MacGregorSailors.com

I just found out that I own a Spinlock Sail Feeder. Has anyone had any experience with this item. I can't post a link since I am still new to the board. I tried to Google the item but I can only find out how to purchase it, not how it attaches.

I have a 26S, and haven't put the sails up yet. I am new to sailing and I am thinking that if I put the sail up before I attach this piece, I will have to take the sail completely off to attach it. This may not be a lot of work, I just don't know, although I will soon. I'm not afraid of the work, I would just prefer to work smart when possible and maybe I will find out that it's a complete waste of time or won't work.

I have asked the boats close by, but no one seems to be familiar with it. I am finding that there are a lot of possible ways to do the same thing. I read the threads on slugs, but that might be a next year project when I understand the sail better.

If you need to see the item, put Spinlock Sail Feeder in Google, it should be at the top. It is a little V shaped item with two rotating balls on the inside on each side.

Thanks for any advice.

Assuming you mean the mainsail preefeeder:

http://tinyurl.com/3bf2ro

I've got one. It's a great little device if you don't have slugs. All you do is slip it down the track below the feeder slot and secure it by tightening the two screws, you then leave it there permanently.

When you raise your main just feed it through the spinlock first and then into the slot. The spinlock will keep it lined up so you can just raise the sail without having to use one hand to keep it lined up.

That is exactly the device, and I'm really glad to hear that I can use it.

About how far below the slot do you attach it? I was thinking 2 inches, I was worried about it eventually sliding up and right out the slot. I would assume you want it as close to the slot as possible? Perhaps there is not that much pressure and I won't have to worry about that happening.

Thanks a lot for your reply deja_vu!

Sadly, at $65 it's easily 40% of the cost of having a sailmaker add slugs to the main, which makes everything so much easier. In fact, bet the cost is a push for do-it-yourself sail slugs.

Yeah but if you are not a fan of sail slugs its a wonderful thing...and yes I know all the arguments of why on a Mac there's no real perfomance hit with slugs and thier failure rate isn't that high. But not having them gives me one less thing to worry about, and having a prefeeder means I can raise my main as easy as if I did have them.

I'd guess I'll eventually give in, especially if the boat is slipped somewhere and the main is kept attached. But I had $40 in gift certificates to WM that I couldn't find anything better that I wanted at the time that were about to expire anyway and for $25 it was worth it.

So mine is attached somewhere between 2-3" below the slot. You want to make sure it's far enough below the slot that you can fit the sail through the feeder and then through the slot. Basically put it as high up as you can and still get both of the screws to catch. and that will probalby also give you the clearance you need. With the screws tightened down it won't come off.

I cant get out of WM without spending less than 40 USD in tax

My feeder is immediately below the bolt rope entry (widened part) of the mast slot. Main raises fast and easy. Would not be without it. Ron

I attached mine tonight and I did put it as close to the widened part as I could. It looks very easy to adjust, so I can always tweak it.

Thanks.

Catigale wrote:I cant get out of WM without spending less than 40 USD in tax

I know I'm in trouble when we walk into the local WM,and I hear"good to see you,but we're Really Glad to see her!"

The Admiral just loves WM. That means there's nobody there to put on the brake$!

I just received my new set of sail slugs today. Iam going to install them in the morning. total cost with shipping from sailrite was $47.00. can't wait to try them out.

The prefeeder has to be as high as possible because there is little clearance from the gooseneck below. The bolt rope/sail has to be flaked forward near the mast or it will kink.

Hoisting is a one time operation. After dousing, you must go forward and again feed the prefeeder and run the sail a little bit up the mast track.

I have the same unit and love it. After a bad experience with slugs on my brothers O-Day I am going stick with the bolt rope, for now. Mostly because the wind tends to be kind of gusty here.

I recommend flaring the top end of the feed slot a couple of inches and placing the pre-feeder as high as possible. You need to make sure the bottom of the bolt rope is still in the pre-feeder when the main is fully hoisted. Otherwise you can have some problems dousing the main.

You can guess how I know....doh!

Well Hey, baloonist. There is a 'break' in the stock bolt rope after it gets up the pole, and that's okay. No way the bolt rope stays in the prefeeder after a full hoist.

But, like I said, after a douse you're going to have to refeed it.

I just installed slugs from sailrite yesterday, what a difference in raising and lowering the main.
cost 47.00 including shipping, less than 2 hours to install, and I didn't have to take the sail off the boom.

I discovered that I have slugs, if I understand what they are correctly. It's easy to raise the mainsail with them, but now I can't use the Spinlock Sail Feeder... I think?