Good Old Boat Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022

Simple Solutions

In the Groove A luff tape cleaner makes mast groove maintenance easy and sail hoisting smoother. BY DREWFRYE

T he most basic part of sailing—hoisting your sails—should be easy and straightforward. While many of us have furlers to handle the headsails, most mainsails still go up and down rather than in and out. But when they start getting sticky about it, it’s time to give that system a good look and make sure your moving parts move as they should. If your mainsail luff slides into a groove on the mast (in other words, it’s not an externally mounted slide system), the first place to look is the groove itself. All kinds of stuff can get in here—dirt, spiderwebs, leftover gunk— that can make the mainsail luff drag. Keeping that track clean and lubed is key to making it a smooth and easy trip up and down for your mainsail (and, by extension, easier on you). The best way to keep the mast groove clean and lubed is to make a cleaner using a segment of luff tape. I’ve seen lots of variations on home- made cleaners employing knots and bits of old rope, and while I have used these successfully, they can be fiddly. On the other hand, every sailmaker’s supply house—Sailrite, for example— sells luff tape by the foot in a range of sizes. You’ll only need about 12 to 20 inches (the one I use is 16 inches long), so I’ve always bought 8 or 10 feet of tape, made a few extras, and given them to sailing friends. Put a grommet in each end. You’ll clip the halyard to the

top grommet and attach the halyard tail to the bottom (of course, they’re interchange- able). If your mainsail groove is really wide or you want a real scrubbing, glue fabric to the luff tape or even terry cloth toweling if there is room in the groove for it. A polyurethane sealant, such as Sikaflex 291 or 3M 4200, is perfect for the job. If the groove is really dirty, start with simple cleaning (the terry cloth-covered version is more aggressive, but a standard luff tape is enough for mainte- nance cleaning if used several times a year). Atmospheric dirt, spiderwebs, mud, and other insect leavings are best removed with soap and water. Soak the terry cloth version of the cleaner and haul it up and down. Rinse the groovewith a jet stream from the hose when you’re finished. Some suggest leaving the soap as a lubricant, but inmy experience, it becomes sticky when it dries, increasing friction and attracting fresh grime. If the dirt is minor, skip the soap and water and go straight to solvent cleaning. This can help eliminate the buildup of sticky stuff such as adhesives that have transferred to the groove from tape repairs to the sail, as well as accumulation of lubricants. Soaking the luff tape cleaner with mineral spirits can remove adhesives, although xylene also works and it dries faster. Don’t use acetone—it’s ineffective on wax and grease, and it dries too quickly to dissolve stubborn deposits.

Once you’re confident the groove is clean, it’s time to lube. It’s not enough to lube your sail’s luff tape itself; hoisting sail takes time, and any lube you’ve applied is probably dry long before the sail reaches full hoist. I also don’t soak the sail luff heavily, so lube transfer to the mast groove is probably limited past the first 20 feet. Instead, use your luff tape cleaner. I prefer the plain luff tape for this step, because the lube dries fast, so I like to haul the cleaner up the mast fast. Choose your lube—I like McLube SailKote, although CRCHeavy Duty Silicone lubri- cant and Super Lube Silicone Lubricant also have their fans. Don’t use wax; it builds up and may require removal. Candle wax is even worse, building up and attracting dirt. Apply the lube and then

to the top before it starts to dry on the applicator. A few quick maintenance passes like this each year are enough to remove dirt before it builds and to refresh the lube, which means I usually can skip the cleaning steps and go straight to lubing. Good Old Boat Technical Editor Drew Frye draws on his training as a chemical engineer and pastimes of climbing and sailing to solve boat problems. He cruises Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic coast in his Corsair F-24 trimaran , Fast and Furry-ous, using its shoal draft to venture into less-explored waters. He is most recently the author of Rigging Modern Anchors (2018, Seaworthy Publications). ]

run the cleaner quickly up and down the mast a few times. You want to do it with speed and vigor, because you want the lube all the way Haul the cleaner up and down quickly several times. Resoak and repeat as needed; generally, twice is enough.

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January/February 2022

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