Benefits of a traveler?

[tom]

Hey Fred I followed your link...

A couple of notes. First your steps are going up to your boat!!! Unless you live in New Orleans this isn't the way steps should go to a boat. Even in New Orleans you go up from the street to get to the water but then go down a little to get to the boat. Second your pilings in your slip look great but most people drive the pilings into the mud under 6-10' of water!!!! Sails and a motor won't do you any good if your boat is sitting on dry land. I'm overlooking the fact that you don't have proper dock lines.

 

[scott]

Hey Dana

since you are "Newwwwwwww" to sailing I bet you don't understand any of these responses except AndyS' closing remark. Am I right? Scott

 

[Wanderer138]

Tiller vs. mainsheet vs. traveler

All three control angle of attack of the sail when sailing upwind. Tiller/rudder moves the whole boat. This is the coarsest adjustment as it involves changing the water flow over the hull, rudder and keel. Helm adjustment requires a delicate touch, hence the term "feathering". It's also not the fastest way to go upwind.The mainsheet is a less coarse adjustment, but since it also pulls down on the boom when close hauled, it affects leech tension (and mainsail twist) as well. Easing the mainsheet reduces the angle of attack, reduces leech tension and increases twist. This is a two-fer, so a slight change in mainsheet tension produces a big change in boat trim, i.e. heel. A light touch is needed here as well, but as Cliff pointed out, it's not always easy to do because of the loads on the sheet.The only thing the traveler changes is the angle of attack so it's the finest adjustment. However, a traveler isn't always convenient as some people have already mentioned.Is a traveler important for a new sailor? I don't think so. Most of the simple boats used for training have no travelers.The obvious reason is cost and simplicity. One big advantage of having no traveler is that it forces the new sailor to develop a feel for boat and sail trim using just the sheet, and learning how to balance it with the helm and crew weight. This is Basic Sailing 101 at its finest. Every sailor should go out at least once a year in a Sunfish with no mainsheet cleat for a refresher. Arrrr!!!Peter (small boat sailor at heart)H23 "Raven"

 

[Clyde]

Twist

Only the mainsheet and the boom vang will control twist, the outhaul, downhaul and mainsail halyard has no affect on twist. When sailing upwind, as the mainsail nears the sailboat's centerline, the mainsheet will pull the boom down, thereby affecting the twist. When sailing downwind, the boom vang is used to pull down the boom and change the sail's twist instead of the mainsheet, since the boom is out over the rail and the mainsheet has no downward force. Check the link to Don Guillette's twist setting procedure. Fair Winds,Clyde

 

[MArk]

My $0.02 USD

Don't take this the wrong way but...In my experience, the vang does just as good a job of adjusting sail twist, except in light airs. But, the traveler helps keep the sail steady in light or variable winds. 95% of the traveler benefit can be achieved with proper adjustment of the vang and main sheet. Travelers are pretty useless when running before the wind (boom over the side) but that's when a vang is a real necessity. (Of course if you're sailing a multihull you may always tack... even going down wind! See related link.)Happy sails *_/),MArk

 

[Fred Ficarra]

Tom, thanks, maybe that's what I'm doing wrong.

 

[Clyde]

Twist and Vang

The traditional twist control procedure that Don Guillette wrote about when sailing upwind uses the mainsheet to control the twist and the traveler to control the angle of attack. The mainsheet pulls the boom down to control the twist. The traveler is used to adjust the angle of attack when the desired amount of twist is achieved. This technique does not rely on the boom vang as an upwind trim control. An alternative to using the mainsheet trimming method to control twist is called Vang Sheeting. In Vang Sheeting the boom vang takes over the mainsheet's downward pull control over the boom to control the twist and the mainsheet controls the angle of attack instead of the traveler in the traditional upwind trimming arrangement. This technique does not require a traveler. Vang Sheeting requires a very powerful boom vang that is capable of handling the entire leech load when using the vang to control the twist while sailing upwind. This is because the vang is usually mounted near the mast and therefore doesn't have the lever advantage that the mainsheet has being near the end of the boom. Vang Sheeting is mostly used on sailing dinghies and other small sailboats without back stays. When there is no back stay the vang controls mast bend as well as twist. The vang pulls the boom down and thrusts it forward. The forward force of the boom bends the mast. On reaches or downwind sailing every sailboat uses vang sheet to control twist, since the boom is over the rail and the mainsheet has no downward pull. Trim the sails to achieve the desired sail shape using what you have for trim controls on your sailboat, adjust the angle of attack for speed and steer the desired course heading, and repeat the steps as needed. It should work for a sunfish or a 12 meter America's yacht. Check the link for "Play your vang around the course" by Dave DellenbaughFair Winds,Clyde

 

[Ken]

Clyde

I have a Hunter 18.5 and a traveller is pretty much out of the question so I found your comments and the related link on vang sheeting of great interest.Do you know,or know of a link,to determine the angle between boom and vang that would provide the maximum mechanical advantage?

 

[Clyde]

Boom Vang

The boom vang is basically just a block and tackle when used on land. Like any block and tackle used on land to lift a heavy object the more rope you run between the blocks the greater your mechanical advantage. And also like a block and tackle the more you increase your mechanical advantage the more rope you have to pull to lift the heavy object. When lifting a heavy object on land what you hook your block and tackle to must be able to withstand the load. For a vang on a sailboat it’s a compromise when rigging on where you can mount it and the length of travel(on the mast and as short as possible).The mechanical advantage of the vang is the amount of purchase. For vangs used only for downwind control of twist, the purchase is usually very minimum about 4:1. When Vang Sheeting, the purchase is increased anywhere from 8:1 to 15:1 or sometimes higher. It depends on how much pulling force you need to shape the sail for upwind sailing. I looked at the Harken website and they didn't have your 18.5 listed. The smallest Hunter they listed was a 22, even though they had an example 15:1 purchase boom vang for a racing dinghy. I would email the sailing hardware manufacturers that sell boom vang and ask them what they recommend for your sailboat.Fair Winds,Clyde

 

[Tom]

Sunfish have lateen rigs no twist

A sunfishes lateen rig is fundamentally different than a marconi rig. And all this emphasis on twist fails to mention the fact that most of your sail area is close to the boom. Less if it is a high aspect ratio sail. you can get most of the power of the sail without worrying about twist. On a windy day twist is even less important. Now if you are a racer every 100th of a knot makes a difference but for a cruiser or recreational sailer it's not a big deal. Finally if it is an older boat with original sails the money would probably be better spent buying new sails than installing a traveler.