1st time out!!

I took my H18 on the water for the first time on Saturday. Had a blast! This is my first boat and was excited to finally have the guts to take it out.

There was a large soft spot on the top of the port side hull, right where one would sit. I fixed it by installing a screw in inspection port, glassed the underside of the top and did the drill/fill procedure. I installed new drain plugs too. My repairs worked as the inside of the hulls were dry as a bone.

Here is the only situation I ran into. The main sail was very tough to raise and I was totally unable to lower it at the end of the day. I actually had to lower the mast with the mainsail attached. I then proceeded to push/pull the mainsail off.

So, the question I have is; is there any lubricant or anything else I can apply to the mainsail so it will go up/down easier? Also, is it ok to keep the jib attached to the forestay line because that was a pain as well (zipper broke at the top, held together with a safety pin!) I have a cover for it.

use SailKote on the main's bolt rope. it is a dry lubricant.

remove the 'flapper' on the halyard hook at the top of the mast, this will make dropping the main a lot easier.

have the jib zipper repaired, or replaced.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

Agreed - use a dry film lube on the mast track - McLube or silicone spray. Before doing that, it would even be a good idea to clean the track with a power washer.

If you have an all-aluminum mast with the flapper, remove the flapper. Also read the FAQ regarding raising and lowering the mainsail and do a search on the forum. This topic has been discussed numerous times. There are some tricks to getting the system to work that are not intuitive. Once you know what to do, it works fairly dependably.

As far as lowering the mast with the mainsail attached - very bad idea. You are seriously asking for trouble doing that, especially if there's any appreciable wind. It would be very easy for the rig to get away from you with the sail still up. In the future, if you're unable to get the mainsail down, flip the boat on it's side (with the mast up) and unhook the mainsail. Then flip the boat back upright and pull the sail down. Then lower the mast normally. This is a much safer way to disconnect a stubborn halyard ring.

You can leave the jib on the forestay. If you have a cover, it'll be ok for a while. But the sail will definitely take some abuse this way. Most people remove the jib from the boat when trailering.

sm

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. Luckily, there was not much wind by the time I took down the mast w/sail attached. I knew it was crazy but being a new guy I had no other idea in mind. It is an 1985 boat and was on salt water most of it's life so, I am going to take the time and clean the place where the mainsail moves and coat the halyard/sail with that lubricant you mentioned.

Thanks again!

Just to make sure the obvious is not overlooked was your main sail pointed straight into the wind so that it was following close to the centerline of your boat? If you sail is pushed to the side by the wind it will bind in the track and make raising and lowering difficult.

Congrats on the new boat!

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1984 Hobie 18

Lube the pulleys at the top and bottom of the mast track as well. I rubbed the sail rope down with soft bee's wax and the jib zipper as well. IMHO it works better and last longer than silicone lubricant. The wax also made the rudder cams smooth as butter as well.

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2010 AHPC C2 #218