If you have the Harken Genoa cars that fit the 40mm track you might want to check this out.

Our cars have only this year began to take some load – and led to us finding a quality issue which whilst small, is worth sorting.

Stupid as it seems, the circlips holding the two vertical cheek roller pins into each of the cars, are apparently ferrous. 

On ours, this circlip material has rusted out (well 3 out of 4 of them) over three seasons since we’ve had the boat. 

As we can’t get stainless circlips where we are currently, I’ve simply cut a slot in four thin stainless washers, and made up my own.  The pins are 14 mm wide, the slot in the pin is cut to 10mm – so 15 x 1.5mm washers with a 10mm hole and a cut slot 9mm wide seems to work just fine.

Might be worth Hanse UK pointing out this problem to Harken – and maybe getting a free issue of new and hopefully non rusting circlips - that can be passed on to those who need them?  If you were to loose the pins / rollers halfway across the Atlantic you might find it tough to isolate another part of the boat to use as a replacement.

I’ve posted this on both 461 and 531 boards as assume possibly relative to both.