Lubing a luff track

[sailortype]

McLube is excellent stuff for dry lubing just about anything. Silicone left goop marks on my sails from the slides when I took it down and wrapped it up for the winter

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by fstued

Anyone have any suggestions for lubbing a luff track. I know light oil probably is not the right stuff. Maybe soap or a graphite lube Anyone have a guess The sail is getting tough to pull up I have checked all the blocks and to my knowledge nothing has been done to the luff slide
Thanks
Stu

Clean it first then use mclube. Its a dry lube so wont attract dirt and grit.

Dont use oil, silicon or soap. Graphite wont adhere.

Make sure its not wear thats causing issues. Too little or too much clearance is equally bad.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Cat nap2]

Originally Posted by fstued

Anyone have any suggestions for lubbing a luff track. I know light oil probably is not the right stuff. Maybe soap or a graphite lube Anyone have a guess The sail is getting tough to pull up I have checked all the blocks and to my knowledge nothing has been done to the luff slide
Thanks
Stu

Europeans use Pledge (furniture polish). I have tried it and it seems ok as a lubricant.
Agree with cleaning the mast grove first.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by fstued

Anyone have any suggestions for lubbing a luff track. I know light oil probably is not the right stuff. Maybe soap or a graphite lube Anyone have a guess The sail is getting tough to pull up I have checked all the blocks and to my knowledge nothing has been done to the luff slide
Thanks
Stu

I have always used Teflon paste for over 40 years. You might find in in chandleries but:

Look here McMaster-Carr


Use white Teflon past lube grease for all sail tracks including head foils.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

I have always used Teflon paste for over 40 years. You might find in in chandleries but:

Look here McMaster-Carr


Use white Teflon past lube grease for all sail tracks including head foils.

They have great prices on the dupont dry teflon spray lube! $8.98 for a 14-oz can! $4 cheaper than amazon.

[hellosailor]

McLube *is* the same stuff (Krytox in white paraffin) that is the premium "oil" sold for cycle chains, because it doesn't attract or hold dirt.


Bearing in mind that Amazon is not a competitive source for most spray cans (which they are supposed to ship as HazMat but vendors seem to forget) but the price between Sailkote and the other sprays is not very different.


The "grandson of Teflon" often makes the grandpa look like cheap sandpaper, not a better lube.