Sail Slide Replacement

[Steve McGill]

The sail slides on my just purchased 88 standard rig are breaking and need to be replaced. I ordered some from Sailrite, but the thickness was to great.

The manual shows that the slides are .78" wide, the neck is .406" and .188"' thickness of which is what goes inside the slide.


Any assistance on where I can get replacements is much appreciated.

[Sailing Steve]

Is this what you are referring to?

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/10001/-1/10001/93382/10001/272/11208/2

I know I've seen two or three sizes on the shelf and have purchased and used them from West Marine myself.

[sdaly66]

On a related note, what is a good lubricant to use in the mast track?

Is spray silicone a viable solution?  I get a lot of binding when raising and lowering the main.

[tonywright]

Best lubricant is MacLube. It doesn't get sticky. Others may know of a cheaper substitute.

Tony

[sdaly66]

OK found the old post from 2002, and going to start with the lubricant and maybe consider changing out certain of the blocks.

[Stephen Butler]

Our experience may help a bit.  We first replaced the 2 slides that we found cracked, and used a brand of lub that was less pricey than MacLub.  A few weeks later, caught out in a "blow," 3 of the original slides which we had not replaced, broke, and the sail jammed.  Additionally, the lub we had saved some money on, was not doing its job.  Back in port, we replaced all of the slides and now keep a can of MacLub on board.  Avoiding the cost and safety issues of a torn and jammed sail made it a no-brainer to do it right, but of course, after the fact.  Just a thought.