Mast Track Cleaning

I spray my track down with water after every weekend its on the beach but if my sails are getting hard to pull up...

i wrap a few inches of a pencil (or dowel, or pen cap, etc) around a cloth and clean the track by running it up and down the track (much easier if the mast is down 🙂 ) -
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then after i get all the dirt out (and it's dry) ... i do it again but i spray marine silicone all over some new/clean cloth. I will go about 10' or so, return it to the base, pull it out, and start over with more silicone until the entire track is covered and smooth.

it is also a perfect time to use some type of home made "gauge" to make sure your track is not pinched anywhere - i use a little wooden wedge. if i find a pinch (from the mast cradle or other) that is sever enough to warrant it: i will use that wedge to gently tap the track open a bit w a small hammer (hitting the wooden wedge)

Also make sure your bolt rope isn't the issue
they tend to swell up with time

should not more than $200 to replace a bolt rope at a sail loft (or close)

The hose down with fresh water is always good. I run a Scotch Brite pad, soaked in white vinegar, through my mast track. While the sail is still rolled I spray some McLube on the bolt rope.

Edited by gahamby on Nov 07, 2016 - 02:07 PM.

Thanks. How would the track get pinched or closed in?
A spray lubricant sounds convenient also, I just want to be sure to use something that will not stain the sail.

Edited by martyr on Nov 07, 2016 - 01:19 PM.

McLube on the bolt rope.

+1
but don't do it on your tramp or you will slide off your boat at the worst time possible..... (don't ask me how i know)

How would the track get pinched or closed in?

the main way is when it's being moved around and somehow slips or just "kisses" something
but it can happen several other ways :
dropped too hard into the mast yoke on the trailer (many trailer backwards for that yoke )
if it's tied to the trailer yoke, or a beam and you hit a bad pot hole while driving
skipper or crew peter-pan or are ejected into the mast and something hard hits it (knife in a pocket, head, knee, etc)
side stay fails and the mast falls and the mast "kisses" a beam or hull...
forestay fails " " "
etc

Edited by MN3 on Nov 07, 2016 - 01:22 PM.

but don't do it on your tramp or you will slide off your boat at the worst time possible..... (don't ask me how i know)

Kinda like Armor All on the motorcycle seat?

Kinda like Armor All on the motorcycle seat?

yup!
I applied some neutrogena sunscreen to my legs while sailing that was a "stick" like deodorant, a little later i jybed and flew off my tramp/boat.
I was in the gulf, alone, no other boats near ... and in a very "sharky"area. I held on to my main sheet and watched the sheet get tighter and tighter. just as it was about to capsize, i grabbed and turned the rudder (from in the water) and saved it. I got on the boat FAST

Wow, I'll have to remember to not get anything slick on the tramp for sure!!!

i find it best to spray the bolt rope while it's still rolledup in the bag in the sailbox
you can get a lot of the boltrope at the same time and the bag "catches" the overspray

Has anyone had any issues with staining, or color bleeding from spray lubes?
Also, each time that I set the boat up and raised the main, it seemed to start off easy and then get really hard about mid way up. The bolt rope looks to be fine, no worn areas, and the mast track doesn't have any issues as far as pinched or bent areas, mast is straight. I figured cleaning the track would help. I also realize that when raising the main, the out haul should be loose as well or it will cause binding, I heard this in an instructional video.
So, next time I raise the main, I will first make sure the track is clean, spray the bolt rope, and loosen the out haul on the boom.

any issues with staining, or color bleeding from spray lubes?

none that i have noticed but...
do you mean on your sail cloth?
if you spray it while it's still rolled up... you almost can't get the sail material wet

Yes I was referring to any staining or color bleeding/fading from any spray on the sail. My sails are crisp and bright yellow and I'd like to keep them that way as long as I can. Lol.
So, now I need to find a place near me that sells Mclube Sailkote. There is a Gander Mountain store nearby but they don't have much of a boating section there.

Edited by martyr on Nov 08, 2016 - 12:44 PM.

Use plenty of McLube both on the bolt rope and inside the mast track - makes a world of difference! I found that just spraying the bolt rope alone wasn't enough.

Thanks for the help and tips guys!!!!!

You can use marine grade silicone too.. it's not as good as mclube but close (and MUCH cheaper)

I would strongly recommend my suggested method (spray on a cloth, wrapping a dowel and run it up the track) vs. spraying in the track.

by spraying it in your track, you will waste a lot of the product and probably not get a good coat where you need it.
It will thoroughly coat the back wall in the mast track... a part your boltrope doesn't touch, and only the rebound/mist will come close to lubing the forward facing mast walls that the bolt rope & sail does rub on and produce friction.

Good idea, thank you.

I'm not saying this just to disagree with literally everyone else, but I would never use anything except hair shampoo in the mast track or on the sail. My thinking is the cleaner everything is the less dirt gets stuck to the sail. Oils and waxes attract dust and dirt. I didn't use sunscreen until after the boat was put together. Then my sunscreeny hands went into the gloves to keep the oils off my sheets. I always sailed with a long sleeved white shirt, ball cap, and sunglasses for protection and to minimize the amt of sunscreen I used. The idea being to seriously protect myself and keep as much oil as possible off the sails, tramp, and sheets.

As for keeping the boat cleanish, I tried not to sail in salt water, but every now and then the fleet would do something so fun down there that I'd take the boat. The following weekend I would be back to the lake, turtle the boat, and let the relatively fresh water wash the salt off for about 15 minutes.

but I would never use anything except hair shampoo in the mast track or on the sail

Head and Shoulders or Herbal Essences?

jk - makes (some) sense.
but I don't really care if i get a little shmutz on my mast, boltrope, sail, etc
I sail in salt water 100+days a year, i get caught in rain storms a few times a year, and i wash my boat after every weekend and occasionally sails. plus i replace my sails every few years

my sails are dark material so i don't care if there is some discouloration - can't see it
i don't care if there is a little dirt or oil - not gonna effect my sailing more than 1/10000000

I DO care if i get something slick on my tramp - i once slid off in a very "sharky area" with no one around (due to some slick sunsceen i had just applied to my leggs)

I do sail with quick dry pants on now (for uv coverage) long sleeved micro shirt, stalker mask and wide brimmed hat - lots of sunscreen on anywhere exposed

I particularity like and support this company https://www.skinnywaterculture.com - local - cares a lot about the environment and local waters - high quality gear

Must have been another topic, but weighed in on this recently.
My suggestion was also to use dowel or pencil with rag on the mast track only.
I use dry film lube in the track just before sliding dowel up and down the track.
I don't apply it to the bolt rope and have never had an issue with difficult to raise/lower sail if I only do this.
Also, it dries well, and never had a staining issue on the sail with this method. Other items can certainly attract sand, etc...
Yes, to the whole commentary re sunscreen on the tramp. Had a bottle explode one time and I skated over it for the rest of the day until I could get in and wash it off. Made for fast tacks and jibes though 🙂

- Keep the mast track clean
- Keep the bolt rope clean
- don't use a halyard that's too big... in fact use the thinnest and smoothest your hands can manage! (guessing maybe the H16 halyard doesn't go back down the mast track while the sail is going up.. ? not sure)
- ask if your battens are jammed in so hard they're hitting the mast track causing friction as you raise the sail.
- is there a ridge in the mast track where your comptip and the mast connect... ?
- if your mast is massively raked, then the higher you raise the sail, the more weight is hanging at an angle making more friction w/the mast track than a perpendicular mast would...

- lube should be a maintenance type issue, not necessarily a problem solver... check the stuff above first.

- 303 aerospace protectant, or that company, makes some decent color/uv/keep your sails pretty stuff.. just make sure it's compatible w/Dacron

cheers, -rob

Edited by robpatt on May 10, 2017 - 05:52 PM.

Thanks, lots of good info here.