full batten main

[wpsalm]

bought a second-hand mainsail, perfect fit and reasonably priced.its fully battened very nice except its really hard to get it up and just as hard to get it back down in anything but head to wind this worries me...any sugestions ?? Thanks

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[davidwf]

Does it have cars or is it just using slugs in the mast track. If its just slugs might be worth invesigating how much it will cost to get cars fitted to the sail. They will make getting it up and down much easier.

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[Robin]

If as I suspect you don't have a special mast track and roller bearing cars as the runners on the inner ends of the battens then you need some other method of taking the batten compression force. Normal alternatives offered that work as long as the sail is not too big are:-

Little 4 wheeled batten cars that run up the mast groove, wheels bearing on the aft face of the mast.

Double sailslides with a bearing face again that is on the outside of the mast, usually teflon impregnated plastic.

Without these the battens will push forward and sideways on the sail slides causing a lot of friction. Properly installed the sail should go up and down as well as a normal sail but it will still be more difficult off the wind since the battens will tend to bend around the aft lower stays in any wind causing more friction. We have an external track/roller cars on a 51' mast and the sail drops instantly if let go, goes up more or less without the winch except for tensioning.


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[sailorman]

try silicone spray

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[dickhicks]

I had this problem, my local sailmaker(Parker & Kay at Suffolk Yacht Harbour) fitted longer black plastic sliders on the batten ends and white sliders with LOOSE webbing on the intermediate sliders. This works a treat, pulls up easily by hand and drops almost perfectly - but you do have to be almost head to wind. It was a considerable improvement on the original setup.

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[steve6367]

Frome experience, if you don't mind being head to the wind Silicon spray does help.

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

where can you get silicon spray, does it have a trade name?

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk/TC_minicruise_2003_01.html>Cardigan Bay Cruise</A>

 

[davidwf]

I recently got some from an Upholsterers I think they must use it to ease zips etc.

They are on the web if you canot find any where you live

http://www.foamshop.co.uk/services.html



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[Chris_Stannard]

I agree with the comments on the mast track. To make the sail easier to hoist set your headsail first fairly well sheeted in so that it backwinds the main and this will take the pressure off of it.

<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[wpsalm]

Thanks for that I,ve got the little cars with 4 little plastic wheels on the battens slides, sail came with them...guess the next thing to try is the silicon spray...fact am a bit worried can envision trying to reef in a rising gale and unable to pull the sail down..

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[Robin]

I think the ones with little wheels on work best on masts where the aft face is flat, some older masts have a more rounded face and the wheels have nothing to run on. On our old boat (Proctor Mast) we had the special teflon impregnated slides (side view sort of 'H' shaped so one upright bit of the 'H' is outside and the other inside the groove). These worked very well especially when supplemented with a dollop of beeswax polish (Lavender flavour, smelled lovely) in the groove.

Head to wind is the key too especially with lazyjacks, more wind the easier it is then. Under sail we drop ours sometimes behind the genoa if it can be made to backwind the main.

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[mikeb]

Agree with most of the posts - with a fully battened main proper cars take up the inevitable pressure and let the sail go up and down better. Have to say though that even with Rutgen cars, silicone spray etc etc I always found it difficult to raise the main on my Sadler 29 anything other than bang on head to wind and I now find the same on my recently acquired Starlight 35

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