Simple Tips for Maintaining Stainless Steel. He said that our hypothetical Hunter owner will want to take a close look at the halyard itself and the mast sheaves-in iournal, he t track sailing hardware journal check anywhere that halyard friction hagdware come into play. Schaefer, Schaefermarine. We usually suggest McLube dry spray, and applying it once a season should be enough. Another economical route, according to Gabeler, is to take a hybrid approach. He said that although you can stick with traditional, nickel-plated bronze slides-which seem to last forever-you can switch to plastic slides for smoother operation.

More Info. Home Sailboat Hardware Sailboat Hardware. Sailboat Blocks. Deck Hardware. Mainsail Handling. Headsail Handling. Sailboat Winches. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to have a section of track, loader, or bucket handy to remove cars. One recurring problem that Mercer has seen is decay caused by airborne pollution. He said boats that are kept in marinas near bridges or roads are exposed to airborne pollutants that can take a toll on mast-and-car systems.

Airborne waste will affect any product, especially mast slide or car systems, Mercer explained. We always recommend that owners in these situations take the time to go up the rig and clean out the mainsail track or groove using a soapy solution and a rag.

He told us that he, too, was a fan of the Tides Strong Track system, especially for someone like the owner of our hypothetical foot Hunter. For my market, the Tides Strong Track makes sense, he said. Theres just so little friction in the system. A further advantage, he explained, is that the system has no moving parts and essentially no fasteners.

It is, by far, the easiest approach to a luff slide system. Its a no-hassle, relatively lightweight system. Fellabom explained that most of his customers have boats in the to foot range. A lot of them come in to me wanting a fully battened mainsail.

But, if the boats not over 50 feet, I always show them the Strong Track as an option. For customers with larger boats over 50 feet who can afford more expensive options, Fellabom says that he prefers to steer them to Antal Marines system. Like Harken, Antal offers two kinds of aluminum cars, one with sliders the HS system that are lined with composite fiber and one with captive ball bearings the Fireball system.

The ball bearings that are used in cars can wear out and then you have to take the cars off to replace them. Regarding other options, Fellabom said that he has had to replace a number of systems that used Rutgerson mast track cars. The only real downside to the Antal system, he said, was that it is more expensive than Harkens Battcars. And no one in that size range would really need it. The Allslip slides, which are self-lubricating, are great choice, but those would only be necessary if the owner had a full-batten mainsail.

Another economical route, according to Gabeler, is to take a hybrid approach. Most owners in this ballpark are going to use a system similar to that. That approach will not work, he said. Wet lubrication collects dirt and salt over time, and thus adds friction. We usually suggest McLube dry spray, and applying it once a season should be enough.

He said that the system is a good option for boats from around 28 feet up to about 52 or 54 feet. In the case of a performance multihull, he pegged the upper limit at about 40 feet. Im a big advocate of the Strong Track system, he said. Although owners can install it, we often recommend that a local rigger be involved if were not managing the installation. The big advantage of the Strong Track system, said Gabeler, is simplicity.

As soon as you go to a car system, whether its Antal or Harken or Selden, you have to add a track with fasteners, and you often have to get a rigger involved. So its much more complex than the Tides Marine system, and its more expensive as well. My primary recommendation would be to stay away from any of the loose-ball systems.

My preference is Harken, first, Antal second, and the rest of the existing products are third. Gabeler said that his preferences were based on his experience on the loft floor and on board hundreds of boats.

He also favored Antal and Harken because of the worldwide support, making it easier to track down parts or get support should trouble arise, he said. Peelle had some interesting advice for owners of boats with external tracks. He said that although you can stick with traditional, nickel-plated bronze slides-which seem to last forever-you can switch to plastic slides for smoother operation.

Like the others we consulted for this report, Peelle advocated the Tides Marine track for mid-size to larger cruisers, followed by the Antal and Harken track-and-slide systems.

Regarding maintenance, Peelle said, that it is important to ensure that the track or groove is clean and free of debris. He recommended thoroughly rinsing that part of the mast with fresh water. Tim Stodola of Doyle Sails in St. Petersburg, Fla. Does he race or cruise? Does he sail by himself? Does he go offshore, stay in protected waters, etc.? And what is his budget for this, and then what is the specific application? All those considerations have to be understood at the outset.

According to Stodola, the same systems that have been around for 10 years remain the industry standard, especially when it comes to gear for smaller boats. Stodola said his loft installs systems on a number of larger multihulls. These full-batten systems, because of the high loads, present particularly difficult challenges.

It depends upon the size of the boat and the loading on the sail. Prior to changing the mainsail luff track system, he would advise our hypothetical boat owners to examine their luff track and lubricate it. Elliott told us that he would absolutely recommend the Strong Track system for our hypothetical Hunter, particularly for someone on a budget.

In 40 knots with a ft2 sail, equal to a percent jib, the loading is just a tad above MWL at 2,lb. Dialing the wind speed up to 45 knots and the sail area down to a prudent ft2 gave me a sheet load of 1,lb. So that was that—the midrange cars and the R27 track would be the right combo. Two 2m 6ft 6in lengths of R37 27mm track would suffice. Perhaps one in three fasteners came out without too much of a problem; the others, however, had welded themselves to the aluminum over the decades.

There was only one solution—an angle grinder and a steady hand…. Step One was to establish that the 2m-long new track would be long enough.

The lead position for a fully sheeted in genoa was just abaft the stanchion—no problem. Because the track was so short, I decided to have Harken bend it to match the curvature of the originals. I had to cut through the track with an angle grinder and then cut off the bolt heads flush with the deck.

Surprisingly, I managed it with minimal damage to the glasswork; it would be covered up by the new tracks in any case. I bedded the track and fasteners with 3M The glassed-in aluminum backing plate helps distribute the loads. Just as well—I was due a break after the hassle of removing the old tracks. In winds too strong for adjustment by hand, they can be led to the spinnaker winches. All in all, this was a very satisfying project and has added significantly to my enjoyment of the boat.

Click here. It would be great if replacing T-track were simply a matter of removing the old and bolting on the new; but that would be too easy. The difference is subtle but important. Replacing your ancient track and cars with modern alternatives is not a cheap undertaking. If you choose instead to retain your existing T-track, an upgrade to towable or even pin-stop cars with low-friction inserts is a whole lot better than nothing.

Antal, Euromarinetrading. Barton, Barton. Garhauer, Garhauermarine. Harken, Harken. Lewmar, Lewmar. Ronstan, Ronstan. Schaefer, Schaefermarine. Selden, Seldenmast.

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