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Opinions: TidesTrack Mainsail Track & Slide

7K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  Michael K 
#1 ·
I've got the mast down this winter and am looking at a few upgrades. One of them is the TidesTrack Mainsail Track & Slide system.

What I've seen looks pretty robust. Before purchase I figured I post and see if anyone has this installed, your opinion and have you had any problems with it.

FYI, I have a full battened main on a 95 Catalina 30.

Thanks,
Jim
 
#2 ·
Why do you want a track?

I had a Tides Strong ? Track. The PO installed it. I'm not convinced it had any advantage. Perhaps slightly less friction than slippery slugs, but not enough to matter. There are several huge disadvantages in my short experience with it:

* The Strong track system is heavy. Both the track and especially the cars. Weight aloft that has but one purpose for a few seconds per day.

* The little ring-dings on the cars are a bad idea as the cars bang into each other and destroy the rings.

* Keep the track out of the sunlight. Heh. Mine disintegrated at an inconvenient windy moment far out at sea. The cars began pulling out taking long ribbons of track lip with them. And the external part separated from the internal part. What a mess getting the sail down. The track was about 8 years old. Most of that in the tropics. The plastic had become brittle.

* Expensive.

I now have top of the line Bainbridge Low Friction sail slides. They work just as well.
 
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#5 ·
I really like mine, and consider it to be one of the better rigging upgrades I made at the time... But my mast is the original extrusion put on the boat in 1970, and was perhaps more in need of some help than most... ;-)

But with a full-batten main, it's made reefing far easier, particularly when sailing downwind... Of all the low-friction alternative systems, the Strong Track seems to afford the lowest stack height, due to the simple slides, and the absence of battcars...

I'm really surprised by the experience related by aloof, I've never heard of anything remotely close to that happening with a Strong Track... Granted, I'm not sailing in the tropics full time, but I've had mine installed for at least 15 years now, and the only signs of any sort of wear or degradation of the material are some minor scratches/crazing in the vicinity of the gate opening for the sail slides... But I will be astonished if any part of the track should ever begin to fail in the manner that was described, at least in my lifetime...

;-)
 
#6 ·
Coincidentally, I saw the OP's posting this morning just after I had docked at the sail loft to get my mast measured for the Tides Marine Track. I have a 50' mast and a 550 sqft main sail with 5 full battens on a 38' boat. There's a lot of pressure on the tracks and a lot of resistance getting the main up. I've tried lubing the track and upgrading to heavier slugs, with no success. As to the degradation, a friend in a Freedom 36 says that the tracks last about 5 years on his boat when it is in Mexico. The company also says there are some people who have had problems with the track breaking down sooner in the tropics.
 
#7 ·
I also have a Cat 30 and thought the sail was difficult to raise. I spent a few bucks on the slides below. I put one on each of the battens and 2 at the headboard. Much easier to raise now. By the way I'm 71 and have had 2 shoulder surgeries. The slides at the end of the battens are constructed in a way that helps keep the slug from twisting and reducing friction. I would go this route first and perhaps keeping your wallet in better shape.

Allslip Flat Slug 3/4"
 
#8 ·
Yes, those ALLSLIP slugs are very good. There are indeed special swivel ones for the full batten positions. Be sure to order the proper style depending on the slot geometry. They are not cheap considering they seem to be simple bits of plastic and wire. But a short-life heavy Tides track is not cheap either. Remember to reuse the slides when a new sail is ordered.

Silicone lube helps too, as does keeping the mast, halyard, winch and sheaves in good order.
 
#11 ·
I have a 4 year old tides system put on the boat when new and the track is starting to get cracks on all surfaces and the boat is not in the tropics. don't see much advantage to the system thinking about removing it
 
#13 ·
I have had no problems with my tides track system, my mast is 62' and have a 742 sq. ft. sail with partial battens, and I sail in the northeast. Sail raises and drops very well, I am pleased with it in my experience.
 
#15 ·
My friend just bought a boat that had it, and it was pretty much toast after 7 years in the california sun. Our rigger said that was "about right" and has seen it often. He replaced it with a new one and it is noticeably easier to raise and reef the main.

Probably another nice upgrade that requires maintenance/replacement.
 
#17 ·
I have been considering the strong track as well. I have an old, worn external track mast, and my new main with 2 full battens was such an ordeal to lower ( 20 minutes of shaking, hanging from the sail and cursing) that we switched back to the old sail. From what I have been told, external sail tracks and full batten mains are not a good match, so a system like the strong track could bea good solution.
 
#18 ·
This is what I had on my G50 ketch (external metal slides). We changed to the Tides on both masts with new sails. Huge difference in raising lowering sails. New sails are large roach full batten and much easier to raise vs old smaller partial batten sails.

If I had internal slides not sure I would go Tides. I replaced "normal" slides with "low" friction slides (can't remember brand) on a prior boat. These seemed to work just as well as the Tides system.
 
#19 · (Edited)
It just occurred to me .... I have a bag of Tides slugs. Cheap to whomever wants them. About 17 short 1.5", four that are about 2.1", a 3" slug, and 6 batten car slugs with swivels and four 10mm studs. A few missing parts as shown. Make me an offer that makes it worth my while to drive them over to the UPS Store. PayPal.
 

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#21 ·
JimMcGee,

I have a Tides Track System extrusion roughly 42' in length, nine of the 1.5" and seven of the 2" slugs. I also have a set of the gauges to identify the track-to-mast compatibility; I'll check if any of this interests you but, if memory serves, it is F4 Round. The extrusion appears to be hardly used but it does have a fair bit of duct tape residue from various efforts to roll it back up for storage. The hardware looks as new. I'd let it all go for a fraction of what Tides would charge, and I'm driving from MD to MA in late December. Feel free to PM me if you like.

Michael
 
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