Stack Pack and Tides marine track

Boat Systems
1

Re: Mainsail Handling

Sent: Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:30 pm
From: artieTwelve
To: wcwcwc

Bill,
Yesterday, I took a fredoom 38 to survey. Everything went great, but you should have seen the rolling comedy show that was 5 guys from Annapolis Yacht Services trying to put the sails on the boat. They were scratching their heads for some time before they figured it out. The only real problem with the boat is that it has the original Harken bat car system. It was a real workout raising the main.

I’ve always thought the Tides Marine track look like the way to go, and I read in the Freedom group that you have both the TM track and a Doyle Stack pack. That is exactly the set up I want to upgrade to. My questions are about the installation. Did you install the track and stack pack yourself? If so, any words of advice?

Thanks,
Lance Smith
Baltimore, MD
S/V Magic Dragon (maybe… still trying out names)

Answer to above:

Lance: I had a Tartan 30 with the Doyle Stack Pack then a Freedom 36 with the Tides Marine track and a Mack Pack with a Haarstick full batten main.

The Tides sail track came with the boat and I can’t say enough good about it. Sail came down like a freight train and went up with quite a lot of effort but less than if the track was not so good. Don’t forget that the sail weighs about 150 pounds.

The Mack pack was good and cheaper than the Stack Pack but not as easy to use. Either of these are better than a separate cover. When the sail was lowered into the Mack Pack it needed to be flaked/wrestled into the pack and took quite a bit of effort to zip up or unzip because the Mack Pack’s upper edges are Sunbrella fabric and the lazy jacks don’t hold themto receive the sail.

The Stack Pack had a somewhat stiff upper edges which included a pvc tube and were held up by the lazy jacks. On the Tartan this resulted in very little flaking/wrestling and a gentle tug on the zipper line to zip/unzip. Remember that the Tartan, while it did have full battens, did not have as much roach as the Freedom so it may not be directly comparable.

I’m posting this and your message to me in the main discussion rather than in a the PM area so others can benefit as well.

I sold the Freedom in October, 2013.

2

I installed my own Tides Fast Track. Very easy to install - but I needed to make one modification to the sail track installed on the mast. The Tides track is stiff and the mast side of the gooseneck fitting partrudes enough that it blocks insertion of the Tides track. I did not want to remove the gooseneck fitting because I wasn’t sure what would be involved in reinstalling: the only access to fasteners inside the mast is through the (approx) 1" hole on the front of the mast. “If it ain’t broke - don’t fix (or break) it” . I ended up cutting the bottom 18" of my mast-mounted sail track off - providing sufficient clearence that I was able to litterally slide the Tides track up with one hand. I then slid the lower 18" of mast track over the bottom of the Tides track and refastened it. The mast track was originally rivited. I reinstalled by tapping the mast and using machine screws. If you do this, you need to be very carefgul not to cut into the mast as you (hack) saw through the track. I taped flat sheet metal on both sides and, as I got close to the end of the cut, used single strokes. I agree with Bill. Tides made a huge difference in lowering sail and modest improvement in raising. Between weight of the sail and batten loading, the cordless drill may still be the way to go. There is one other significant advantage to the Tides system. Tides sail slides are much lower profile than any other brand I have seen. The sail stacks flatter at the mast - bringing the heradboard lower. Standing on the mast steps to attach or detach the halyard in a seaway can be challenging. With Tides, taller people can actually reach the headboard from the deck without mounting the steps.

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Lance,

I have a F36/38 on the Magothy. Put a Tides Marine track on several years ago. The only issue we had was we had to remove several rivets in bottom of the existing track. The Tides tack couldn’t bend enough to make the turn onto the existing track. Not a big deal reriveted the track after the Tides was in place. It has made raising the main a lot easier and it flies down the mast went lowering the sail. Also have a UK Lazy Cradle (their version of a stack pack). Works well enough, but doesn’t always get the aft end of the sail into the cradle and had to put it in by hand. This winter had Scott Allan in Annapolis modify the main and the cradle. The main is now loose footed and added additional lazy jacks to the cradle. Don’t know how well it will work. The boat is still on the hard. The yard is behind was suppose to be back by April 1 maybe this week.

If you want to see the installation drop me an email and we can set up a time after she is back in the water.

BTW is the boat the green hull that Crusader had?

Jim Demerest
F36/38 Lady of Remes

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Jim,
Great to hear that you were able to install the Tides track without cutting the mast track. I tried removing the lower rivets and bending the track out first - but mine was so rigid, I was afraid of crimping it… so ended up cutting it. How many rivets did you have to drill out?
Bob

5

Jim, There were 3 Freedoms for sale in Annapolis at the start of March. I bought the one with the blue hull. The paper work is almost done and it should be mine by Friday or next Monday. My broker works for Crusader and the green boat was the first one he showed me. Very nice, lot’s of upgrades but too pricey for me. The last one was a 36 with a white hull and a 6 foot draft. That one also had a lot of customized stuff. The seller’s broker told me that one had been sold also.

Mid way through the paper work process, I found out that the PO is the original owner. My surveyor said the boat had been lightly used and well maintained. The engine was replaced in 2005 with a Yanmar 39 HP. It’s a tight fit. She’s in Bert Jabin’s right now but I’m hoping to mover her up to Baltimore by mid April. I will definitely in touch. I love to see your boat and ask a couple thousand questions.

I had UK sails make me a jib a few years back. I’ll take a look at their stack pack offering. There’s a boat show in Annapolis at the end of the month, so maybe I can get a boat show discount.

Lance

6

Hi All
I am interested to find the specs for the external sail track on the freedom 36.
I think?that I have a tides insert that needs to be replaced but need the actual sail track specs so that I can order the correct length , section etc.from Tides.
Are you able to give me some advice on this matter… I am currently sailing in Fiji and there are very few Freedom rigs or owners here.
Thank you
Brian Taylor, Splashes.