Mastcap Lube?

Earlier, I got a "dislike" for suggesting WD-40 or waterproof grease.

That last foot or so tends to jam the gooseneck, so wiggle it with one hand as you pull on halyard with the other.

If lifting the spars one-by-one doesn't help, change the halyard to a thinner or braided line.
 
Remember the lube will cover the entire halyard as you hoist the spars off the deck eventually getting in your hands etc. Push the gooseneck up as suggested
 
Remember the lube will cover the entire halyard as you hoist the spars off the deck eventually getting in your hands etc. Push the gooseneck up as suggested


My challenge is "how do you do this while seated"? I was getting stuck with the last foot or so of line when the wind began to affect the sail
 
Totally ease the mainsheet, but don't lose the end to pull in. That way the sail shouldn't fill before fully hoisted
 
Is there a trick for making sure the wind doesn't change direction too much
Well, yes, but it's the relationship of the wind-to-boat that matters.

Hoist the sail until the boat starts to respond to the wind, then rapidly hoist up the rest of the way.

My technique is just that: grabbing a new purchase on the halyard--then using my weight while lowering myself into the cockpit--feet pressing on the cockpit bulkhead for leverage. A halyard cam-cleat installed 2 feet behind the splashguard makes kneeling unnecessary.

Then use your third hand to control the tiller! :confused:
 
Going through my tackle box, looking for something else, I came across part of the answer!

Replace the stock deck fairlead with one that is sleeved with a stainless-steel eye. They'll run you about $10. :)
 
Totally agree with Beldar. Racers lower and raise sails all the time to make adjustments in strong winds and waves. As Beldar says kneel on the deck, pull the sail up, it might stick toward the end and just lift the lower boom and finish raising. On shore stand and pull, again might have to raise the lower boom towards the end.
LVM the sail should pivot with the wind and flap so it should not respond unless you have the sheet tight.
 
is it possible to lubricate the mast cap to make hoisting the sail easier?
Salt water can stiffen the halyard, and salt crystals can cause friction: soak and rinse in fresh water. The halyard might work better if it were wet.

Some new replacement lines can be easily modified to have two different diameters.
Totally agree with Beldar. Racers lower and raise sails all the time to make adjustments in strong winds and waves. As Beldar says kneel on the deck, pull the sail up, it might stick toward the end and just lift the lower boom and finish raising. On shore stand and pull, again might have to raise the lower boom towards the end.
LVM the sail should pivot with the wind and flap so it should not respond unless you have the sheet tight.
Yes, but I raise the sail several yards off the shore. It's my body that gets in the way! :confused:
 
I think I figured it out when I tried to follow one of the online rigging videos. My halyard is so thick that it can't loop thru the pullu twice. Upon discovering this I noticed that the end cap slot is narrower than the halyard. Since the boat came this way I didn't think anything about it.
 
Look for Dry Lube Teflon Spray. On of the listed uses is for
cables. Only about 14 inchs of halyard would need to be
coated, the area when the boom starts to lift of the deck.
Will it work? I don't know but cheap enough to give it
a try. It could also be applied to the mast where the goose-neck
rubs or better yet wrap the mast in Teflon Tape.
 
Dry Lube Teflon Spray sounds like the right approach. :cool: But before shelling out your cash, try a spritz or two of furniture polish spray. There are some fancy types of waxes in that stuff that may just be the ticket. :)

Has anyone tried it to bring out the luster in blued firearms? :cool:

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Replace the stock deck fairlead with one that is sleeved with a stainless-steel eye. They'll run you about $10. :)
:oops: Correction—they're less than $5.

Here's that cam cleat and halyard, to avoid kneeling unsteadily on the deck. The sail can be raised while seated or standing at the cockpit. I haven't yet devised a fairlead to run the halyard through the splashguard. :)

Fullscreen capture 832017 70017 PM.bmp.jpg
 
If you got the screw on type splashguard...just take it off and cut a "U" out of the bottom side. You might smooth out the edges too! :-D .. But I'm not sure I'd like the halyard semi-captive under the splashguard.
I'd think about moving the cleat up further forward as well, as you'd still be able to reach it. Say a foot or so behind the splash guard.
So....how are you hoisting the last 2" without grabbing the gooseneck? Good yank??
 
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Due to powerboat wakes, the splashguard has to come off anyway. My ramp got swept by a cruiser wake (during an unusual high water condition), which also pulled the spars off—into the lake. Other wakes pried the splashguard's recent port-side repair off. :confused:

I did move the cam cleat forward on my 2nd Sunfish. (It does work better).

I give a good yank with the upper spar suspended—boom just "kissing" the deck—the sail shoots up about a foot, and the gooseneck rarely jams. :cool: I got the idea from Howmar Phantom:

Fullscreen capture 862017 82558 AM.bmp.jpg


My halyard is an inexpensive 3/8-inch braided-polyester, and develops a bit of stretch :( so, after about 10 minutes of sailing to the near lee shore, I can quickly reset the halyard.

A narrower halyard would not be advisable in my case, but do I hear any recommendations for a replacement (slippery) non-stretchy halyard line?
 
Ive got some Bzzzz line for sale. I personally thought it was too slippery and the 7mm wasnt big enough for me to hold onto in higher winds using it as a mainsheet. Seemed some like it so I bought it because of the hype around it. I have about 32 ft of it. 7mm is probably about 5/16 or so. My halyard is skinny stuff...1/4" or so as it is good enough for hoisting. That said I'm not even seeing it stretch over the 10+ ft in actual use once hoisted. Nylon would probably only stretch a 1/2" if hoisted tight and vanged I'd think...which for fun sailing, would be ok. I cant see needing super low stretch line unless you're hardcore.
 
Two more suggestions:

1) Rotate the mast before hoisting, so the halyard has a "straight shot" from the deck fairlead to the mast cap. (Or block/pulley).

2) Try braided polypropylene line. It's slick, has zero stretch, floats readily, resistant to oils, rot, mildew and most chemicals, and it's cheap. While it's advertised as having "good knot retention", I've found it's anything but! :( Even a bowline knot will slip in polypropylene; however. if you epoxy a bowline it will stay in place.

Another option with polypropylene is a splice, which is easy to do with braided polypropylene. Instead of a bowline knot, an eye-splice should hold up well when securing to the upper spar. A splice would replace this very grippy "modified timber hitch" (as pictured here, in an inexpensive braided polyester line):

P8080061.JPG


The above "modified timber hitch" is also easy to slide when the halyard is slacked. This hitch also reduces metal-to-metal contact.

If polypropylene line seems like a lot of trouble—it is—worse, it is not particularly strong, not happy in the sun, and should be replaced every season in almost every outdoor application.

Harbor Freight once sold 3/8" three-strand polypropylene line in 600' lengths for some ridiculous price. $18? I bought two, as I use about 75' every couple of years to pull my Sunfish out to clear boathouses and weeds. (Buried for good at the end, is a $3 yard-sale Danforth anchor).

One of my Sunfish arrived with a very thin polypropylene halyard. While it did slip easily through the fairlead and mast cap—I had to replace it, as my hands couldn't take the punishment. :confused:

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