Association Forum - mainsail sticking

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 sticking

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

jeffj
1st Mate

Member Avatar

USA
63 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/27/2003 : 01:26:24

Group,
Just looking for some more excellent advice. My mainsail begins to "stick" around 25% up the mast. By stick I mean get the winch out, it's not raising by hand, even with nose into the wind. Somebody told my that the "little plastic thingy" inside the mast slide attached to the sail is twisting. Does this sound correct? If so, how do I fix it? FYI sometimes the main raises just fine. I also have a roller furling jib that sticks at the very end of unrolling. Do I have a ghost aboard?
Thanks as always.
Jeff J.
'85 Cat 25'

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2003 : 10:19:35

Make sure the mainsheet and boom vang (if you have one) are completely released and free. Any tension from the mainsheet will make raising the mainsail quite difficult.

(don't ask how I know this). (grins)

Currently maintaining two holes in the water...'77 Venture 23 and new to the family,
'78 Catalina 25

Edited by - on

Bill Holcomb
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2003 : 10:26:48

Hey Jeff,

I can't comment on the roller furler for the jib sticking.....that could be a lot of things potentially. But, there is a really easy fix for the sticking mainsail.

What's happening is that the slugs and the inside of the slot (the kerf) have gotten dried out and/or dirt has found its way into the kerf. The easy (and I mean really easy) solution is to dribble a couple teaspoons of liquid dishwashing soap onto the top slug. Let the soap flow down over the next several slugs and then start raising the sail. The soap will lubricate the kerf and the sail will raise and lower with ease.

The first time it rains, the dirt will get washed out of the kerf. Reapply soap and you should be good for the season.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

BTW, I didn't have dishwashing soap a couple weeks ago - so I used liquid handsoap from a pump dispenser. I put the stem of the dispenser into the kerf (right on top of the top slug) and pumped a couple of times. The handsoap is a little bit thicker than dishwashing soap, but worked just fine.

Edited by - on

Gary
1st Mate

Members Avatar

58 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2003 : 12:08:15

Jeff, my CDI roller furler sticks when too much line builds up in one spot on the drum and jams the furler. There are probably better fixes, but I just roll the sail in a little and rollit out again until it's completely unfurled. Hope this helps. Gary

Edited by - on

FrankV
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
135 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2003 : 16:56:36

My mainsail was sticking also. I tried lubricating the sail slugs to no effect. While up on the mast at a mast tower, I looked down and saw wear and some damage to the rollers at the top of the mast. This allowed the halyard to "jump the track" after a certain distance had gone through. I suggest you check your masthead!

Edited by - on

jeffj
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
63 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2003 : 18:36:50

Thanks for the great advice. I will be trying Bill's tip using soap to open up the track.
Thanks again and good sailing

Jeff J.
'85 Cat 25'

Edited by - on

Dave B
Admiral

Members Avatar

Mali
863 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2003 : 21:59:57

Jeff:

Two points on the roller furler problem:

1. Keep some tension on the furling line as you pull out the jib--this helps it to wrap tightly on the drum. That jamming at the end of the unfurling process is usually from the line winding unevenly on the drum, and then catching or rubbing on the edge or inside of the cover (or if it's open, the prongs around the sides).

2. If you do #1 and see that the line is trying to wrap toward the bottom or top of the drum, adjust the block or fairlead that sets the angle to the drum. You want an angle that is perpendicular to the hub of the drum (and the forestay). I use a block that clamps to the bow pulpit so I can move it up or down to get the optimal angle.

On the mainsail problem, since it's sticking so low, I'll suggest that if Bill's soap solution doesn't do the trick, you might want to check the size and condition of the slugs. If they're too small in diameter, they may be turning in the kerf instead of staying parallel to it. Watch them closely as you try raising the sail from the cabintop. Lubrication can do wonders unless you simply have the wrong size slugs.

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 #5032 "Passage" SR/FK/Dinette/Honda in SW CT

Edited by - on

jeffj
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
63 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 00:13:30

Dave,
Very good insights. I will try to utilize both points IF we get the weather to sail Thur. Just a quick question for you: When unfurling the jib in light winds, it seems to stick as the sail is pulled into the forward block, almost as if the wind tension is not great enough and the sail wants to be pulled directly to the deck. Is this normal or is the line/block set up in-correctly? I hope that all made sense.
Thank you.

Jeff J.
'85 Cat 25'

Edited by - on

jeffj
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
63 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 00:18:03

Dave,
Just a quick PS: Upon pulling the jib out and winching as hard as we could, the furler seemed to be holding a couple of turns of sail. I went forward and pulled the headsail out by hand and the furler line twisted around the furler. Upon trying to to wind the sail back up, the line twisted more around the furler and I had to manually turn the furler by hand to get the line started to turn the sail back in.
Thanks!

Edited by - on

RichardG
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 11:41:25

What brand of furler do you have?

RichardG 81 C25 SR/FK "Sanity"

Edited by - on

Dave B
Admiral

Members Avatar

Mali
863 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 21:27:09

Jeff:

It sounds like your jib sheet lead block is too far forward, so that as the jib is mostly unfurled, the sheet is pulling more down than out. The optimal position for performance depends on the wind, but for starters, the sheet should be pulling out at an angle close to perpendicular to the forestay. That generally puts the lead block by the aft cabin window, although that can be affected by the size of your sail (%) and the height of the clew. Further back will give you a flatter foot with more twist at the leach, and further forward will give a tighter leach you a fuller foot. But the racers here know more about that than I do.

I can't quite picture what happened when you turned the furler by hand... It's possible that at that point you created a jam on the drum--due either to the furling line not winding tightly (per my previous post) or having a bad lead angle to the drum. One other possibility is that the line is too big (fat) for the furler, so that it can't all fit on the drum. My own is a little marginal.

Try the other hints and report back to us.

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 #5032 "Passage" SR/FK/Dinette/Honda in SW CT

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.