49er

If the track is too stiff, might be worth looking at the head of the bolt rope and maybe taking it to the local sail makers and getting the bolt rope re-stitched. The problem which occured with the mast on my boat was due to the track joining part coming loose whilst in transit. Me and Owain spent a while bodging it, but were desperate to get sailing so the epoxy didn't set properly and was knocked out of alignment whilst on the water. It wasn't that much of a movement but as a result, when I went sailing with Andy, we had to use about 13 stone of brute force to get the main up..........There is another part of the story which includes a mast track exploding and rivot gun being substituted for a hammer, but not wanting to go off on a tangent about it. We replaced the track by cutting a uniform section of track out later on and placing it in as a stiff fix, as you initially suggested Owain. Reckon the reduction in gap helps maintain a more uniform bending characteristic, which is suggested by theory and also helps the sail to go smooth up without a 77kg lump at the bottom.

hhm, i dont remember that lol, needed a clean anyway. Whats ur number mate, can i give u a call about ur old 49er

Main halyard sorted, Kita hoists the main and finds no problems with it, plus we don't have to sail the boat tipped over to get it going in a straight line and reckon  the cut of the 49er kite is better for generating apparent wind in such that it generates less drag when the apparent wind moves forward..... We'll see which is quicker in the new year but wager you'll be seeing a lot of a pretty blue transom...and it's not the crews either