tidy traveller options

[adamv]

I have a 28' boat with a standard traveller in front of the dodger. The lines feed back to regular small horn cleats either side of the companion way. The cleats are quite annoying and i want to upgrade them!
Every time we tack, its just a few dozen extra precious seconds to uncleat, centre the traveller, recleat the other side, tack, repeat steps in reverse, and tidy up the tails.... The load is never enough to warrant anything more than a small clam cleat... so this was my first choice, BUT Im wondering if anyone has come up with even cleaner solutions?

Im thinking ways to reduce additional tails that need to be tidied.

For example, there's no real reason the traveller lines couldnt just be on a continuous loop - just some sort of locking clutch, or novel winch would hold it in place.

Has anyone seen or tried anything like this kind of setup?

 

[Ward H]

I haven't but my first thought would be, since the cleats are on opposite side of the companionway, how do you avoid the line getting in the way of entering the cabin? I installed Spinlock XPR cleats positioned so I can flick the line to cleat and unclear. I can do it from the helm if necessary.

 

[adamv]

Sorry i dont have any better pictures to hand. You can see the horn cleats and traveller lines either side of the hatch rails.
And please excuse the luffing genoa and messy halyard storage - this picture was taken before i knew any better!

 

[Ward H]

Oh, I agree, those horn cleats have to go. I find the Spinlock PXR cam cleats are much easier to use than regular cam cleats which require slight unloading to un cleat. A flick of the wrist is all that is needed with the PXRs.

 

[dlochner]

Horn cleats are horrible options for cleats that might need to be undone quickly. Cam cleats without fairleads are the way to go, give them a good yank up and they release.

There are methods to have a single line traveller, however they come with their own set of problems. They work best when the traveller is in the middle of the cockpit. In your application, they won't really work well, because as @Ward H notes, there is no convenient place for the traveller line to run without getting in the way.

My traveller has long tails that will reach the helm. When single handing it allows me to stay at the helm to release the traveller when it needs to be dumped and when loaded I can trim it easier than my wife can.

If you're not racing and just out for a sail, center the traveller car and leave it alone. Sail trim won't be perfect, but who cares if you're out to watch the sunset. Many smaller boats, like Flying Scots, Tanzer 22s, some O'days don't have travelers and they sail just fine without them.

 

[jssailem]

the Spinlock PXR cam cleats

These as @Ward H says, are an elegant solution to your problem.

 

[thinwater]

All 4 of my multihulls have had continuous traveler lines, from beach cats to cruising cats. Very common. They all had at least one continuous head sail sheet as well. No tangles and less spaghetti. But no special clutch, just cam cleats, usually on the car, but not always.

 

[Dalliance]

Spinlock PXR cleats are the way to go. With traveler lines long enough to reach the helm. I changed to PXR cleats after years with V-cleats that annoyed me by often letting go on tacks if I didn’t go forward from the helm to push the line down into the V.
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