Testimonial
Farrier Trimaran
Sail Track
Steve T.
Farrier Trimaran
Tides Marine, Inc.
3251-A SW 13th Drive
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
Thanks for designing the Strong Track System. I bought it from Walter King, here in Australia. I've just fitted it to my boat and
it's every bit as good as I was told it would be.
Here's an article I just posted on the Farrier Trimaran email discussion group. Apart from one small compliant, I fully endorse the system.
Best wishes,
Steve T.
As the mainsail on my FTA aged and stiffened it became harder and harder to raise. I had to head dead to
windward and the last third required the high power gear on my winch. It was exhausting, slow and required a lot of sea
room. I read a series of messages on this email group about this problem and several owners seemed very happy with a solution
using the Tides Marine Strong Track System. I bought one and just finished installing it. It's every bit as good as those
other owners claimed. You install it with the mast standing. The new track slides up inside the luff-rope track built
into my mast extrusion. I was surprised how simple it was to do. The track is made of UHMW-PE, a light, strong, low friction
plastic.
Fitting the replacement batten pocket slides was a bit more involved.
At first I was going to take the sail to my sail maker and get him to do it. But, I realized it would be quite straightforward. I just had to unscrew the old pockets and screw on the new ones. All my battens were about an inch short for the new pockets. So I bought a new batten and moved the old one up a position and sawed a bit off it, and so on up to batten No.7. The whole installation took about five hours for two people.
The only problem was that Tides Marine provided three screws of the wrong size. To secure the track, you use three machine screws at the bottom of the track (the top doesn't need to be secured). They were thoughtful enough to pre-drill the track and they provide a drill and tap to tap into the mast. The trouble was the drill and taps were 10-gauge while the screws they provided were 8-gauge. Other than that the operation was easy.
How did it perform? I must admit, I had a fantasy in my mind that the sail would float up effortlessly. It's not quite like that, the sail is, of course, quite heavy and I'm hoisting it up with a 1:1 purchase over three blocks. But, it's sooooo much easier than before.
I was able to raise it quickly and easily. Because the new track stands out a bit from the mast and the new slides hold the batten pockets out a bit further, I could raise it while sailing on a close reach. That's the first time I have been able to get my main up without using the outboard to power directly into the wind. We dropped it the same way, on a close reach while still sailing briskly.
Next to my jib furler it's the best bit of gear I have bought for my boat. It cost me US$1100 but, being in Australia, I was paying extra freight and import costs. I expect it would be cheaper if you're in the U.S.
Steve T.
Farrier Trimaran
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Tides Marine 3251 SW 13th Dr. Suite A Deerfield Beach, Fl 33442
Tel: (800) 420-0949 Tel: (954) 420-0949 Fax: (954) 420-0945
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