Traveller Position

[saxoldies]

I see many fine boats on the market, but lots of them have the traveller positioned at the companionway entrance, and this is something the Admiral won't cope with. So my question is : is it an easy task to reposition a traveller, or am I doomed ?

[RonaldJ]

Greetings
I purchased a C & C Frigate last Fall. In fact I'd been looking at several of them over the summer. One of them had the traveller located up on the coach roof. ( I took some photos if you would like to see). Now, I wasn't too impressed because it looked like it might put a lot of strain on the boom due to leverage, but i'm not at all experienced with this sort of stuff so i would be the least qualified to pass judgement.
Ron

[rebel heart]

Depends on the boat. As long as you have enough structural backing you can put it nearly anywhere you like under the boom (or aft of it, to some extent).

And honestly unless you're racing, most people don't even use the traveler. Consider just using a deck block for the mainsheet. Not saying it's a great idea, but it's a reality for most boats out there.

[msponer]

I'd ask a naval architect for an hour or two of their time reviewing the specifics of any plan. The math has a few non-intuitive results, at least to me, and I feel that if you try to wing it without knowing the engineering you can just as easily end up with something that looks right but is quite weak. I feel that a mainsheet has enough load on it that it's important to have someone who really understands it take a look at The Plan, since a well placed gusset or slight increase in the diameter of the tubing, or whatever, can make something enormously stronger and not break.

I think the potentially most expensive things in this are:
- If you can't use the same sail track, you may need to buy a new traveller car to fit the new track (the track is pretty inexpensive).
- You'll probably need custom fabricated brackets.
- If might be a lot of work to dismantle the headliner to add backing plates to your coachroof.
- The worst would be if the boom is simply not a big enough cross section to be able to take additional lever of the mainsheet moving forward. The boom extrusion itself is pretty inexpensive, but a new gooseneck fitting (and any other parts that fit in the extrusion, say, the blocks in the back or along the bottom) can add up to be quite a bit.
- And, of course, with less lever on the boom, you'll probably need more purchase on the mainsheet (more blocks), and thus a new, longer sheet. Not horribly expensive, but adds up with the other things.

So... I think it's probably possible, but could add up to more than a few thousand dollars.

[msponer]

PS-- I've also seen a mainsheet style that looks like a club footed staysail sheet. Where the sheet isn't terminated at the boom, but runs in a triangle up to the boom with two blocks on each edge of the coachroof. I don't know how well this works, but it could be the ticket for an inexpensive retrofit while moving the traveller.

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by saxoldies

I see many fine boats on the market, but lots of them have the traveller positioned at the companionway entrance, and this is something the Admiral won't cope with. So my question is : is it an easy task to reposition a traveller, or am I doomed ?

Easy fix.. Show her how it is, when the car is to leeward. It wont block the companion way anymore. When on the pick, you could leave it to one side. I wouldn't let traveler location stop me from buying the right boat.

OH OH OH... forget everything I just said. Simple solution! Just tell her you will get it moved -after you buy the boat. After a few sails she will get used to it and think about more important things like, is there any wine left? Besides, the traveler will be so far down the list of other things you haven't done that it will easily blend in with the rest. (If there are any women reading this post, no we conspire against our partners. Honest!) :-D

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by saxoldies

I see many fine boats on the market, but lots of them have the traveller positioned at the companionway entrance, and this is something the Admiral won't cope with. So my question is : is it an easy task to reposition a traveller, or am I doomed ?

On some (e.g. HR) boats, the traveler is behind the driver - very, very neat - the sheets do not collide with you nor do they snag the bimini. But this gives you a relatively shallow traveler angle. I like this layout a lot.

Other boats will have the traveler in front of the companionway. This is very neat and you will see it on many newer boats - Benes, Bavarias, etc.. This is very neat and the traveler angle is broader. How efficient it is will depend on how long the boom is. But then there is the vang and so together this is as good a solution as any other.

Still other boats will have the traveller just in front of the control station - say mid-cockpit lengthwise. It is an OK solution but I do not like it in a cruising boat (guess which solution we have here;-). Should the boom go for an unexpected walk, one can get hit with the flying sheets, they can snag on the pedestal, or, if the car is not secured, you can get a nasty bruise from a flying car ;-(((

IMHO the 'behind driver' and 'fore of the companionway' ways are best. The 'behind driver' seems to give more feeling when gybing and trimming but this may be just the question of getting used to any particular system.

Cheers,
b.

[Missou]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

Easy fix.. Show her how it is, when the car is to leeward. It wont block the companion way anymore. When on the pick, you could leave it to one side. I wouldn't let traveler location stop me from buying the right boat.

OH OH OH... forget everything I just said. Simple solution! Just tell her you will get it moved -after you buy the boat. After a few sails she will get used to it and think about more important things like, is there any wine left? Besides, the traveler will be so far down the list of other things you haven't done that it will easily blend in with the rest. (If there are any women reading this post, no we conspire against our partners. Honest!) :-D

She has already stayed on a boat with the traveller placed in front of the companionway and has moved it to the side while on the pick. She just doesn't like to sit on that damn thing while leaning her back on the cabin's "wall" during the sailings.

Another thing, she is the one that has wanted to live on a boat since a young age and will make sure we are never out of wine.

One thing you can be sure of, she will never forget how uncomfortable it is to sit on a traveller.

Signed Saxoldies admiral

[foolishsailor]

Travellor position is not trivial as it is usually tied to the becket placement of the mainsheet on the boom.

Number 1 reasons booms break is that the beckets (attachment points for blocks) on the boom are too far forward

Number 2 reason for boom breaking is that the travellor position is too far forward to the beckets (ie you move the travellor and not the beckets) and the pressure forward wears the gooseneck causing wear and failure.

It is always safe to move the traveller aft, even if you dont move the beckets. If you want to move it forward you had best get advice as there are options.

[Bash]

The question has us at a disadvantage because we don't know what sort of boat is being discussed here.

Some traveler systems are more difficult to relocate than others, and you may find it easier to replace a girlfriend unwilling to adapt to the present system. That said, I much prefer end-boom sheeting whenever a traveler can be moved aft of the helm. Not only does it become less likely to break the boom with an end-boom system, but it's far easier to move the boom to centerline when this is desired.

Let us know what sort of boat you're talking about here. Chances are there's someone on this forum whose been dealing with the same issues on a sistership.

[Mahaila]

My traveler is as you described and I like it for its control and ease of adjustment. And I do move it a lot. As for the blocks crossing the seating spot for using the cabin as a backrest, a custom cushion does the job. But mine is inset a little - a simple wood platform could solve any issue in that area.

Ron

[Mahaila]

To put a visual to my prior post....

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Mahaila

To put a visual to my prior post....


Attachment 36697

That is honestly the worst place I've ever seen a mainsheet rigged.

[Cheechako]

I dislike a traveler at the companionway too. Even without a girlfriend, If I was cruising I would change it. Once you put a dodger on, it becomes impossible to sit comfortably up there etc. Just forward of the dodger on the cabin top is a great location for cruising. .... or further aft next choice.....Most cruisers will have it permanently affixed on centerline anyway! Of course further aft, more control...You can just leave that attachment ring on the boom where it is and use it for a preventer attachment.
Yours does look like it will clear the dodger , Might nest forward of a Bimini also. I suppose you could just buy fancy cockpit cushions and she wouldnt object...? Tell her it's a handhold for coming out.....

[rtbates]

Originally Posted by Missou

She has already stayed on a boat with the traveller placed in front of the companionway and has moved it to the side while on the pick. She just doesn't like to sit on that damn thing while leaning her back on the cabin's "wall" during the sailings.

Another thing, she is the one that has wanted to live on a boat since a young age and will make sure we are never out of wine.

One thing you can be sure of, she will never forget how uncomfortable it is to sit on a traveller.

Signed Saxoldies admiral

May I suggest a cushion??