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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

move the traveler bar?

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frants
1st Mate

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USA
55 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/17/2005 : 01:14:49

has anyone ever tried to move the traveler bar for the main sheet, from the transom to above the companion way? is the lift-top strong enough. why am I asking..? I don't like the current set-up.
also, I have just mounted my new 4 spring motor bracket from CD and have a one spring for sale...anybody interested?
Frants

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 05/17/2005 : 02:42:44

Rear position kind of sucks, but i think moving to the cabin top would be even worse. I cant imagin trying to release the sheet way up there in a hurry from the tiller position.
I haven't done it but the neighboring cat 22 has CD's mid boom conversion kit that allows mid boom and regular transom adjustments. I think this would be ideal, but my wife is thinking of letting me buy a new main and I don't want to spoil that possibility by interjecting something new.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/17/2005 : 07:27:59

take a look at the following tech tip....as for strength, the cabin top should be more than strong enough, provided you have it "backed" well with metal plates or good wood to distribute the load.

http://www.catalina25-250.org/tech/tech25/bonbon.html

dw

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 05/17/2005 : 07:31:22

No, your pop-top closure dogs are not strong enough to hold the top down. There are many risers that allow you to span the pop-top from the cabin top, Harken Garhauer, Schaeffer, etc. All are very expensive, all place the mainsheet too far forward for the cross section of our boom and the strength of our goose neck. That doesn't mean you will have a failure but you could. Most people move it to the seats right in front of the companionway. It is a much better place. You will be far less likely to trip than you will be to hit your head with the traveler over the cabin. This is heresy but... I think our cockpits are too small, I am grateful the traveler is where it is. Remember, picture other people in the cockpit with you. They do not want you reaching all over them and there are already sheets in the way, they do not need a mainsheet to get tangled in as well. Just chill and enjoy the boat for what it is. The longer I have mine the more I appreciate the subtleties of its design, and that traveler placement is one of the design features that makes the boat works as the pocket cruiser it was designed for. (Now as for the device its self; it is a piece of crap and there are many things to be done to help it work better. That is another issue though.)

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/17/2005 : 07:56:38

Good catch Frank - The lift top is not strong enough as Frank mentioned. I misread your post, thinking you were referring to the cabin top...

I disagree with Frank's assessment that putting it on the edge of the Cabin top would be too par forward. I've seen it in that location on many a boat. But that is a matter of opinion.

One other note - if you ever intend to race in an association sponsored event, you'll want to keep your old tackle. The association rules prohibit the moving of the traveler from the transom.

dw

Edited by - Champipple on 05/17/2005 07:58:41

Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 05/17/2005 : 12:42:43

Hi all,

Remember that as you move the traveler forward, you loose mechanical advantage. The Capri 26 (now Catalina 26) has a cabin top traveler. I've sailed on one and with a stock three to 1 mainsheet system, we had to use the cabin top winch to trim the sheet in when the breeze was anything much more than 12 knots. Had to go to a 5:1 system and that was barely ok - - and a lot of extra line and pulley friction.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

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Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 05/17/2005 : 13:25:02

Here's my post about moving the traveler to just aft of the companionway: http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6903

Brooke

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herbertiii
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2005 : 22:00:59

Has anyone else ever considered putting the mainsheet traveller in the middle of the cockpit, just ahead of the tiller? Returning from Florida to the Chesepeake single handed a while back, I had a lot of time to think about this, and to my mind, it has merit. It divides the cockpit, yes, but as delivered, the aft half is taken up by the tiller anyway, since the ***** factory traveller prevents the tiller from being lifted out of the way. This location gives almost end boom sheeting, can be controlled from either forward or aft in the cockpit, the boom can be shortened, and most importantly for me it allows a dodger to be fitted, which a mainsheet at the forward end of the cockpit does not. I never got around to doing it; six months on a 25 got me motivated to get on with my big boat, but its worth considering.

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Rochester
Deckhand

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USA
22 Posts

Response Posted - 05/21/2005 : 10:54:03

I moved mine next to the companion-way hatch. I attached a section of Harken traveller track to the seats. I attached a bail to the boom about mid-length. The mainsheet rigging was used.

The traveler car is controlled by blocks attached to the seat-backs.
You need to back-up the attachment of blocks. I use jam cleats to fasten the traveller control line.

This seems to work well. It does not seem to be problem stepping over the track to enter the cabin.

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5908 Posts

Response Posted - 05/21/2005 : 12:18:05

I'm with Frank. I kind of like it where it is. I encourage crew and guests to sit forward in the cockpit near the hatch, so I can swing the tiller freely both ways, and that keeps them clear of the mainsheet when the boom swings back and forth. That way, I only need to worry about keeping myself clear of it, and that isn't hard to do after you get used to it. If there's any possibility of a gybe, intentional or otherwise, I usually stay aft of the mainsheet, so that I'm not in its way if it swings across.

The part I dislike the most about the stock traveler is that it's awkward when I have to turn around and face aft to adjust the traveler, and I don't have very good leverage to pull the traveler up to windward when the wind is blowing hard. Derek Crawford has a nice modification. The basic hardware is the same, but the traveler control lines are led forward in the cockpit to a place where they are more accessible, and you have better leverage.

The first question you should ask yourself is, "Which part of the cockpit would you rather have the mainsheet whip across when there's a gybe - the aft, middle or forward part of the cockpit?" It's going to whip across some part of it, regardless of where you place it, unless you mount it on the coach roof, and that location has its own drawbacks (It might make it difficult to get down the companionway.) I'm not sure there is a perfect answer for our boats, but the stock hardware with Derek's mod is pretty functional.

Edited by - Steve Milby on 05/21/2005 14:33:11

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 05/21/2005 : 12:49:29

You can see my class legal traveller modifications in this photo. With mid-boom mainsheeting, and all lines led aft (10 of them) EVERYTHING is right where you need it.

Don't move the traveller, move the controls.

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Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 05/21/2005 : 16:09:34

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The first question you should ask yourself is, "Which part of the cockpit would you rather have the mainsheet whip across when there's a gybe - the aft, middle or forward part of the cockpit?" It's going to whip across some part of it, regardless of where you place it, unless you mount it on the coach roof, and that location has its own drawbacks (It might make it difficult to get down the companionway.)<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

If your mainsheet "whips" during a gybe, that's not a good thing. When I prepare to gybe, I sheet the boom in, and, as the wind crosses the stern I move the boom to the other side by hand. Of course, the boom also crosses the cockpit during a tack. In either instance, I prefer the sheet to be completely forward of me and of any passengers, as it is with my cockpit-forward traveler.

Brooke

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GeorgeB
1st Mate

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90 Posts

Response Posted - 05/22/2005 : 15:09:23

There a lot of ways to tackle this. I chose to mount the new Garhaurer Traveler on "Abegweit" directly ahead of the end of the tiller and immediately under the end of the boom. This location allows easy access to both the traveler and Mainsheet controls. It allows the First Mate to handle the sheets, and have unencumbered access into and out of the galley.

I did a lot of reading about midboom sheeting when I considered where to place the new traveler.( I was sick and tired of near decapitation on ever jibe)

Most authorities seem to agree that cabin top travellers make for a clean cockpit, But they put a heavy load on the boom. Neither do they do the best job of handling sail shape, but any thing would be better than the original design

Proof is in the pudding, we tried the new system out yesterday. The Garhaurer traveler worked like a charm. I was able to easily put the traveler full to windward, in 18 MPH. Jibes were much easier to control, and we had much better control of sail shape, and the slot.

Best of all the "First Mate" said that she could still stretch out in the cockpit

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