so before i sink too much money into restoring this hobie , i figured i would put up the mast and make sure there were no issues with the mast or sail track.
most of the main goes up with no problems till it get's really close to the top of the mast.
it wont go all the way up . i lower the sail and see from the headboard shackle about 14" up there is a crimped on stopper and 44 " above that there is another one ,so i cant get the sail with in about 58" of the top of the mast .
is that top stopper suppose to be there ?

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"take your dreams down from the shelf take the measure of yourself upon a beckoning sea"
eileen quinn
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Yes, the H16 main halyard has 2 nicopress sleeves attached to the wire....



the 2nd slug is the one used to secure the sail when it is hoisted using the main halyard hook attached to the leading or forward edge of the mast....

http://www.murrays.com/mm…e=25-3330&Category_Code=

the 1st slug is used to reef the main in an emergency situation thereby reducing sail area.

Clean track and then eyeball to see if track is "pinched" anywhere along the length, dropping the mast is the biggest cause of pinched track, if pinched, obtain round dowel same diameter of track and slide it up the track to pinched area, use force to move dowel through pinched area to open it up. Insert main sail into track and check to see if it slides freely up and down track, also make sure that 2nd stopper reaches the hook, fine tune if necessary untill sail slides free.

Next check mast head sheave, made of nylon(?) and subject to deterioration by uv, make sure sheave rolls freely and slugs pass over sheave without binding, its a hassle when raising sail and halyard jumps off sheave and slug binds between masthead and sheave, you have to capsize boat to get to masthead, replace sheave if in poor condition.

When raising the sail on the H16, pull main halyard at a 45 degree angle to the mast, when the headboard hits the top of the mast, bring halyard in towards the mast and insert stopper on halyard into the "V" of the halyard hook, drop slide of goose-neck on the boom into sail track and crank on down-haul, this will keep tension on main halyard ensuring that slug does not jump out of hook. Coil tail of main halyard and stow in pocket on tramp, if no pocket, use velcro strap to attach to mast or wedge between down-haul line on mast.

Also, make sure halyard is free from sail track, sometimes what happens is one of the stoppers becomes trapped in sail track preventing sail from being raised all the way to the top.

HTH
R

thanks ,the sheave turns freely , im going to try and feed the sail while the mast is laying down so i can see whats happening

--
"take your dreams down from the shelf take the measure of yourself upon a beckoning sea"
eileen quinn
--

southronspirit

about 14" up there is a crimped on stopper and 44 " above that there is another one ,so i cant get the sail with in about 58" of the top of the mast .

Those two nicopress slugs should move through the masthead sheave with ease. If they are what's stopping you, check the sheave/wire relationship.

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

klozhald

southronspirit

about 14" up there is a crimped on stopper and 44 " above that there is another one ,so i cant get the sail with in about 58" of the top of the mast .

Those two nicopress slugs should move through the masthead sheave with ease. If they are what's stopping you, check the sheave/wire relationship.

For whatever reason, they often get hung in the masthead when pulling straight down on the halyard. The suggestion to hoist from out front (by the bows) in the renovator's post above is spot-on.

Also, in case someone who doesn't know is reading, this discussion pertains to the main halyard for the all aluminum mast. Halyard (and masthead) for comp-tip is different....halyard can be pulled straight down without hanging.

--
Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
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As said above, the two sleeves are supposed to be there. Check condition of the sail track and the mast head sheave. But keep in mind that it is not uncommon for mainsails, especially older ones, will become difficult to raise the last few feet. Later Hobie 16 mainsails have teflon in the bolt rope covering to help reduce friction. Older mainsails did not have this feature. Also if the bolt rope stitching at the head of the sail becomes frayed or worn, it will increase friction.

Other things to keep in mind- Assuming that the luff track is OK and the sheave turns freely, you want to make sure that the bolt rope and luff track are clean. I would wash both with soap and water. Then spray the entire length of the mast track using silicone spray or McLube spray. Unroll the mainsail in your yard and do the same thing along the bolt rope. Also check the batten protectors along the luff (front of the sail). If your battens are in too tight, the plastic protectors can drag along the mast and increase friction.

It is not uncommon to have to feed the mainsail into the track at the bottom and physically push it up the mast (especially on older sails). Its easiest to do this with two people (one working the halyard and the other working the sail) but it can be done solo if necessary. Pull the sail up with the halyard as far as it will go, then grab one of the batten luff protectors and push it upwards while at the same time taking care to ensure the sail feeds into the track smoothly. The bottom portion of the sail will be all wrinkled. Then pull up on the halyard and the sail should go up. Work the sail up a little at a time until it's all the way up the mast. Then engage the halyard slug into the hook.

The last thing, if you have one of those stainless steel feeders that screw into the opening at the bottom of the sail track, remove it. They cause more problems than they solve by just adding friction and another thing for the sail to get hung up on. Take it off and then reinstall the screws with a little silicone caulk so the mast doesn't leak.

sm

today was a nice no wind day (boy does it sound wierd to say that) so i put the mast up and tried
the sail again , holding the halyard at a 45 degree angle and pushing up on the battens it went right up .
thanks

--
"take your dreams down from the shelf take the measure of yourself upon a beckoning sea"
eileen quinn
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