I recently adopted hull number 526.

She came with a Tides Marine track for the main. I'm enjoying the track and popping open the halyard clutch has the main sliding down and it's easily secured to the boom thereafter.

Question. Is the use of this track permitted under Class rules?

there is nothing in the rules that states how the main shall be attached to the mast Those of us who are hard core racers use the bolt rope has its lighter. Thus I see no reason why a Tides Marine track will not present any issues for one design racing

Further to Charlie's comment above, make sure that any measurement dimensions specified in the class rules are met, as the Tides Marine track adds some extension protruding aft along the luff. The ISAF Equipment Rules provide definitions for the measurement.

Thanks. I am assuming that similar to mainsails with slugs, that the measurements would be taken from the leading edge of the sail (not the front edge of slugs).
I would think that overall it's slower than boltrope (weight aloft, plus scallops in the main the whole way up) but to me the ease of use at the weekend, beats the minor loss of performance on Wednesday nights.

correct you just have to make sure that you stay inside the band for the outhaul

As I race a lot of shorthanded, I am very interested in going to the Tides track. We have it on the Olson 40 and it is heaven. It does not scallop the main at all (although it is a kevlar main).

If anyone wants entertainment they can watch me try and flake my boltrope main on the boom by myself after a delivery or singlehanded race.

I will have to measure my non-class legal main to see if the addition of slides will push me past the max outhaul. I suspect it will requiring sail modification

A lower cost solution than the Tides Marine track that works for Rhapsody with the everyday main is to use slugs rather than the boltrope. My race main just uses the boltrope. There is a "gate" that is two SS plates that screw into the mast at the slug/boltrope entry point. This allows the slugs to slide up and down without coming out of the track.

[please keep in mind re the black band that the tack on the pin is exactly where it is going to be with or without a slide of any design on the boom]

after 2 weeks with my first j30 in 1982, I realized that the bolt rope thing was geared to big crew and switched to slides then. The slides needed some sort of lubricant to work adequately. and then you had to clean the track a couple of times a summer. I was able to get away with just one of the two slot plates as the slides sometimes hung up at the slot with the two plates installed.

When I originally switched to Tides on #505 about 9 years ago, I had run though 4 different slug designs ... all claimed by Shore and North to be the answer. Didn't really work as promised, but I saw the Tides track on my buddy's mainecat 30 and it was the answer. Here in NPT I am now sailing on a new J22 from Sail Newport and it has new slides ala north and they are horrendous. you have to pull the sail down as the slides half way down just hang there.

with tides you can blow the halyard and the sail will drop to the boom, but it isn't all that easy as we like to at least flake it at the mast so that it doesn't all bunch up on one side of the boom. so it still is a two person job. one to flake it right left right left at the mast and one to keep it from falling down too fast.

And after 9 years, the plastic is starting to show some deterioration. but the last 6 years have been in florida sun.

note in this related thread that the kids jumping the main are doing it without need of a winch handle -- except perhaps the last couple inches: tides track installed Those two kids are still on J30s with tides marine tracks as it turns out.

I love the system. That and a roller furler has transformed the boat from a Wednesday night race boat into a much more friendly family cruiser and Wednesday night race boat. I'm using the boat more, and my generous PHRF fleet give me 3 seconds a mile.