Ballslide™ Batten Systems (trackless) Installation
DISTRIBUTION OF BALLSLIDE™ CARS
In general, use one Ballslide™ car with receptacle for each batten. Use an intermediate car between battens, plus one above the top batten and one below the bottom batten.
Do not place any cars too close to the reefing points, as this will transfer the heavy load that should be taken by the reefing hook to the cars.
The top of the sail should not be able to go as far up the mast as to make the headboard car interfere with the halyard sheave (risk of damage).
Check the entire length of the luff groove by running a Ballslide™ car equipped with feet/membranes up and down the mast.
PREPARING BALLSLIDE™ CARS WITH “NARROW” FEET
(CARS RC261XX, RC262XX, RC263XX, RC281XX)
- If you have a Ballslide™ system that uses “narrow” feet, select the foot that fits into the luff groove of your mast. Make a note of the number and use the same number on all the cars.
- Unscrew the two attachment screws on the car and press one foot into place on each end of the car.
- Apply a drop of Screw Lock to each screw before securing the foot.
- Check the groove over its full length by running a Ballslide™ car with the feet attached up and down the mast.
PREPARING BALLSLIDE™ CARS WITH “WIDE” FEET
(CARS RC264XX, RC265XX, RC284XX)
- If you have a Ballslide™ system that uses “wide” feet, the feet are supplied as an additional product to the cars.
- Apply a drop of Screw Lock to each screw (supplied with foot) before securing the foot to the car.
- Check the groove over its full length by running a Ballslide™ car with the feet attached up and down the mast.
INSTALLING A BATTEN RECEPTACLE/LINK
- Screws for securing the batten receptacle to the stainless steel link.
- Screws for securing the batten receptacle to sail canvas less than 3mm (1/8”) thick.
- Screws for securing the batten receptacle to sail canvas more than 3mm (1/8”) thick.
- Press the fork of the stainless steel link over the luff of the sail.
- Position one half of the receptacle and secure it to the fork of the stainless steel link with one screw.
- Drill holes in the canvas under each of the four corner holes in the receptacle.
- Place the other half of the receptacle on the opposite side of the sail.
- Secure the receptacle with four screws and nuts. Please observe that two of the holes in the receptacle are suited for screw heads, while the other two are suited for nuts.
- Fit the receptacle/link to the batten car observing the UP sticker on the car.
INSTALLING AN INTERMEDIATE CAR
Equip the intermediate cars with feet as with the Ballslide™ batten cars.
Remove the pin by pressing on the bottom end with a screwdriver. Having placed the webbing loop around the plastic bush, position the bush on the car and re-insert the plastic pin.
INSTALLING THE SAIL ON THE MAST
Widen the luff groove directly above the gooseneck to fit the length of the longest car body and the width of the feet. (Note: the headboard car has two car bodies, the groove length need only consider the length of a single car body – one car is installed at a time). The widening of the groove can be on one side only if preferred.
- Temporarily remove the pivot pin of the headboard car so the two cars can be inserted into the luff groove individually.
- Re-assemble once inserted.
- Feed intermediate, batten and reef cars in the correct order into the luff groove.
- Align the top of the end stop with the top of the widened luff groove section.
- Drill and thread holes for securing the bottom end stop, with at least 2 screws. The end stop will cover the widened luff groove feeder hole.
MAINTAINING THE BALLSLIDE™ CARS
To ensure trouble-free operation, flush the cars now and then with fresh or soapy water. This will remove any salt deposits between the balls and the car body. The cleansing can be performed in-situ by spraying with a hose or dousing with a bucket, then applying a soft brush.
Oil, WD-40 or other lubricants should not be used on the cars.