[Jeff_H]

The problem is that the bearing surface of the slugs is the inside (forward facing) part of the channel extrusion. This surface is very hard to clean, and does not get washed by rain so who knows what sort of crud sticks to the aluminum... and causes friction. Friction-less slides they may be but I have found that some sort of lubricant sprayed on the slugs makes them move easier. YMMY.

The short answer is that my slugs only touch the aft face of the mast and the aft face of the slot. They can't reach the back ( Forward face) of the slot.
I use my boat a whole lot and all year round, so the contact points on the slot stays polished.
Adding lube, provides a sticky material for gunk to stick to perhaps adding to the friction you are fighting with more lube.

Jeff

 

[SanderO]

The short answer is that my slugs only touch the aft face of the mast and the aft face of the slot. They can't reach the back ( Forward face) of the slot.
I use my boat a whole lot and all year round, so the contact points on the slot stays polished.
Adding lube, provides a sticky material for gunk to stick to perhaps adding to the friction you are fighting with more lube.

Jeff

If you are frequently raising, lowering and reefing there may be enough movement to "polish" as you say... I don't think that this is what would happen. The groove is like any surface on the boat which is exposed to air born "stuff" constantly.. including salt which cakes up. And unless your mast protected in the winter it gets not "slide polishing" for months on end. Sure you don't want to add something to trap the stuff... so find some other lubricant that doesn't add to the problem.

 

[colemj]

so find some other lubricant that doesn't add to the problem.

This is an application for dry lube like the teflon spray Registereduser suggested.

Mark

 

[SanderO]

This is an application for dry lube like the teflon spray Registereduser suggested.

Mark

I do carry triflo and will switch to it for this use. Thanks!

 

[arild.taub]

My brief recommendations are as follows:

- Use oil based for tools, lubrication and tooling in particular for metal surfaces. Also when you assume that it should be possible to clean/remove it completely in the future. Silicone is hard to remove even with normal solvents.

- Use silicone based for rubber and plastics as some of these materials have chemical related problems with oil based. You can generally say that silicone based is for long term duration and somewhat higher temperatures

 

[DougH]

Silicone is hard to remove even with normal solvents.

Absolutely! You could try Marine Formula by DeBond Corp. I once had a boat whose PO believed that hardware store silicone glue was the answer to everything on the boat. He was particularly fond of using it to re-bed through deck hardware. Of course everyplace he used it leaked water because silicone quickly gets too hard for that use. After some research I found out about Marine Formula and it effectively removed the old slippery silicone so the new, proper, bedding compound would stick. Life is now good.

-Doug

 

[Jeff_H]

If you are frequently raising, lowering and reefing there may be enough movement to "polish" as you say... I don't think that this is what would happen. The groove is like any surface on the boat which is exposed to air born "stuff" constantly.. including salt which cakes up. And unless your mast protected in the winter it gets not "slide polishing" for months on end. Sure you don't want to add something to trap the stuff... so find some other lubricant that doesn't add to the problem.

Just for the record, I don't mean to suggest that what I do would work for everyone or anyone else. I may be an outlier because I do use my boat more than most folks. Except for the lockdown, and the year I stripped out all of the hardware in the cockpit and cabin top to paint the deck (both around 6 weeks) the longest that my boat hasn't left the slip has been 3 weeks. That 3 week period was the year the creek stayed frozen longer than usual. After 3 weeks, I was really Jonesing to get out sailing. I was so desperate that I had planned to get in the dinghy with an axe and cut a slice through the ice. Miraculously a crack in the ice appeared and the ice separated a boat width. (see picture below) The engine intake thu-hull was iced over so we put the intake hose in a bucket on the cabin sole, and filled it with another bucket, just long enough to motor through the slot. Coming home we sailed through the slot and into the slip without bothering to start the engine.

When I used to use lubricant on the mast slot on a prior boat, I had built a slot cleaner that I could raise with a halyard. It would come out of the slot really full of gunk. Once I stopped lubing the slot, the slot cleaner came out clean so I stopped lubing the slot. I have never noticed that the friction became noticeably greater after I stopped lubing the slot.

Your mileage may vary.

Jeff

 

[SanderO]

Just for the record, I don't mean to suggest that what I do would work for everyone or anyone else. I may be an outlier because I do use my boat more than most folks. Except for the lockdown, and the year I stripped out all of the hardware in the cockpit and cabin top to paint the deck (both around 6 weeks) the longest that my boat hasn't left the slip has been 3 weeks. That 3 week period was the year the creek stayed frozen longer than usual. After 3 weeks, I was really Jonesing to get out sailing. I was so desperate that I had planned to get in the dinghy with an axe and cut a slice through the ice. Miraculously a crack in the ice appeared and the ice separated a boat width. (see picture below) The engine intake thu-hull was iced over so we put the intake hose in a bucket on the cabin sole, and filled it with another bucket, just long enough to motor through the slot. Coming home we sailed through the slot and into the slip without bothering to start the engine.
View attachment 138236

When I used to use lubricant on the mast slot on a prior boat, I had built a slot cleaner that I could raise with a halyard. It would come out of the slot really full of gunk. Once I stopped lubing the slot, the slot cleaner came out clean so I stopped lubing the slot. I have never noticed that the friction became noticeably greater after I stopped lubing the slot.

Your mileage may vary.

Jeff

I also run a soaked (wd 40) rag up and down the slot with a halyard and dnhaul to clean it and YES it does come out quite filthy. Usually do this after winter storage.

 

[Tuna Driver]

Agree with the other posters with some additions. Use white lithium grease on the metal to metal hatch slides. We have bolt rope in aluminum slot for the main sail. I have a slug wrapped with a rag that I run up and down soaked with White Lightening bicycle chain lube. It is waxed based and won't harm the Dacron. We coat my friend's Delrin sail slugs with McLube which seems to make hoisting and dropping much easier. McLube goes on all the little balls after a good fresh water rinse.