i have a catalina 22 -- old one. when i try and raise the main, the slugs get caught in the track, turn at an odd angle, and catch so the main doesn''t raise properly. my wife or son have to get to the mast and help direct them upward and unstick them. i have the metal plate on the mast that holds in the slugs, but they seem to catch and tilt so i can''t raise the main easily. it also prevents me from sailing by myself because it''s hard to get the main raised when i have to run up there and ''un-catch'' the slugs.
Clean the track carefully of dirt, grease and oil. Clean with a strong caustic cleaner. Do the same with the sail slides. Then simply rub on candle wax to the inside of the track and slides. Do yearly.
You can buy fancy cleaners and track lubes; but, nothng beats candle wax! Dont use oily based ''lubrication'' compounds or the track will accumulate more dirt. :-)
I had a bunch of problems on my boat (a J40) with the slugs binding, also especially while dousing the main. I finally decided to lick this problem for sure and bought/installed the ''strong track'' system from Tides Marine. It''s basically a ''plastic'' track that slides into the existing mast-track. This track then accepts nice stainless steel slides that won''t bind. It works nicely, and allows me to get the main down single/double handed. It''s not as good as the Harken stuff, but then again it also costs a fraction. May be overkill for your boat?
Harken used to have a product called a "Battslide" that worked in the existing track.
Does this product still exist? Did it work?
I know about the Battcars system, but I don''t want to spend that kind of money for a marginal improvement. I''d just like to be able to hoist/drop my main without being absolutely head to wind.
The systems that I checked into include the Harken Battcar, the Antal, the battslide, and the Tides Marine. After talking to a number of people (local rigger, sailmaker, SailNet rigging shop), I settled on the Tides marine thing as the best bang for the buck, esp. given my existing mast groove for slugs, which is really difficult to get to work well. Now my gut says that for a 20+ footer it should be possible to make it work, since the loads are just sooo much less than on a 40'' with an extra large main. I don''t remember the battslide maker, but maybe the guys here at Sailnet can help you with that. The Tides Marine stuff sells for $17-$20 per foot of mainsail track, including sliders, etc.. On my boat, that came to be $1000 vs. over $3000 for the battcar or antal systems. Plus, the install could be handled by myself.
Dave6330— please don't hijack someone else's thread...if you've got a un-related question, please start a new thread.
A lot of times you can also get longer slugs, to replace the ones you're currently using. A longer slug or slide is far less likely to twist in the track and get bound up.
McLube Sailkote or Boeshield T9 are both good lubricants for the sail track, as are some of the silicone-based lubricant.
The checking for burrs is a very good idea, as is cleaning and lubing the track.
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Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
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Dave, you'd be more likely to get an answer by posting a new thread so people knew what the question was.
" rigging a downhaul " Bottom line, you tie a light halyard line to the head of the sail, right where the halyard is attached. Long enough so it reaches the deck when the sail is raised. Then, you either go forward to pull it down, or you rig it aft as convenient.
First time I solo'd a J/24 I wanted a downhaul on the 150, so I rigged a light line to the stem fitting for the genoa cunningham, then turned it aft as if it was the gennoa cunningham. No problem pulling the a sail down in heavy wind.
But unless there's something really wrong, or you just don't want to abandon the helm and go forward (which is why I rigged it, J/24's don't self-steer very nicely) you should be able to place one palm on each side of the sail, squeeze your hands together, and haul a sail down while you are head to wind--unless it is VERY stuck. In which case you still might have to go aloft to clear the sail track, simply heaving on a downhaul could just jam it (a stuck rivet, etc.) or tear something.
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