I am purchasing a new 260. There is a lot I love about this boat, however, in their effort to make the boat easy to rig and sail, Hunter has eliminated several key sail controls, namely main and jib travellers. Has anyone added these? Or, has anyone gotten the factory to add travellers to a new boat? Any thoughts on the necessity of travellers? Thanks!
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A tought
My last boat had a traveler and I used it occasionally. The new boat has a boom vang and It should do the trick (keeping the sails trimmed and the boom from flopping up and down on a down wind run) without having to drill holes in the deck. Good luck Hayden
My last boat had a traveler and I used it occasionally. The new boat has a boom vang and It should do the trick (keeping the sails trimmed and the boom from flopping up and down on a down wind run) without having to drill holes in the deck. Good luck Hayden
I decided against
I have a hunter 26, basically the same boat. The sail is fine without the traveler, although I have read of a few people doing it for convenience. Moving the connection forward to accomodate a bimini would be a nice bonus, but not necessary!
I have a hunter 26, basically the same boat. The sail is fine without the traveler, although I have read of a few people doing it for convenience. Moving the connection forward to accomodate a bimini would be a nice bonus, but not necessary!
Traveler
Brian, I know of a John Scharer "Zinfandel" who installed a traveler on the step just before the companionway and said it worked great. Jim S/V Java
Brian, I know of a John Scharer "Zinfandel" who installed a traveler on the step just before the companionway and said it worked great. Jim S/V Java
Sheets
To race our 26, we had a rigid vang and used the original vang to second sheet the main over to a stancion or a cleat. That provided almost all of the necessary adjustments.
To race our 26, we had a rigid vang and used the original vang to second sheet the main over to a stancion or a cleat. That provided almost all of the necessary adjustments.
Traveler
I added a windward sheeting traveler about 3 years ago on my 260. The traveler is located in the cockpit near the compainway. I feel it makes a big difference in puffs, where you can drop the traveler and spill the air. As soon as you feel the puff dying you bring the traveler back up and add more power. It is definitely more efficient to work the traveler than to work the main sheet. I thought about adding adjustable jib leads but I have not figured out a good way to do it without cutting some good size holes in the liner.
I added a windward sheeting traveler about 3 years ago on my 260. The traveler is located in the cockpit near the compainway. I feel it makes a big difference in puffs, where you can drop the traveler and spill the air. As soon as you feel the puff dying you bring the traveler back up and add more power. It is definitely more efficient to work the traveler than to work the main sheet. I thought about adding adjustable jib leads but I have not figured out a good way to do it without cutting some good size holes in the liner.
More Info, please John Scharer
John, Do you have any photos or a more vivid verbal description of your traveller? Is it across the bench seats in the cockpit? Or, is it along the well of the cockpit? How hard was it to install? It seems like the ideal addition to a boat with tenderness issues, like the 260. To be able to spill power and avoid weather helm, as well as improved pointing ability...comments? Brian. brrader@yahoo.com
John, Do you have any photos or a more vivid verbal description of your traveller? Is it across the bench seats in the cockpit? Or, is it along the well of the cockpit? How hard was it to install? It seems like the ideal addition to a boat with tenderness issues, like the 260. To be able to spill power and avoid weather helm, as well as improved pointing ability...comments? Brian. brrader@yahoo.com
Traveler Install
Brian I don't have any pictures, but it is located in cockpit well, approximately 14 to 16 inches forward of current mainsheet U bolt connection or 4 to 6 inches aft of the companionway step. I tried to maximize the traveler distance while trying not to create something myself and crew would trip over. I also wanted it to be easily accesible for myself and crew. I did not install it myself, I had a professional do it. I don't like to drill holes in my boat. I would say it was a relatively easy process, it took him about an hour to install. I used a Harken windward sheeting system. If you want to adjust the traveler on the rail with a big gust coming you can. I believe this is the best system to use to accomplish what you are looking for. Hope this is helpful. P.S. As an added bonus when you have the bimini up, having the mainsheet connection forward helps.
Brian I don't have any pictures, but it is located in cockpit well, approximately 14 to 16 inches forward of current mainsheet U bolt connection or 4 to 6 inches aft of the companionway step. I tried to maximize the traveler distance while trying not to create something myself and crew would trip over. I also wanted it to be easily accesible for myself and crew. I did not install it myself, I had a professional do it. I don't like to drill holes in my boat. I would say it was a relatively easy process, it took him about an hour to install. I used a Harken windward sheeting system. If you want to adjust the traveler on the rail with a big gust coming you can. I believe this is the best system to use to accomplish what you are looking for. Hope this is helpful. P.S. As an added bonus when you have the bimini up, having the mainsheet connection forward helps.
A couple more questions for John Sharer
A couple more questions: Does the traveller extend all the way from the starbord to the port bench seats? Does the main sheet contact the bench seats if the traveller is slid all the way to one side? Do you have the car rigged on a system with lines or do you slide it by hand? Have you added any similar system for the jib - i.e. an adjustable jib sheet block car assembly (if so...details?)? Thanks for sharing (sorry, couldn't resist) Brian brrader@yahoo.com
A couple more questions: Does the traveller extend all the way from the starbord to the port bench seats? Does the main sheet contact the bench seats if the traveller is slid all the way to one side? Do you have the car rigged on a system with lines or do you slide it by hand? Have you added any similar system for the jib - i.e. an adjustable jib sheet block car assembly (if so...details?)? Thanks for sharing (sorry, couldn't resist) Brian brrader@yahoo.com
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