugs it will let the sail drop easier.

 

[Jackdaw]

Use this.

http://www.mclubemarine.com/sailkote/

 

[Anonymous 121765]

BN,

I didn't see what type of slide you have. be it barrel or slide type.
I had the same problem for a number of years. It was hard to lift & hard to pull down.

I did use all types of lubricants & sprays. I found over time they would dry & leave a residue, so my problem persisted.

I made cleaning blocks & ran them up & down the track for cleaning. I went up the mast with tools and hand cleaned it. I still had the problem.

My suggestion for you if you do have the barrel type & if they look worn, first make sure there are no dings in the track that could cause the sticking. Check what type/size your top sheave is & make sure the halyard size are correct. To thick a halyard would cause friction.

If your boat came for a wire-rope halyard, the sheave design is different than that for an all-rope halyard. I did change out my sheaves & went to slide types. Now I raise my sail with one hand. And when lowering it, I need to keep hold of the halyard so the whole sail doesn't come right down. I then would change the barrels out for the flat slides.

CR

 

[bnewt]

Thanks Captnron. I have the flat slide type slugs that are brand new on new sails. I have all rope halyards. I guess some lube is the way to go. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous 121765]

B,

Just a suggestion but I would check the track for any problems.
These may be dirt buildup from previous lubes (probably wrong types to use) or something impinging the slides.

I would inspect the track, noting where you feel the first hang-up. & check it.
I would hand clean the track using a scrubby pad & a putty knife or equal to get to the inside corners of the track for cleaning.

Let us know what you find, but hold off on lube until you are certain that no other problem exist. Again if you do have the wire-rope sheave this also causes a lot of friction if using a larger size rope than original specs call for. So by your reply, there seems to still be some unanswered questions.

CR

 

[rgarrison@gmail.com]

My bowswain inadvertantly twisted the main halyard around the jib halyard on my tall rig. When I raised the main it worked okay untill the last 5 ft., then started to bind against the twisted lines. Take a look for a fouled rig...easy to untangle.

Just a thought, Randy

 

[bnewt]

Thanks for all the feedback. After dealing with more pressing issues( badly leaking hatches, stinky water tanks and loss of steering) I finally tackled this. After spraying dry lubricant into the track the mainsail hoists much easier. On to the next problem. Thanks guys!

 

[Coriolisbc]

I used Mclube on the slugs, the boat had sat in the Marina for 4 years without having the sails hoisted, now after 2 years of regular sailing and lube, the main hoists and drops fine.