I am thinking of installing a Tides Strong Track system on my NS30 – would appreciate learning about others’ experience with sourcing, especially in Canada, and with installation. I have a relatively recent sail which would need compatible sail slides, I assume. So the total cost, I am guessing, might be not insignificant.
Thanks in advance,
Bill Baxter
Persistence NS30 #507
Penetang, ON
Bill
When I bought my 33, I had Mike Quill do a complete mast inspection and overhaul including supply and installation of strong track and sail slides. He installed the track when the mast was down.
We put a Tides Strong Track on our 30U. Installation was a one person job, No big deal. I did all of the work while standing just aft of the mast, snipping the cable ties that held it in a coil as I went (the cable ties were staggered so you could snip one, feed four feet of track or so, snip the next, feed, etc). I seem to recall I pulled it up the sail track on the mast using the main halyard, which necessitated a bit of a balancing act (and would have been easier with a second person). We bought our TST at the same time we got a new sail from Botts at Doyle, Toronto in 2010. Everything was delivered to Huntington, New York on Long Island and the sail slides were already installed on the new sail - you definitely will need different slides. No idea what that will cost you. Imagine you can sew them on yourself. No recall of what we paid for the TST; it was a package deal with the sail (and a visit from Botts to make sure I did it all right - was a very interesting afternoon sail).
lloyd herman
Rendezvous, 30U
Port Washington, New York
On Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 2:28:21 PM UTC-4, Bill Baxter, Persistence, NS30 #507, Kingston ON wrote:
On Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 2:28:21 PM UTC-4, Bill Baxter, Persistence, NS30 #507, Kingston ON wrote:
Hi Bill;
I installed Strong Track on my NS30 5 years ago and I LOVE it.
Not cheap. I think that it was around $1,200 CDN, but the sail drops like a rock when the halyard is released.
Ed Collis
ORION VII
Toronto
On Saturday, 18 March 2017 14:28:21 UTC-4, Bill Baxter, Persistence, NS30 #507, Kingston ON wrote:
Mine came with a Strong Track and I think it’s great. I suggest you do it in warm weather and if you have trouble starting or feeding it into the existing track, do it through the forward port to reduce the angle.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
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We have one and it makes dropping the sail a breeze to the point we have to control the drop. I have heard that some folks have had to install it with the mast down as it comes in a coil and you need sufficient room to bend up the mast. I know I would not have been able to install it with my mast in place. It does contract and expand with changes of temp, Several cm’s in fact. We do not have a stop at the top as our sail can not be hoisted that far…
T
On Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 2:28:21 PM UTC-4, Bill Baxter, Persistence, NS30 #507, Kingston ON wrote: