Thanks to all. Mastgates is exactly what I'm looking for.

john

I’ll put in a second vote for Mastgates. Been using them for years, mostly single-handing. Work great.

Hi John, go to mastgates.com. They sell easily installed devices that close the slot after you have bent on the sail. One device goes on each side, so there is still a slot that lets the slugs slide down past the gate to the bottom of the mast slot. I've had them on 2 Ensigns. Work great, simple to install.

Hi John. Go to mastgates.com. They have easily installed

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I have that sailcover and it works great with the fitting discussed in this thread.

Stan Murphy

NANA

1658

That makes sense. My boat/main uses a bolt-rope, so I can’t speak directly to your problem, but the club on my lake uses slugs on their ensigns, and I have noticed some of their cockpit covers do sit unusually high to fit the sail and slugs sitting on top of the mast. Ultimately you might need to get a new cover that will accommodate - 

Thanks Bryce

I have those, but when i tried one, it kept the sail set too high on the mast, and as a result the mooring cover didn't fit.

I'll give it another try. Maybe it was operator error.

john

This is what you're looking for to keep the sail slugs from sliding out the bottom of the mast groove

-Bryce

Newbie here. After 23 years sailing a 35' cruising sloop, and 4 weeks of being boatless (by design, hoping to sail other people's boats) we decided OPB wasn't going to work. And so we acquired hull 1175.  

Strictly to be used as a daysailer in local waters that are constantly chopped up by a myriad of powerboaters zooming back and forth. The inside of your washing machine is calmer !

Managing the mainsail with this chop is a challenge for two geezers, particularly as the slugs always come out of the track when being lowered, and need constant attention whilst raising the main.

I'm in search of solutions - and while I see lazy jacks in my future, that doesn't really solve the slug problem.

In my cruising boat, the mast was fitted with tang that closed off the slot once the main had been fitted to the track. Only touched twice in a season - once to hank the main on, and then to remove for storage.

Has anyone seen such a fitting for the Ensign ? The main will stay on the boom, under a mooring cover.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

John