new traveller for 33.5

[michael Wallach]

Out of curiosity, have any 33.5 owners replaced their mainsheet travellers with new, low friction units (such as those offered by Harken). I am toying with replacing the traveller and associated mainsheet blocks on my 1992 33.5 to reduce friction and improve mainsheet control. I am particularly interested in comments directed towaard improving the ability to adjust the position of the traveller car when sailing close hauled in a breeze. I now have a 2:1 control arrangement; have any 33.5 owners increased the purchase of the traveller control lines by adding/changing the blocks used to adjust the position of the traveller car?Any comments?Mike

 

[Steve Dion]

Replaced ours

Michael:We replaced our traveler with a Harken several years ago and it still works as well as the day it was installed.I do not know about the other mfg. but Harken will also custom drill the track for you. This makes replacement about as easy as you can get. The new traveler makes it much easier to adjust the mail. Add some more purchase 3:1 or better and you will not believe the difference.

 

[Michael Wallach]

Replacing traveller track

Steve,Do you recall if the bolts for the traveller track are readily accessible from under the cabin top, or is it fastened to an aluminum plate glassed into the cabin top like other (but not all) hardware mounted to the cabin roof. Did you have any difficulty removing the old track and fastening the Harken track to the cabin top/Mike

 

[michael Wallach]

Replacing Traveller Track

Steve,I have a couple of additional questions about replacing the Schaefer traveller track with a harken track. Was the replacement track curved to match the track supplied by Hunter? Do you recall the specifications for the track (Harken part no., radius, etc.? Did you also replace the blocks supporting the mainsheet? Any additional information or comments about your experiences with the replacement would be appreciated.Mike

 

[Steve Dion]

Screw were machine thread

Michael:There was not access from below on our model. There are machine screws that hold the track in place.I would suggest that you pull the old track and send it to Harken. They will match the curve (ours is straight).You will want all new parts. I doubt that much of the old stuff will fit. You really will be happy if yours is anything like ours was.Make sure that you caulk it with 4200 or Life Caulk to seal things well. You don't want any moisture getting into the core area.