Mainsheet slider/traveler for OD25?

[Solitude25]

The previous owner of my 1976 Oday 25 re-rigged the mainsheet, moving everything above the cabin top and creating a bit of spaghetti with adjusters, travelers, etc. Ingenious, but too much friction in light air. I want to re-craft the original configuration, but I can't find the original hardware to attach to the t-track that is just aft of the companion way, and I'm hoping you all can help me find one that fits. Here's what I know:

The current track is 3/4" wide.
It sits about 7/8" tall (although that could be 15/16th or 13/16th just as well)
Attachment screws are approximately 4" on center.
There are no adjustment pin holes in the track.
There are small blocks outboard of the track ends, probably used to adjust the traveler (or slider, or whatever was there).
Several pictures of O'Day 25's for sale on yachtworld show 3 pieces - something resembling a genoa slider, and two sliders with "thumbscrew" adjusters.
All other hardware on the boat is Schafer (sp?).

Schafer does carry a t-track slider with an eye-loop attachment, but I want to ensure that it will fit before I order (I'm not good at returns for some reason).

Thanks to any of you who can help me.

 

[Joe11688]

The previous owner of my 1976 Oday 25 re-rigged the mainsheet, moving everything above the cabin top and creating a bit of spaghetti with adjusters, travelers, etc. Ingenious, but too much friction in light air. I want to re-craft the original configuration, but I can't find the original hardware to attach to the t-track that is just aft of the companion way, and I'm hoping you all can help me find one that fits. Here's what I know:

The current track is 3/4" wide.
It sits about 7/8" tall (although that could be 15/16th or 13/16th just as well)
Attachment screws are approximately 4" on center.
There are no adjustment pin holes in the track.
There are small blocks outboard of the track ends, probably used to adjust the traveler (or slider, or whatever was there).
Several pictures of O'Day 25's for sale on yachtworld show 3 pieces - something resembling a genoa slider, and two sliders with "thumbscrew" adjusters.
All other hardware on the boat is Schafer (sp?).

Schafer does carry a t-track slider with an eye-loop attachment, but I want to ensure that it will fit before I order (I'm not good at returns for some reason).

Thanks to any of you who can help me.

I think that one of the guys in my club who owns an O'Day 25 bought a Garhaurer traveler for his boat of Rudy at D & R Marine and it worked nice for him. You can always give Rudy a call and find out what he has. http://www.drmarine.com/ I know that the track on his O'Day had car stops that you had to unscrew to move and he wasn't too crazy about that set up. I have a Nico Fico eye beam track with spring button stops to position the car. I wish I had bought the Garhaurer instead of that. Someday, I'm going to replace it with something better.

 

[Steve Morris]

O'Day 25 Traveller

Why don't you send us some pictures of what you have. Someone with a factory traveller may be interested in trading you.

 

[Solitude25]

Garhaurer block

I think that one of the guys in my club who owns an O'Day 25 bought a Garhaurer traveler for his boat of Rudy at D & R Marine and it worked nice for him. You can always give Rudy a call and find out what he has. http://www.drmarine.com/ I know that the track on his O'Day had car stops that you had to unscrew to move and he wasn't too crazy about that set up. I have a Nico Fico eye beam track with spring button stops to position the car. I wish I had bought the Garhaurer instead of that. Someday, I'm going to replace it with something better.

Thanks Joe; I do need to call Rudy....he sent me a set up but it's too big. It's a Schaefer fiddle with becket/cam, a slider, the sheet, and then the Garhaurer is a two-pulley block for mast attachment.

I don't mind the screw-type adjustments as I primarily daysail solo....no racing or need for finer tweaks. All I really wanna do is reduce the friction.

Thanks again.

 

[Solitude25]

Re: O'Day 25 Traveller

Great idea; I'll upload some pix tomorrow.

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks Joe; I do need to call Rudy....he sent me a set up but it's too big. It's a Schaefer fiddle with becket/cam, a slider, the sheet, and then the Garhaurer is a two-pulley block for mast attachment.

I don't mind the screw-type adjustments as I primarily daysail solo....no racing or need for finer tweaks. All I really wanna do is reduce the friction.

Thanks again.

The screw type would drive me up a wall because I'm constantly moving my car out of the way to get my mainsheet and boom over to one side. For example, when I'm tied to the dock and I'm carrying my 50 quart cooler down into the cabin with all my other gear for an overnighter out on the bay, or when I'm putting my boat up on the mooring and I'm ready to hop into my kayak on the Port side. I swing my boom off to the Starboard side to get it out of my way so I don't have to constantly duck under it. One of the bolts that hold my track might be loose or broke because my stop keeps getting hung up on it. I'll have to check that out. I don't race either but once in a while I need to adjust the traveler under load on a run and it becomes a PITA. I'm very fortunate in that I only live about seven miles from Rudy's store and I can go down there and check his stuff out. Since he bought out a lot of the parts in a warehouse in Middletown RI that belonged to Alden Yachts, he has more stuff than ever. I just found out about a new marine consignment store in that area and I'm going to make an effort to get down there and check it out real soon.

 

[Solitude25]

Update on out-of-date part: I called Rudy this morning and he was refreshingly honest: "you won't find it". So now I'm going to install a 1" track on top of the existing 3/4" piece that's there (his recommendation). I'll be drilling and tapping new machine-screw holes into the existing track, and securing the new one right on top. Anyone ever tapped a new screw hole before?

 

[Carver13014]

Some tips on tapping new holes. Tape your drill as a stop so you don't drill completely thru the track an into your deck. As for tapping, make sure you have some sort of cutting fluid (WD-40 will work just fine). As you go, take a couple turns of the tap and then back it out to break the chip you're creating. There are different types of taps. Make sure you have one that can get the threads deep enough to have one to one and a half times the diameter of the tap.

Good luck,
Greg

 

[Solitude25]

Well, it worked. A friend and I tried one more time to get to the backing nuts for the existing track, but not only would that require an inspection port and some probable cursing, there was no way to assure that we could re-fasten the new track once the old was removed. So, we drilled. Centered the new track lenthwise over the existing, and got lucky - when centered, the holes of the new track were over solid stock and not existing screws.

Drilled the first hole into the existing track with a #10 drillbit, tapped per instructions (used a Kobalt kit with #10 bit and 1/4-20 tap), and fastened with a #10 x 3/4" flathead machine screw. Funny how happy two 40-somethings can get when a screw goes nicely into a hole we just created. So with the first one done and holding the track in place, we proceded down the line until all the holes were drilled, tapped, and mated to their respective screws.

Test #1 - installed the new traveler and pulled with progressive tension to full muscle. No give or bend at all.

Test #2 - sailed in a mild breeze and mission accomplished: excessive friction eliminated, freely moving boom, easily adjustable traveler, and brand new mainsheet.

Thanks again to all for the input and thoughts. This has been a real stymie for me and it's like having a new boat. REALLY great having all that spaghetti from PO off the cabin top and out of sight as well.

 

[Solitude25]

Solitude's mainsheet traveler update

The new traveler track is working beautifully. The friction this removed from PO's spaghetti rig is incredible, and she held up in solid 15 kt winds on a close reach. The only minor detail is that given the attachment point on the boom for the mainsheet (aft of the companion way but forward of a bimini) the angle of attack of the becket is slightly "upward", meaning releasing the mainsheet from the cam is a breeze...a simple downward tug. But re-camming the sheet requires a little more upward oomph. I'd like to reverse the mechanism so to release I pull UP and to secure I tug DOWN, but I'm just so happy to be sailing easily again I don't really care.

Appreciate everyone's comments and help.

 

[Joe11688]

The new traveler track is working beautifully. The friction this removed from PO's spaghetti rig is incredible, and she held up in solid 15 kt winds on a close reach. The only minor detail is that given the attachment point on the boom for the mainsheet (aft of the companion way but forward of a bimini) the angle of attack of the becket is slightly "upward", meaning releasing the mainsheet from the cam is a breeze...a simple downward tug. But re-camming the sheet requires a little more upward oomph. I'd like to reverse the mechanism so to release I pull UP and to secure I tug DOWN, but I'm just so happy to be sailing easily again I don't really care.

Appreciate everyone's comments and help.

You should be able to reverse the cam cleat on the blocks by removing the screws that hold it and flipping it over. I did it to my boom vang.
Joe