What is the tape that teams are using on their foredeck around the spinsock opening?
Low friction Teflon or HEW tape.
I have a bag of different tapes for both boats, if you want to try it.
Nick is correct. It's not really worth it though. You can sand off the non-skid in the area around the kite launcher (approved mod from the Tech Committee - just be careful not to go through the gelcoat) and make that area as smooth as you want that way if you want to reduce friction. If you sand off too much, it'll be slippery walking around the foredeck, so don't overdo it.
Thanks everyone. After reviewing Gopro footage from our boat, and compared it to other boats, we seem to have more friction points and want to eliminate as many as possible. Any other suggestions to help this?
Spray the sock with a lot of sailkote before putting the spinnaker in and take a rope/bungee from the headstay to the side of the boat with a piece of PVC/PEC tubing round it that will roll as the spinnaker comes out.
Make sure before you start the hoist that the kite isn't coming out of the back of the sock. The stock socks are too narrow and you want to at least get a running start with all of the kite in the sock as opposed to a potential snag point in the back.
No tape on the bar as I mentioned earlier
Sanded deck if you have a Mark III as I mentioned (not as crucial on Mark IVs or Vs where the non-skid is way less aggressive)
All sharp objects to starboard. Everything from a ball on the jib halyard to the jib tack shackles.
McLube kite a few times per season.
McLube kite sock before big events - just untie the back of the sock, pull it out through the bow turning it inside-out, and spray the sock, or if you don't have McLube, use liquid soap (dry, no water), though that won't last quite as long. Make sure not to foul the jib halyard fine tune when you flip the sock back into the boat - we once found that we were pinching the sock a bit with the fine tune.
I am not convinced that the plastic bars from the headstay to the deck reduce friction - they just make it easier for the tack to go out on a hoist, but they are otherwise restricting the area that the kite can go in and out from slightly.