MacGregorSailors.com

A novice needs some help. I need to replace one of the plastic pieces that slide into the mast and attach to the main sheet. What are they called? And, if possible where is a good place to order them? Thanks.

They are called sail slugs or sail slides...

I bought a whole set from sailrite.

Thanks for the help.

On another note, what is a good way to keep the slides from falling out when I lower the main sheet to flake it when we take a break?

you need a slug stop. plastic piece which goes into the mast track below the lowst slug. You then tension the knob and it stays in place, keeping the slugs from falling out and just stacking up on top. I believe West Marine sells them, but probably cheaper online.

Kelley Hanson sells Macgregors and has a site online, they sell the sail stop in the (Items under 10 Dollars) section, I understand there are differennt sizes of these stops and at least from them it should be the correct size.

The sail stop you need is a 1/2" round. Kelly Hanson will know the right one to sell you.

Kelly

...and if you drop your sail stop into the drink, a sail tie tied around the mast will also perform this function, less elegantly.

A tie is actually what we had been using, but I figured there had to be something actually made for the job. Thanks again. We did our first over night stay this past weekend and it was great. Still have some things to work on, but Knot On Duty is coming along.

You can store the sail stop in the slot below the opening for the sail slugs while under sail of course, it wont bounce out under sail

Dont do this for trailering, it will work its way out and be lost forever on Davy Jones Highway Locker

I have a sail stop but when I am motoring out of the harbor it seems to want to slip out due to the pressure of the slugs when the sail is not yet raised. Both times this has happened I have been lucky to find it sitting on the top of the coachroof. On another thread someone suggested drilling a small hole through the mast going through both sides of the track at the point where you would put the sail stop and putting a cotter pin through there once the slugs have all been inserted into the track. I have not tried this but it sounds like a great idea, and would certainly alleviate the problem I have had, and save a few bucks in the process.

That does sound like a good idea. I had a sailstop fall into the daggerboard trunk once. It took me an hour to fish it out, I thought I was going to have to take the mast down and the daggerboard out!

Kelly

The trouble I have is getting the stop tight enough. I really ream on it with my thumb and forefinger of both hands to get it tight, but it still fell out. The last time it did not, but that's no guarantee; I was just fortunate. Its lot easier to feed the slugs into the track at the dock than out in the open with the boat pitching and rolling. With either one, the pin or stop, I am sure you could rig up a lanyard of some type to hild it if and when it falls out/is taken out so that you never lose it and it is always at hand when needed.

I saw an idea in a previous post which I prefer to the sail stop. Tie a 1/4" line to one of the two stock cleats on the mast, then pass it under the slugs and tie it off to the cleat on the other side. It doesn't interfer with normal use of the cleats, it cost 10 cents, it never falls into the dagger trunk or into the briny and I never fumble with it while using one hand to hold up the slugs. Thanks to whoever posted this idea, it seems so obvious now that I am using it.

Yes, it is obvious, which is why I used it last time I went out, albeit with a shock cord rather than line. Just a bit of added protection.