Tide Marine V Harken or others

[Jimbo2010]

Like some feed back pro/cons of different brands for full batten main

Also some idea of cost for a P of 45'

[Jeff on Aurora]

Originally Posted by Jimbo2010

Like some feed back pro/cons of different brands for full batten main

Also some idea of cost for a P of 45'

I just bought a new fully battened mainsail for my Island Packet 38 and had the Tides Marine Strongtrack hardware installed when it was built. My P is 41'-ish if I remember correctly. The whole system cost me about $1200 through my sailmaker.

Installation was super-easy. I installed it by myself in about three hours. The track arrives in a big coil and you simply feed it up into your existing mast trask. I was able to push it up into place without needing a halyard to pull from above.

Comparing this to the Harken Batt-car system, I find that it's just as "slippery" and the main drops just as easily at about 1/3 the price. I've sailed my boat and a sister ship equipped with the Harken system and can't see any significant difference - certainly not one worth another $2600 or so.

Food for thought...


Jeff

[Jimbo2010]

Jeff, thanks for the feedback

[Boatguy30]

There have been may problems with UV degrading of the tracks in last many years. They currently only warranty the new tracks for 2 years.
So for offshore and long term sailing in the tropics, I do not recommend

[Stu Jackson]

I've had a BattCar system on my 1986 boat since new, I've owned it since 1998. It is bulletproof.


Issues: longevity of metal vs possible UV mentioned by BoatGuy30, weight,, cost, and where you plan to sail.


Only thing I have ever had to do was spray some T9 or sailkote on the ball bearings on the cars, otherwise flawless.


Your boat, your choice.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

There have been may problems with UV degrading of the tracks in last many years. They currently only warranty the new tracks for 2 years.
So for offshore and long term sailing in the tropics, I do not recommend

They will do more if you press them. Mine is currently 3 years old and have been in Fl/Bahamas and shows no degrading. They blame a bad batch that the supplier didn't add the UV protection to.