Sail lube / wax

[Scott Vickery]

I have a jib roller. I just put the jib in it. It was very difficult to get up. Seemed like too much friction from the sail in the groove pf the roller (I am a new newbie, so, may be getting the terminology wrong here). My question is, what can I use to make it more slippery? Wax of some sort? Graphite?

Same question for the main sail. The things that go into the mast groove that holds the sail to the mast seem to be sticky. What can I use to make them more slippery?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

[PorFin]

Originally Posted by Scott Vickery

I have a jib roller. I just put the jib in it. It was very difficult to get up. Seemed like too much friction from the sail in the groove pf the roller (I am a new newbie, so, may be getting the terminology wrong here). My question is, what can I use to make it more slippery? Wax of some sort? Graphite?

Same question for the main sail. The things that go into the mast groove that holds the sail to the mast seem to be sticky. What can I use to make them more slippery?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

Scott,

Assuming that the luff tape on your jib is properly sized for the slot in the foil on your roller, you probably don't need to worry about this depending on how often you intend to swap out the headsail.

The slugs on your mainsail are a different story. Take a close look at them to see if they are clean and in good shape. Check their fit within the slot. Clean the inside of the slot -- if someone's been using wax before you, the wax may have built up to the point that it's trapping crap in there and impeding your slugs.

As far as lube goes, you've got options. Some folks use Lemon Joy (really) --it lubes the slugs, cleans the track, and washes away. Others use a dry lube like McLube Sailkote. The most important thing is to use something that's not going to gum up the works down the road.

[Scott Vickery]

Thanks for the reply. This is my first boat, and, I bought it about 3 months ago, so, have been learning a lot.

I hope not to swap the headsail out very often. As far as I know, everything is the right size. I had taken it down in preparation for Irene. It took about an hour to get it back up and a lot of force. Could I use Lemon Joy on the roller next time?

The slugs on the main appear to be in good shape, and, the slot appears to be clean. I will look into McLube Sailkote for the main slugs.

Thanks again,
Scott