Storm damage: traveler car / boom vang block

[Banooma]

My Dad checked on my boat for me yesterday after Monday's Noreaster, and reported back that the boom had swung way off center over a rail. On further inspection, he found that the plate holding the vang block to the traveler car (hope I'm using the correct terms) had become detached. What remains are what appear to be fixed threaded bolts from the traveler car pointed upwards and a loose plate attached to the vang block. I'm new to this boat, and have not experienced this kind of problem with another. Based on Dad's description, and without seeing it yet, I assume all I have to do is pick up a few matching replacement stainless steel nuts. Has anyone had this experience, and taken any extra precautions against this kind of thing happening? Would locking washers help?Thanks!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Don't know what equipment you have

but it sounds like you're talking about the mainsheet connection to the traveler since a vang doesn't connect to the traveler.You'll need to see what the materials are and then go buy what you need.

 

[Calif. Ted]

That "loose plate" used to be attached to the

traveller car with two acorn nuts on the threaded bolts. There was then a U shaped shackle in the center to which a mainsheet block was attached. I'll try to post a link to a picture of a SIMILAR car below.

 

[Banooma]

Thanks

Thanks Ted, I'm really surprised nobody else has encountered anything like this or spoke up about it. The traveler car has to come apart in order to fasten those acorn nuts properly, and when it does, the ball bearings fall out. It can be a big problem. If anyone encounters this, please be careful before you assume the traveler car is easily assembled. My Dad and I nearly drove ourselves crazy trying to save the ball bearings and position the device back into place before we got great advice.Be prepared to catch all the ball bearings under the traveler car. Also be prepared that no matter what you try to do to get pack the bearings back in and run them back on the rail (as the engineer at Garhaur Marine recommended), it doesn't fit. He suggested I send it back to him so he could repack it and he'd send it back on a short I-beam track that would facilitate running the car right back into place. There's far too much hardware in the way on my 99 C28 traveler to simply slide the car back on. The traveler block system and cleats would not permit it, and when I took them off, the plate they were attached to was in the way. When I tried to remove the long bolts holding the track to the deck, they were tighter than I could possibly budge. I'd packed the ball bearings into the track very carefully and slid on a handmade wooden I-beam traveler bar replica to follow Garhaur's suggestion, but the design would not permit it.Fortunately, I got great advice from the owner of my yard. He recommended soaking a bar of ivory soap overnight, and in the morning using it to line the top and bottom ball bearing tracks of each inside bar to the traveler car. Once the gooey soap was set, the balls packed in very easily, and stuck in place incredibly well. From that point, one person held both of them into position on the track, while a second slid the car over those two bars. Once it was in place, screwing back in the 5 bolts was simple. To finish the project, we sprayed out the track beneath the traveler with a garden hose, and rolled it back and forth, and watched the suds roll away.I spent so many hours trying different fruitless ways solving this over the past week, thank goodness I received the advice I did. I was just about at wit's end. I hope this saves the next person who might encounter the same problem.Happy sails!

 

[Don Guillette]

Shipping Track

Here's my advise to anyone who encouters the same situation that Banooma ran into. DO NOT ATTEMPT to remove the traveler car without first calling Garhauer and requesting a shipping track. They will send you a track that matches your track and all you do is butt the shipping track up against your track and slide the car onto it. Some hardware has to be removed but that is part of the installion/removal and that is how it got on there in the first place. Once you get the car on the shipping track just ship it back to Garhauer and have them make any necessary repairs. Believe me that is the easiest way out of the problem.I can't tell you how many times I got calls from sailors telling me that the ball bearings from their traveler car are all over their deck (with some in the water) or in their living room rug and they want to know how to reinstall them. It ain't easy - ask Banooma. My first question was did you read the notice on the shipping track which says that the track is NOT to be removed until installation. They tell me "the ball bearings just fell out by themselves". Don't think so!!