Association Forum - Mainsail slug problems?

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Mainsail slug problems?

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

sodonnell
1st Mate

Member Avatar

76 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/26/2007 : 19:10:00

I own a 1980 C25 SK.
For a long as I've owned the boat, raising my mainsail has been the a problem.
It sticks like crazy. I have to put my foot on the bulkhead an pull with considerable force to get the sail up in proper position.
I've cleaned the track multiple times, replaced the slugs with ones from CatalinaDirect. No help.

Any ideas?

Scott

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3436 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2007 : 19:45:59

The only time I have had a problem has been when there has been considerable wind and I did not have my bow directly into the wind when raising or lowering the sail. Oftentimes I sail singlehanded and will head into the wind with the motor on and then secure the tiller to maintain that direction. Raising the sail generally goes easy for me as long as I provide enough slack in the main sheet just prior to raising the sail. But once in a while, when taking down the sail, me being on the cabin top, the bow may drift to one way or another and the sail was a bit difficult to take down but it was because the sail was filing up with air again and this happens rarely. Once I even snapped off one of the sail slugs when pulling the sail down.

Edited by - on

djn
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2007 : 20:01:46

Hi Scott, from your description, it sounds like you've led your lines aft to the cockpit? If so, are you talking about hoisting the whole sail from its flaked position on the boom, or are you talking about getting the last foot up? What are the wind conditions at the time? Do you have gates ovver your slot? Cheers.

Edited by - on

sodonnell
1st Mate

Members Avatar

76 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2007 : 20:22:38

Yes, I should have mentioned that I do have the lines led aft.

As a general practice, the bow of the boat is pointed dead straight into the wind when I raise the main.
I singlehand 90% of the time.

The problem I'm describing is from the flaked position.
I don't have a gate over the slot opening. I installed an extra stopper above the slot opening so the slugs don't slip from the mast slot.

Now that I think of it, the slugs that get caught up the most are the ones on the lower part of the sail that are installed on the "rope thingy" (don't know the proper name").
I wonder if I should add some tension to that rope as the main is going up.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2007 : 22:17:10

If your headboard has two holes, are you using the forward hole to attach your halyard?

Does the sail go up nicely when you hoist from the mast?

Does the halyard run smoothly over the masthead sheaves?

Oh, the ropey thingy on the last few slugs is called a Jack line.

Edited by - dlucier on 03/26/2007 22:25:56

Steve Siefken
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
81 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2007 : 22:28:40

Scott,

As others have mentioned, my main goes right up. I too use the mast stopper like you talked about and have my lines lead aft as you do.

Once I read your post, I recalled a time or two where I really struggled to get the main up the mast. The last time I had trouble I realized that I had the two halyards (the jib and the main)
twisted.

I figured that was the source of the problem I had before.

Is that possibly happening to you? Do you realize this problem every time you hoist the main? Do you have a similar problem with the jib? Do you have trouble dousing the main?

Thanks,

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 06:37:33

The slugs on the rope thingy (jack line) are upside down.

Edited by - on

Don B
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 07:15:12

All of the above and...

SAILKOTE...Dry lubricant

the stuff rocks.

Edited by - on

cat1951
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
636 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 07:29:04

Although I have had the problem to the same extent, I also recommend trying Sailkote. I used it on the slugs and mast track last year and the difference was amazing. It may not eliminate your problem, but it certainly couldn't hurt.

Edited by - on

farrison
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
166 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 16:37:23

Scott;

Does your boat have a topping lift on the boom, or lazy jack lines (to catch the sail when you drop it)? If the boom is hanging way down when you raise the sail, it might put extra load on those last few slugs. Try leaving the boom on the hook from the backstay until it is up, to see if that helps in raising. Just a thought.

Paul

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 16:55:47

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 The slugs on the rope thingy (jack line) are upside down.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

How is a slug upside-down?

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 19:26:17

"How is a slug upside-down?"

Take a slug and twist it 180 degrees while still attached to the sail... so it puts a fold in the sail and put the slug back in the slot.

It will start to hoist ok but then jam tight when the luff of the sail starts to get some tension on it (the sail wants to untwist). The harder you pull, the tighter it will jam the slug in the slot. When it gets really tight, (like if you've put a winch on the halyard) pulling the sail down doesn't work either... UNTIL you completely release tension on the foot of the sail so the luff goes completely slack. Then it will come down pretty easy.

BTW.... don't ask how I know this. ;>)

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 21:22:22

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ClamBeach
 "How is a slug upside-down?" Take a slug and twist it 180 degrees while still attached to the sail... BTW.... don't ask how I know this. ;>)<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Now I know why I didn't know that!

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 21:59:44

And the ones on the jackline are very hard to recognize as upside down.

Edited by - on

ct95949
Captain

Members Avatar

Aruba
300 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2007 : 23:00:37

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by farrison
 Scott;

Try leaving the boom on the hook from the backstay until it is up, to see if that helps in raising. Just a thought.

Paul
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Paul- I believe this is thought to be not a good idea, the first time I forgot to unhook the boom from the backstay was the last

.
Scott- are you leaving some slack in the mainsheet and vang when you hoist? I had problems with the 3/8" slugs binding in the gate and slot so I switched to 1/2" slugs with wide shoulders. Hoisting and dropping the main is now much easier. Another problem I had was a slack halyard being blown to the front of the shrouds and binding during the hoist. That was fixed when I rigged a downhaul and kept the halyard tensioned until I was ready to hoist.

Edited by - ct95949 on 03/27/2007 23:01:55

farrison
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
166 Posts

Response Posted - 03/28/2007 : 09:54:27

Craig;

You're correct if the wind is blowing hard, if it is light and your are heading right into the wind, you can do it. That is why I asked about a toping lift or lazy jacks. Either will hold the boom higher until the sail is up. Also loosen the mainsheet as you raise it.

Paul

Edited by - on

sodonnell
1st Mate

Members Avatar

76 Posts

Response Posted - 03/28/2007 : 12:14:37

Thanks everyone for all the information.

In regard to leaving the boom hook on, I've experienced some very stressful moment when doing that.
I think I'll take one of the slugs down to west marine and see what size they are.
Maybe moving to a different size might help.
Although, the slugs in now were ordered from CD, so I would think they should be a good fit.

Edited by - on

John Mason
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
687 Posts

Response Posted - 03/28/2007 : 12:59:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by sodonnell
 
In regard to leaving the boom hook on, I've experienced some very stressful moment when doing that.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Reminds me of one of the first times I took my boat out. We raised the sails and headed to weather. Were sailing along wonderfully. Went to fall off a bit. Let out the mainsheet and nothing. Boat heeled over more. Let out more mainsheet. Finally looked up and the boom was still attached to the pigtail.

And we were sailing so well to weather.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/28/2007 : 13:42:04

When I was just learning how to sail on my first boat, a V25, that stinkin' pigtail caused me more grief than anything else and when I got my C25, it was the first thing to go.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.