Traveler Repair/Upgrade ?

[pateco]

I have a leak in my cabin top which is going to require me to remove and re-bed the entire bridge section above my companionway hatch. As part of that process I will need to remove my Traveler. I have been having issues with the traveler due to its age, and some modifications that were made by one of the previous owners.

I have the Nicro-Fico NF 599 X Track system

NF 599 Traveller Track is a Black hardcote anodized Aluminum X-Track that measures 7/8" (22mm) across the top, 1 1/8" (29mm) across the base and is 7/8" high. Track is drilled for #10 (3/16") FH screws on 4" (102mm) centers, and has 5/16" diameter stop holes on 1" centers. NF 599 X-Track is available in 3', 4', 5', and 6-foot lengths, and lengths up to 20 feet.

It uses an NF 584 Traveler Car

with NF 16259 Traveller controll ends

The two issues I have are

1. The previous owner moved the cam cleats from where they should have been attached to the control ends using the NF 16459A Control Plate Assembly
   
   and mounted them on the cabin top so that they would lead under the dodger he had added. This causes them to pop out of the cam on their own way too often. (see top picture)
2. The amount of force it takes to trim the traveler under sail. There is way too much friction

To solve the first issue, I can order the plates from Rig Right, or make my own replacements.

To reduce the effort of trimming the traveler, I am think of replacing the Delrin wheels on the car with sealed stainless roller bearings of the same size.

Sealed Bearing 1/4 x 11/16 x 5/16 inch Miniature Ball



The replacement wheel for NF 599/600 Traveler Cars is the NF 583W. It is a black Delrin wheel <11/16" diameter x <3/8" wide x 1/4"

Do you guys think Stainless bearings running on an anodized aluminum track will cause problems?

I may also try to find roller bearing sheaves for the control ends.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Instead of all that expense, you may just need some OneDrop.
Those cam cleats look like they are at a bad angle with the traveler. I would think if they are angled right, they would be easier to use than track mounted. Maybe some different shims and angles would get you there. Then you don't have to fill holes too.

 

[Will Gilmore]

can you get non-metal bearings, nylon? I would think it would be fine, they aren't sitting in one spot all the time and the anodizing will probably slow, if not stop, any electrolysis.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Jackdaw]

ANY line entry to a winch or camcleat need to be from 5-15 degrees BELOW the device. That traveler line is coming in from above the device. That is so wrong and will fail all of the time.

 

[Will Gilmore]

ANY line entry to a winch or camcleat need to be from 5-15 degrees BELOW the device. That traveler line is coming in from above the device. That is so wrong and will fail all of the time.

So, would the solution be to tilt the cam cleat so the angle of the line is effectively from below? That would make them a little difficult to lock down but easy to snap out again. Perhaps raising them on a taller base!?!

I take it, pateco isn't going to use a dodger so remounting the cleats back where they were sounds like the direction he wants to go in.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Jackdaw]

So, would the solution be to tilt the cam cleat so the angle of the line is effectively from below? That would make them a little difficult to lock down but easy to snap out again. Perhaps raising them on a taller base!?!

Yes, risers would solve the problem to cleat. Unless it needed to then go to the winch which would then be way to low. Unless that was risen as well.

 

[Joe]

Fairing the lead to the cam cleat is crucial.. You can't raise the cleat without ruining the winch entry... You need something like this:

or this:

or maybe even this:

Finally, replacing the original control end cleats is always an option, especially if you no longer use a dodger.

Regarding the wheels on the car.... there may also be a lot of friction in the control end sheaves... One way to lower friction through all these turns is to go with a smaller diameter, higher quality control line... say 5/16".... I would install the smaller diameter line and lubricate the bajesus out of the existing sheaves and wheels. If it's still hard... inspect and replace..

 

[pateco]

ANY line entry to a winch or camcleat need to be from 5-15 degrees BELOW the device. That traveler line is coming in from above the device. That is so wrong and will fail all of the time.

And it does at the most inopportune times. Murphy ensures this happens frequently. Epecially while solo racing. lol
I could add fair leeds, but that will add even more friction to this setup. I am not planning to reinstall a dodger, so relocating them back to the track control ends seems the way to proceed.

Replacing the Delrin car rollers with some sort of a bearing style roller should help with friction under load. I would love to use a ceramic bearing roller, but I haven't found any the right size. <11/16" diameter x <3/8" wide x 1/4"

I have found some possible sheave replacements that use bearings instead of just sleeves. Looking at these, Ronstan RF166 however they are .03125" too thick.