Hi Trinkka, I like your stern rail setup with the 30" loop over as it seems to make boarding from the ladder easier. Would my 79 O'day 22 main sheet that is attached to the back stay be of any problem w/ a stern rail setup like yours?
I see you have a main sheet traveler in the cockpit, and is this an advantage over the back stay main sheet with the loop over rail? I may search for post on travelers, I think I have seen one you posted in the past not sure where?
Who would be a good source to order a setup like yours?
Thank you, David S
Hi David,
When I had that hoop made up, The welder made it to be removable by using two fast pins and I did just that until I discovered the advantages of just leaving it on my stern rail. I got rid of the fast pins and bolted it in place for good. Looking back now, I wish I'd have had him weld it in place but that's something that can be done right now if I choose to do it.
Myself,- I love the thing and I think it makes the boat look real cool. It also gives me something to lean against as well as a place to hang my yacht ensign.
The mast crutch pipe sits on a 90 degree 1" base fitting on the sole of the cockpit about 5 or 6 inches in from the transom which needs to clear the self bailing cockpit well. This is why the hoop leans forward. Otherwise the crutch pipe wouldn't be straight up and down.
I don't think a stern rail set up like mine would hinder the end of boom mainsheet attachment to the backstay on your boat but I could be wrong. The only way to find out is to sight it with a plumb bob in relation to a base fitting on your sole or floor of the cockpit. It's important to have the mast crutch pipe sitting in this flange on the cockpit floor when you're trailering your boat to the ramp because of the weight of your mast sitting in the crutch. You don't want the stern rail taking this weight when you're enroute to the boat ramp.
I honestly believe that the traveler offers a better advantage of the back stay set up that my boat came with. Of course, a boom vang can also be of an advantage too. I like this Harken traveler that I have now. I can set it under load and adjust it so that I can get the right angle of the sail in relation to the wind while being able to flatten the sail in strong winds. I find that my boat can sail faster and point up a lot better.
It can be a pain in the butt at times to step over. My wife isn't too crazy about it because she can't sit in the Port seat with her back up against the companionway bulkhead with the traveler in the way.
I started out with a Nico Fico traveler and it was simple and adequate for a small boat like ours. If I had it to do over again though, I'd have bought a Garhaurer or a Harken with the ropes and pulleys.
I bought the Harken off a fellow named George on this forum who lives in West Virginia. He used it on his O'Day 23 when he sailed the Chesapeake. I love it. I should have bought one years ago.
I was able to use the same Teak mounting beam that I had made up years ago for the Nico Fico eye beam track.
Years ago when I mounted my traveler, I needed to mount it on something solid like a Teak 2x4 about 60" long and it had to be made in such a way that it had to be shaped to conform to the curvature of the cockpit seats. I also made it to be held in place by four stainless steel bolts through the seats. I have these bolts set up so that the heads don't turn. I was able to install it by myself. When I was buiding this beam I mocked up one out of cheap pine until I was happy with the way it fit on my boat. Then I made up the final product out of Teak. You never want to practice with Teak. It's too expensive to screw up. I was buying used Teak at a marine consignment store back then and storing it in my bedroom closet so the kids wouldn't find it and practice their carpentry skill with it.
Last year, when I bought my traveler off George, I converted it over at the club with the boat sitting at the dock. I was able to remove the beam with the old traveler and bring it up to the picnic table under the trees and remove the old eye beam track and mount my new one. Installing it back on the boat was a snap and I was able to caulk it and install it by myself.
I would check into buying Garhaurer or a new Harken. Each one would be a good traveler for any boat. Rudy sells Garhaurer.
http://www.drmarine.com/ I don't know if there is a beam you can buy for the track to sit on. You may have to build one like I did. Here's the sketch that I made up. I countersunk the bolt heads into the wood by tracing them with a pencil. Then I used some crafting chisels to seat them. The I beam track sits on top of these bolt heads locking them in place. These bolts won't turn while you're threading on the washers and nuts making it easy to mount the beam. This construction technique was just one of my few brainstorms that happened to turn out well. I've done some on this boat that I wish I had never done but that's life.
