Slug Slides

[Gulf Islander]

I have a new to me Main Sail. It came with 3/8" slug slides. My existing sail has 1/2" slides. The opening on the mast is 1/4". What size slugs do I require?

[snort]

I've never had this particular issue, but have you tried to raise the mainsail to see what happens?
The only question might be if they'd rip out of the slot in a strong wind, but a visual of how they look inside the slot might dispel your fears.

[UNCIVILIZED]

There are a lot of slides, & hardware cars that'll likely fit into the groove, much like someone with size 9 feet can wear any thing from a 7.5-13. But the better the fit the less likely there are to be problems. Which with sail slides/slugs tends to manifest as jamming, or difficulty in hoisting & dropping. Particularly under less than ideal conditions, like when the boat isn't fully head to wind. Or when reefing, etc.

The only real way to find out what fits well is to try a number of different types & profiles. And typically, sailmakers & riggers will have quite a few different kinds on hand in order to make this determination. We can't assess what will fit any better than it's possible to fit for shoes via a keyboard. So the try it & see option as suggested is worth a shot. And if you've a set that works on the old sail, then you can probably swap them to the new sail with decent results. There still may be some issues if you do, but you've little to lose by trying it. Just do a few trial hoists while at the dock, prior to doing any on the water testing.

[capt jgw]

Might be worthwhile to order another set of the larger slides. Sailrite.com is a good source. They're not hard to swap. Or just take them off the old sail if you're disposing of it.