Sticky Mainsail Slides/Slugs

[backcreeksailor]

I've got injection molded nylon 66 Bainbridge (read: plastic) slides/slugs on my mainsail. And currently they're making the last foot of raising the sail a major pain in the @ss because they're sticking. So I have two questions:

1. In the short term - Is there anything that can be used to lubricate this type of slide/slug to make it a little easier to get up and down? (something that won't damage the sail if any gets on it)
2. After this season is over - Without going to a track system... What is the "best" type of slide/slug for easy(er) raising and lowering of the sail

[brak]

What to use on sail sliders?

[backcreeksailor]

Sweet !!! I'm on my way to West Marine now to give McLube Sailkote Dry Lubricant a try. So that answers the short term question.

But if I want to upgrade over the winter to a better type of slide/slug for minimal resistance without the need for an external lubricant. What type(s) are universally thought of as the best?

[brak]

I think regardless of what track and sliders you use, some form of lubrication is a must. In fact, I dare say lubrication is what makes any track work/nowork.

[Maine Sail]

Lube the mast track with McLube SailKote and a shot gun cleaning kit the difference will be AMAZING. I do it every season..

[soulfinger]

We always used Dawn dish detergent. Seriously. Palmolive will probably work, too!

Just have someone stand at the mast as your raising the main, and squirt the stuff into the track and onto the slugs as they go up.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by soulfinger

We always used Dawn dish detergent. Seriously. Palmolive will probably work, too!

Just have someone stand at the mast as your raising the main, and squirt the stuff into the track and onto the slugs as they go up.

But Sailkote lasts a whole season and won't "rinse out"..

[roline]

I have used Sailkote for years, appling to the slugs and pulling a wad through the slot saturated with the stuff. Krytox is another name for the stuff, DuPonts creation. Its a saturated perflorinated ester, like teflon, inert. It is available as an oil, grease or dryfilm.

[backcreeksailor]

Does anyone make a cleaning brush that can be tied to the main halyard on the top and a messenger on the bottom to pull it up and down through the track (without jamming) instead of having to go aloft to clean and Sailkote the entire track?

[dsmauney]

I take an old slide and cover it with a small piece of terry cloth. The slide has two small rope loops through the plastic slide loop. One loop attaches to the halyard and the other to a line for a down hauler. I saturate the terry cloth with Sailkote and insert it in the track and slide it up and down the main track. Since most of the Sailkote tends to be on the lower part of the track I saturate the terry cloth again and slide it up and down the track doing this over and over again. When it feels pretty free up and down the whole track I find that the main goes up and down easily.

Good Winds
DaveM