[C320-list] Mainsail sticking

[Jeff Hare]

Hi Jerry,

There's a simple inexpensive way to make your main super easy to raise/lower
and it's probably already on your boat.  :)  We've been doing this for about
12 years and our main's been a non-issue to raise for either myself or my
wife ever since.

We use a mini dish soap bottle with a mix of roughly 25% dawn dish soap and
75% water.   When we go to the mast to hook the halyard and remove the sail
ties, we give a good squirt of the soapy water in the track above the top
sail slug.  That's it. The main will go up the track in a flash.  Any rain
helps keep the track clean also.  So much cheaper than SailKote or those
products.  Without the lube, we'll have to crank the main up from about the
half way point.  With the soap, I can raise it to the top by hand and only
need to crank it the last foot or so to tension.

BTW, I've tried SailKote/Silicone and as far as I'm concerned they don't
perform better for this task in my opinion, just cost more.

But, certainly use SailKote or Silicone spray on all your mast step blocks,
traveler blocks, genoa furler before you raise your genoa and if you're ever
up the mast, pour some sailkote down forestay the top of the furling tube if
you can do this without dripping it on the deck (big no-no)...

Try it and see for yourself.

-Jeff Hare
#809



-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf
Of Jerry
Sent: Saturday, May 14, 2016 2:23 PM
To: c320-list at catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] Mainsail sticking

My main does not move up and down the mast as easily as it once did or
should. I am going to clean the slides to see if that helps. Anyone know of
lubricants on the market that might help?

Jerry Sheets
JellyRoll   # 890=