Add traveler to 22 foot sailboat

[dmoorew]

Oday traveler

I had the same back stay triangle mainsheet arrangment on my Oday 22. I added a Harken traveler to the top of the benches in a location just forrward of the starboard locker. I had to add an attachment to the boom so the main sheet would be verticle.

The result is that the boat sails much better. A bit more speed. Less heeling. And a bet less rounding up as it moves some of that effort closer to the keel. The trip hazard is pretty near the companionway and so not that much of a problem. I think I would probably not move it more foreward. There is space for a passanger between the traveler track and the cabin.

 

[timebandit]

I moved to mid boom sheeting and installed this simple pin stop traveler that also allows me to move the boom and sheets out of the way when at anchor.

 

[kpgraci]

I think your only viable option is mid cockpit. My ODay 22 has zero room on the cabin top for a traveler, and the transom is to far in back of the boom, I think the traveler needs to be located directly under the attachment point for optimal performance.

I do agree with a previous poster that once in place you would probalby not notice it, but this is a small cockpit - how about a removable traveler? No idea how to rig it up but with some kind of bolt thought the seat setup you could remove it and revert to the original rig when you weren't racing.

 

[Merlin Clark]

You'd need something to haul the boom to near or above centerline for close hauled sailing. My "idea" (which Cayennitas post revealed wasn't anything new= double mainsheet) is kind of a fishing expedition for me because I'm exploring options for getting rid of my traveler. I have a Morgan 24 and the traveler is situated about 18" forward of the transom and for an older guy like me that makes it a little more difficult to get to the outboard for manuvering in tight quarters and such. Right now I'm restoring the decks and topside and have removed the traveler and am liking not having it in the cockpit.
Thanks for clarifying Cayennita, the proper term gives me plenty of google hits to research before I make a move in the "double mainsheet" direction.

Merlin
"Cygne" 1967 Morgan 24

 

[jbrosecity]

Hi timebandit... your solution looks very much like what I did on my catalina 22 on that useless little step in front of the cockpit... see my page and photos linked from my jbrosecity post. Can't imagine anyone much larger than a toddler would use that step for anything. I like your pin stop traveler and track... it doesn't give you the ability to move the sail to leeward or windward while under power like on my setup, but I was less concerned about that and was really just trying to use the hardware I had. If I had seen your post I probably would have done the same thing. Where did you buy that track and pin stop traveler? It is certainly cleaner and simpler than mine witht the lines and pulleys.

 

[HEINZIR]

===========

Just saw the options for uploading photos. I'm an old dog but catch on eventually.
Ensenada mainsheet arrangement is the first pic and my "improved" version is the second.

Your original mainsheet arrangement is the same as mine; I believe it is called a Crosby rig. I have been considering switching to a double mainsheet arrangement as well and will do some experimenting this spring. The original rig gives a 4:1 mechanical advantage (more or less, since the bottom legs are separated.) But your double mainsheet arrangement, as I see it, only gives a 2:1 purchase for each sheet. I'm going to try a 4:1 vang tackle (with fiddle blocks) from each corner of the transom. Fortunately I already have the necessary blocks in my spares box.

 

[islandjim]

I sit here scratching my head. Why would you want to add a traveler to your ODay? I have sailed by Oday 22 for years and actually like the idea of not having a traveler in the way. We sailed 42 times last year and we often got up to max hull speed. The current system is not in the way, so please tell me the benefit you think you'll receive by adding the traveler, besides something in your way in the cockpit.
Thanks
Jim

 

[jbrosecity]

I sail my O'Day 23 2-3 times a week and it came with a traveler across the bench in front of the companionway. Although it occupies a bit of seat space, it works very well... in the first place, the alternative is what? To control the boom with a line off end of the boom??? As I stated in my first post, my Catalina 22 had a small transom mounted traveler and I hated having the main sheet slamming across the cockpit, and so I moved it forward to the companionway as I was accustomed to with my O'Day. Vast improvement. You would not want a fixed anchor point for the mainsheets in that spot though as it is very useful to be able to move it to one side to facilitate getting in and out of the cabin. As to the use of the traveler, on a port tack, for example, if you pull the traveller all the way to the port side you can point considerably higher than if left in the middle. And if you are running on a port tack, if you slide the traveler all the way to starboard, then the mainsheet does not hit the cabin and it works better than the boom vang to keep the boom more or less horizontal with the main sheeted way out.

 

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

I had this same problem on my C&C 24. It had a fixed mount main sheet in the middle of the cockpit. I wanted to add a traveler to allow it to point better and to move the main sheet so I could add a bimini for some shade. (I ended up selling the boat and getting a bigger one instead) Some of the sites that I found useful when looking at options were these:

http://www.theannemarie.com/traveler.html

http://www.relevantarts.com/pandion/traveler.html

I had decided that the best way would have been to add a stern rail and mount the traveler on that. The boom would also either need to be extended or replaced with a longer one from the marine junk yard.

Good luck

 

[Stu Jackson]

A traveler changes the angle of attack. The boom vang controls sail twist. Two different things. Maybe check out the Sail Trim Forum on this board to find out more.

 

[Merlin Clark]

Your original mainsheet arrangement is the same as mine; I believe it is called a Crosby rig. I have been considering switching to a double mainsheet arrangement as well and will do some experimenting this spring. The original rig gives a 4:1 mechanical advantage (more or less, since the bottom legs are separated.) But your double mainsheet arrangement, as I see it, only gives a 2:1 purchase for each sheet. I'm going to try a 4:1 vang tackle (with fiddle blocks) from each corner of the transom. Fortunately I already have the necessary blocks in my spares box.

Thanks for the info on the name of the rig. I liked that it was self tending and the ensenada was a good beginner boat as it was very tender (teaching us how to move around a boat like this) and light (if I ran aground with the board up 2 of us could push it off).
What I have now is a short traveler about 18 inches forward of the transom of my Morgan 24. Having it forward allows the outboard to tilt up (pic below).
This doesn't take up a lot of space but does make it more difficult to get to the motor controls and the mainsheet positioning makes it a problem for mounting a bimini which is crucial for sailing in the Florida sun for the summer months.
I'm leaning towards the double mainsheet rig for my boat.
Your venture is a great looking boat! I'm a real fan of traditional sailboats and yours defineitly fills that bill.
Merlin

P.S. I'm in the process of restoring my 1967 M-24 in the pic and have just about finished filling and sanding 44 years worth of holes and dings. Hope to finish this today and get her decks painted by next week.

 

[Mich222]

Thanks for all the responses. It given me the tools I need to make the right choice for my boat. When the snow clears and I have the modification completed, I will post a picture.
Mich222

 

[Joe]

... your solution looks very much like what I did on my catalina 22 on that useless little step in front of the cockpit... Can't imagine anyone much larger than a toddler would use that step for anything. I like your pin stop traveler and track... it doesn't give you the ability to move the sail to leeward or windward while under power like on my setup, but I was less concerned about that and was really just trying to use the hardware I had. If I had seen your post I probably would have done the same thing. Where did you buy that track and pin stop traveler? It is certainly cleaner and simpler than mine with the lines and pulleys.

It's called a "bridge deck" and its purpose is to keep cockpit water out of the cabin and give it time to drain overboard....

You can look in any marine catalogue or go to any chandlery and find T- track and pin stop cars or sliders to fit. Try www.garhauermarine.com It's more commonly used as a basic jib lead system (you mean you don't have adjustable jib cars? hmmm.) The down side, of course, is the non bearing pin stop sliders are difficult to adjust under any type of load so sailors tend to leave them fixed and not turn too often, making them useless for racing. Yes I know you don't race.... but the original poster emphasized his need to improve his boat's racing potential.

An improvement on the pin stop car set up is to have a set of small pinstoppers detached from the slider that presets the stop point on each side. This allows you to set basic angle of attack when beating upwind, letting the car/slider move independently when turning the boat.

Another variation, as exists on my Nacra catamaran... is a single line from the car to a center placed swivel cam cleat with fairlead that allows you to set the distance from the center point of the track and adjust it from the trapeze.... the end of the single traveler line is tied to the end of the mainsheet so the crew trimming the mainsheet has quick access to both. Very common setup on beachcats. Down side is that you can't move the car to leeward.

Finally.........Pulleys? c'mon man...

 

[Jim 5757]

Traveller

I realize this is a bit larger, but our Morgan 28OI originally had an A-Frame setup at the boom-end. Horrible as that was, a subsequent owner moved the A-Frame setup to the cabin top. It was better than the original 'cuz it was now out of the way, but as for shaping the sail, it was useless! We opted for the Garhauer unit which we mounted mid-boom and just forward of the hatch. What a difference! BTW, the Garhauer unit is much lower cost than the Harken unit, especially when you have to add risers, Check out the pics...
P.S. : Note the black mounting pads aft of the new traveller... this is where the PO had the A-frame set up:naughty:

 

[Timo42]

Thought I would throw this pic into the mix, Midboom traveller on my Venture 22-2, Harken parts, has worked well for 2 seasons, the boom doesn't seem to have any problem with the load, including an almost knockdown in a gust when I wasn't paying attention. Doesn't get in the way, all sail controls are in front of you, and is a major improvement over the mile long endboom mainsheet that came on the boat.

 

[Famos_Amos]

I'm facing the same deliema with my O'day 222. The previous owner had installed a bulky transom-mounted traveler system that gave us the same problems that jbrosecity talked about; not to mention it was ugly. I'd like to get the added performance from a traveler and like what Timo42 and others have done with the traveller in front of the companionway, however the other owner of the boat doesn't want to have it in the way of passengers, etc. Anyways, after MUCH pondering, I think I'm going to try a modified "double mainsheet" configuration located at the transom--modified primarily so we don't have to contend with a sheet draping across the cockpit while on a reach or run. Attached is a rough drawing of what I think I'm goign to do. Any comments? Specifically, should I use fiddle blocks on the top of the "sheet position adjusters (?)" for the added purchase or should a single block/becket as drawn suffice?

 

[Famos_Amos]

222 Mainsail handling system

Here's the plan:

 

[Merlin Clark]

Yes, simply put that's true. But without a vang or traveller you can't control sail shape very easily on anything but a close haul. While running or reaching without a traveller the mainsheet is an at such an angle, it is only preventing the boom from swinging out past the rail rather than keeping it more or less parallel with the deck, thereby putting too much twist in the sail, opening the roach and spilling the wind. The boom will sky up and in with every gust. The traveller allows the mainsheet to pull more vertically over a longer stroke and minimizes this action. But . . . a vang keeps the boom parallel to the deck so if you have one installed, how necessary is a traveller?

=====

I've ordered the parts to build a double mainsheet system and will report back on how it works out. I will also be adding a vang, thanks for the reminder.
My boat has an 11' boom and over half of it is over the cockpit. I've explored cabin top mounting of either a traveler or dbl mainsheet - won't work because of mast/boom position (see graphic below), and companionway (no bridgedeck) and don't want it there as leaning against the house is the best seating in the cockpit.
The graphic shows where I want the mainsheet, not where it was originally.
My goals are to 1) get some shade (FL in summer is brutal); and, 2) get the traveler track out of the way, the original placement is across the cockpit 15-16 inches forward of the transom.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I'm facing the same deliema with my O'day 222. The previous owner had installed a bulky transom-mounted traveler system that gave us the same problems that jbrosecity talked about; not to mention it was ugly. I'd like to get the added performance from a traveler and like what Timo42 and others have done with the traveller in front of the companionway, however the other owner of the boat doesn't want to have it in the way of passengers, etc. Anyways, after MUCH pondering, I think I'm going to try a modified "double mainsheet" configuration located at the transom--modified primarily so we don't have to contend with a sheet draping across the cockpit while on a reach or run. Attached is a rough drawing of what I think I'm goign to do. Any comments? Specifically, should I use fiddle blocks on the top of the "sheet position adjusters (?)" for the added purchase or should a single block/becket as drawn suffice?

Famous,
I think the 3:1 will work fine for you and is also what I'm going with and my main is 155 sq. ft.
Might think about moving that top part forward on the boat as a vang? If I can figure out how to turn my old furling boom into a fixed boom I'd like to get a hard vang - another project for the list that never seems to get shorter.

 

[Famos_Amos]

Famous,
I think the 3:1 will work fine for you and is also what I'm going with and my main is 155 sq. ft.
Might think about moving that top part forward on the boat as a vang? If I can figure out how to turn my old furling boom into a fixed boom I'd like to get a hard vang - another project for the list that never seems to get shorter.

Thanks, that's what I thought. The idea behind keeping the mainsheet on top is so that when reaching or running we don't have the windward sheet flopping across the cockpit. Ideally, the point where all sheets meet will be kept as close to the deck as possible. I'm hoping this setup will work as a "floating" traveller. The only way to know for sure is to try it I guess--