Faux rope traveler

[Bilgewater]

I do not have a traveler. The only space I have to put one is on the cockpit floor, whick would be less than 32 inches long. I was wondering if it would be possible to rig a line with a snap shackle and cam cleat affair between a stanchion base and the boom and make the boom think it had a traveler? I have played with centering the boom with a line while going to windward. It improves the set of the sail, but can be hairy in a gust as you can't dump the excess wind and can round up quickly. I'm thinking a line through a cam cleat would let me "play" the angle of attack of the main without changing the shape of the sail. Going about would require shifting the rig to the other side, but I think it would be better than nothing. Any thoughts anyone?

 

[Timo42]

You could rig a pair of preventers, but I would mount the blocks to the hull with backing plates rather than tie to stanchions. I have sailed on both a 22' and a 32' boat rigged this way, and while a bit more cumbersome than a traveller and mainsheet setup, it gets the job done. (rig 2 identical main sheet assemblies and attach the top of both to the boom and secure one to each side of the cockpit , you need to release one as you tighten the other.)

 

[Bilgewater]

Timo & Joe- Thanks for the tips. I think mid boom sheeting would overload the boom. Spanning the seats is not an option being too much in the way for the Admiral's lounging. I have 32 inches on the sole of the cockpit to mount a traveler there, but I doubt that its enough to be effective. I could be wrong about that, I have been before. My thought about a preventer to the side was that it would be mounted high enough so that any forces would be more lateral than down, thus not changing the twist of the main.

 

[Brian M H23]

Here is an easy solution, if you have a vang. Make a sunfish-style bridle!
Make a line that traverses the back end of the boat, with a bowline tied in the center. Dead end the mainsheet here. The end effect is that that mainsheet will always pull from the windward side of the boat, with little vertical pull on the boom, so you need to use the vang to keep the leech tensioned.

 

[townpiper]

Here is an easy solution, if you have a vang. Make a sunfish-style bridle!
Make a line that traverses the back end of the boat, with a bowline tied in the center. Dead end the mainsheet here. The end effect is that that mainsheet will always pull from the windward side of the boat, with little vertical pull on the boom, so you need to use the vang to keep the leech tensioned.

Brian , that sounds like a good idea, but I'm a little dense- ( a full fledged member of DENSA- motto: we're DENSA than you....) so, could you clarify a bit.My boat has a cleat on each side of the transom- would you rig the line from one to the other in a triangle type shape with the bowline in the middle? How would you attach the mainsheet- do you use the mainsheet swivel cleat or bypass it, tying directly to the bowline? If you could attach a pic it would be really helpful.

Thanks

 

[Rick Macdonald]

Certainly he means to attach the existing mainsheet swivel cleat to the bowline in the line. My H23.5 is similar to your 26; I have the same two stern cleats. That would be the place to try. I wouldn't want to attach the line to my stern rail seats. I wouldn't aim to make a triangle though; I think the idea is to run it straight across as tight as you can. Think of the bowline as a padeye mounted on the transom about where the mast crutch and rudder are located.

You still wouldn't be able to get the boom to the center, and certainly not upwind of center. Maybe you could try three loops in the line and move the snap shackle to the upwind side as required?

Also, unless you've modified your boom vang, it's really inconvenient to use. On my buddy's 1995 H26, you have to sit on the cabin roof under the boom to fight with the Schaffer V-cleat on the vang. Mine was the same. I switched mine around end-to-end to put the V-cleat up at the boom padeye to get it out of the way, and installed a block above the mast bast pin. The boom vang runs through this block to the organizer and back to what was originally the clutch for the jib halyard. My jib halyard is unused and tied to the cleat on the side of the mast since I never need to adjust it with the Snapfurl furler. I can easily harden my vang now, and easing it just means reaching the clutch.

 

[paulnimble]

Brian , that sounds like a good idea, but I'm a little dense- ( a full fledged member of DENSA- motto: we're DENSA than you....) so, could you clarify a bit.My boat has a cleat on each side of the transom- would you rig the line from one to the other in a triangle type shape with the bowline in the middle? How would you attach the mainsheet- do you use the mainsheet swivel cleat or bypass it, tying directly to the bowline? If you could attach a pic it would be really helpful.

Thanks

I, too, wanted a traveler and came up with a similar rig to the one Brian describes. It uses padeyes on the coaming with a line fed through each of them and attached to the mainsheet block in the middle, forming a continuous triangle. The mainsheet block can be "travelled" from one coaming to the other by sliding the line through the padeyes after slacking the sheet. Harden the sheet and the block is locked into place. I've been using this for years with no problems.
HTH, Paul

 

[Beyond_the_Arc]

Paulnimble,
Re the picture in last post, my '76 O'Day 32 Center Cockpit also does not have a traveler; however, the picture above is v. similar to what came on the boat originally. I have end-boom sheeting via two standup blocks mounted approx 60" apart on the top of the aft cabin. From the starboard block becket the sheet is run through the first sheave of a double block on the boom then down to the port single block. Back through the second sheave of the boom double, through the starboard block and to a winch & cleat arrangement beside my right shoulder as stand at helm. I have found little issue with this arrangement (some call it an A-frame) with respect to sheeting and boom control during broad and close reaches. I did add a main cabin-top vang to aid during downwind running.

From the picture that has been posted, consider replacing the cleats with standup blocks and creating a 4:1 purchase using a double block on the boom. Might need to add some sheet, and maybe additional blocks, but you should be able to manage your workload easier and reap some, if not most of the benefits of a traveler.

Good luck and fair winds/following seas.

 

[paulnimble]

I finally found the relocated link to a discussion of rope travelers with several examples (including drawings and parts list) that got me started:

http://www.arlingtonyachtclub.org/Fleets/daysailer/64travelers.htm

 

[Bilgewater]

K.I.S.S solution

I ended up tying a snap shackle on a line. I snap that to the end of the boom, and run the working part around the upwind aft cleat. I can center the boom going upwind by pulling and holding the line with one hand, and release to de-power in the gusts. When tacking, I just move the line to the other cleat. Simple, effective, no-cost solution. Only use it when racing.
Thanks for everybody's input.