Mast sail track lubrication

[Alison Corfield]

Hi, I have an old mk1 and have put the main up for the 2nd time, it is extremely stiff in the track and hard to hoist – any advice on how I can make this easier?

Thanks

Alison

[David Stanford]

Hi Alison

I had a similar problem on a different boat a while back. I would firstly thoroughly clean both the luff of the sail and the luff groove itself on the mast- checking for any obstructions. And then when it is dry apply a spray PTFE lubricant to the luff groove. The one I used was Holt Pro Lube and it seemed to do the job.

It may also be worth checking that the halyard sheeve (at the top of the mast, and the one at the bottom of the mast as well) is free running and working properly and that the halyard itself is free running. But I would have thought the most likely problem is friction in the groove in the mast.

I suppose all of this is assuming you have an aluminium mast with luff groove – is that what you meant by “track”?

Regards

David

[David]

Yes, PTFE spray gets my vote, its fairly generic.  I’m not sure how much it costs from a Chandlers, but from a Plumbers Merchants it should be about £6

David Harris 9759 The Lynette

[Alison Corfield]

Thanks – PTFE spray does the job

 

[AUTHOR]

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