Sail Control & Travellers

[Abby Normal]

Hey YY, here's the new thread.Kunundrum, thanks for the tip on Garhauer. They make it a lot easier to package a traveller than some of the other popular running rigging vendors, and the price is very good. It's not impossible at all to install a traveller on a Mac 25, but they didn't make it obvious nor easy. Short of disabling the lazarette in the cockpit, putting a track in front of my companionway which will make any keel winch repairs more difficult, or coming up with a way to keep it out of the way of the tiller, backstay, pushpit, etc. or to prevent it from being a tripping hazard, the options are well, uh, sort of limitless...I did notice they offer a "riser" kit for their traveller tracks.The traveller is still low on priorities at the moment, but I know as soon as my new mains'l arrives, I'll start thinking about better ways to sheet it.

 

[lml]

Travelling preventer

Having just gotten back from a week of Offshore Performance Sailing I figured out that a traveller is very important in wind up to 10 knots, but it is never convenient. I upgraded my mainsheet block to stainless ball bearing. I then added snapshackles to both ends of the original block snapping one end on the ubolt at the end of the boom and the active end on the ubolt for the boomvang. I used enough line to reach back and forth but no extra (I hate extra line). When sailing upwind I release the block from the boomvang bolt and snap it to the upwind rear lifeline post. This allows complete control of sail shape by being able to pull the boom from two directions. Before tacking I switch the travelling block to the other side and then tack. The amount of line is just the right length to allow the boom to swing when weather helm increases. When travelling downwind, especially wing on wing I attach the active end of the block to the forward lifeline post as a preventer. Cost for new block was $80, travelling preventer is out of the way when not needed, and my cockpit stays clear. Now that I know what to do I think my Mac26x sails as well as the Colgate 26, its just a litte more work to get it to sail fast. Now I just have to figure out how to put a backstay adjuster and a Cunningham, both of which also make a significant difference in sail shape. The lines never seem to end.

 

[Capt. Kermie]

M Traveller

Anyone come up with a reasonable replacement upgrade for that poor excuse of a traveller on the M? The Manufacturer put a T-beam where they should have put an I-beam. Even if they cheap out on the cars which we can replace they should never have cheaped out on the track, it is just inexcusable IMHO.

 

[Alex]

Traveller

I remember M25 has two main sheets at the stern. Why do you still need a traveller?

 

[Abby Normal]

Two Main Sheets?

Actually the factory set up has a swivel cam cleat on the port side, standing block on the starboard, and double block that attaches to the tang on the end of the boom. It's one sheet tied off to a becket on the port side, line run through one of the sheaves on the boom, loops through the starboard block, back through the second sheave, through the sheave on the swivel cleat, then through the cleat. Not exactly a traveller. I tried out this set up one weekend and thought it was pretty dreadful. Sheet hits the lifelines, it's a lot of line to pull in if you are in a hurry jibing, etc. Simple, and out of the way of the tiller and cockpit, but a safety hazard to me, and not real effective for great sail trim. Now, all that being said, someone could put a second swivel cam on the starboard side and have a dual sheet set up, which could also act as a quasi-preventer, though I'd worry about broaching in high winds if you weren't real quick. YY posted a link to the page on the Macgregorsailors site on this thread where a fellow with a 26 did install a two sheet system.One of the PO's of my boat put a u-bolt in the center of the cockpit and a bail further forward on the boom for the other end of the mainsheet set up which is basically a dual fiddle-block set up. In light air this takes some of the "bag" out of the sail I'd like to have, works better in higher wind at flattening the sail, but I'm now convinced by YY and others, I could flatten the sail even more if I had a traveller for angle of attack and use the main sheet for a "flattener" in higher winds.Whatever I wind up doing, it will be more of a "proper" traveller.

 

[Greg]

Better solution

While a traveler will help with up wind sailing, especially in winds over 10K, it does so by flattening the main. On our Macs this can be also done with a boom vang. The boom vang is needed to keep the boom down from a broad reach to a run anyways, so even after adding the traveler, you will still want to add a boom vang. The vang is much cheaper and easier to install, is out of the way, and will give you 90% or better the same sail shape to windward as the traveler will. Using the traveler to windward on those light air days to get more twist in the main can be done by taking up on the topping lift. Again cheaper and easier to install, and out of the way. So unless all out racing is in your plans, I'd just add a boom vang and topping lift. The topping lift is a big help when reefing or furling the main too. Mine also acts as my halyard for my ensign too. If you want to get fancy they make a ridged vang that can eleminate the need for the topping lift, but these get in the way of the pop tops on many Macs and add a lot of force to the already weak goose neck. Note on most Macs (fractional rigs) tightening up on the back stay will flatten the main too by bending the mast back, taking the belly out of the main.

 

[Abby Normal]

Vang/Lift

Already have a vang and topping lift will be going on prior to stepping the mast in the spring.I've started an internal debate in my mind as to do a topping lift similar to a Catalina 22 or 25 which uses a swaged cable attached to the masthead and employs blocks and a line at the boom end and all the business end seems to be mounted to the boom, or running a line from the back of the boom through a block at the masthead, follow down the mast to a standing block, then cleat off next to the main halyard which will be run aft also this spring. Geometrically speaking, I can't see it really makes a difference either way.I am putting single line reefing on the boom and will be doing something different w/ the outhaul as well, so I figure the fewer holes I need to drill in the boom, the better.

 

[Abby Normal]

Hoyt...

Least expensive Alerion 28 available right now that I could find is a '97 or '98- $65K. I like Herreshoff- inspired designs. To see one with the relative nimbleness of a personal water craft is just a complete gas!Another day-sailor that is well thought out and appears to perform well is the Colgate 26, the aesthetics just aren't as appealing to me. But it's basically designed to be the Cessna 152 of sailboats- a trainer that can serve adequately for private transportation.Check out the roach in that mains'l!!!