Can Anyone Identify This Traveler and Track?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Well, you’re carrying the load on just those 10mm axles pressed into to the alloy. Pretty easy to see its going to blow in about 15 knots on your boat. What is it about 38mm track?

BTW, are you the same guy that had the sprinter van with NH plates or did the project change hands after Matthew? Well know the original builder didn’t even take the advice of the designer so what listen to an experienced rigger/catamaran owner. Windows will probably fall out in 10 knots so maybe 15 knots on traveler will suit.

No numbers, just an incorrect guess. So you literally have no idea what you’re talking about even though you pretend to professionally. Got it. LOL

Windows tempered safety glass now. On order. If you can’t keep up with your reading on here don’t try to use outdated information to insult the project.

As to the rest of that babbling, maybe the drugs you’re on are what causes you to masquerade as some kind of rigging pro yet you don’t understand this simple traveler that’s ALREADY circumnavigated with my rig.

Doesn’t take a genius to figure out a traveler from France that’s been around the world without breaking on the RIG IT CAME WITH can withstand the same loads if the same rig is stepped again and put into use.

Your position is so illogical it makes my brain hurt.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Rucksta

Chotu

I don't know what the track is.
The track on a Privilege 48 I sail appears identical and unbranded.

The track and double cars are able to take the working loads.
Friction was high requiring winching to move the traveler under any load.

Addition of a boom vang to take some of the vertical load off the main sheet improved performance so a 4:1 tackle allows traveler adjustment by hand.

Cheers

Thank you for the advice on this. This one is unbranded too. The high friction is an issue so I’ll most likely follow the advice on this thread and search used, then new as advised.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

You should check used but probably buy new and do a custom curved track. Curved or straight it will need a continuous support beam to fasten it to. This beam
could notch over the davits. You might be able to shorten the boom bail attachments a foot or so to get more of the curved beam traveler over the roof. (If I am picturing correct). How wide is the cabintop? How far aft from the mast base is the aft edge of the cabintop? From the mast base to each aft corner of the cabintop? You said the boom was ? 20'? The curved track on the flat roof (How much camber in your roof?) would make for a really nice traveler setup, a curved track is subject less to sideways forces and will hold the sail shape perfectly, even help control your gybes.

Cabin top is 16ft wide. Boom is 22ft. Aft most edge of the roof is about 21ft from the goose neck.

Roof has decent camber. I don’t recall the exact amount, but it’s a factor. Drops a couple inches from centerline to ends.

Building the beam for a curved track sounds daunting, even though the outcome seems ideal. I can order another beam section identical to the one that was used for the cantilever davits and be at the same 3” above the roof as the top of the davits are. That works nicely for a straight track. I’d have to hand build a bunch of stuff for the curved track. I could use extra long through bolts right through the roof for the straight one, it can be about 16ft wide and then I can be done.

[MicHughV]

I seem to recall from the davit thread, that you have two posts with a flange supporting the roof. Assuming that two bolts ( fore and aft) on the flange, support the davit arms, that leaves you with two bolts on the port and starboard side of that flange...to support the traveller.

With this in mind, my thinking would be to limit the traveller length to that provided by the post support, ie, inside the davit arms, otherwise you'd have to go over the davit arms....that would still provide sufficient traveller length where you need it most, ie, going up wind....or close reaching, etc.

I don't see how you'd install a very long traveller here without constructing some kind of platform here for the traveller to go over the davit tubes...could be done off course..

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I seem to recall from the davit thread, that you have two posts with a flange supporting the roof. Assuming that two bolts ( fore and aft) on the flange, support the davit arms, that leaves you with two bolts on the port and starboard side of that flange...to support the traveller.

With this in mind, my thinking would be to limit the traveller length to that provided by the post support, ie, inside the davit arms, otherwise you'd have to go over the davit arms....that would still provide sufficient traveller length where you need it most, ie, going up wind....or close reaching, etc.

I don't see how you'd install a very long traveller here without constructing some kind of platform here for the traveller to go over the davit tubes...could be done off course..

The platform could be another tube just like the ones the davits are constructed from.

It could be laid laterally across the boat.

I could cut out the areas the davits are in and through bolt a 16ft track all the way through that tube and through the roof in all the areas the traveler requires a bolt.

Should work pretty well I think.

[Rucksta]

A full width traveler provides effective gybe control with the car fully to leeward and a relatively short main sheet.

On a cat with a 8-10 mt beam the control is powerful.

Tacking it allows bringing the car well over center at head to wind (when it's easy)
depowering the main on the new tack, allowing the headsail to complete the turn reducing the risk of ending up in irons.

As the boat builds speed the traveler is raised.
Tacks can be completed with little or no adjustment to the mainsheet.

A straight track will increase sheet tension as the car is moved away from the centerline.

A curved track maintains sheet tension with the car being hardest to tow as it crosses the centerline.

Both geometries have their pros & cons depending on how you sail.

[MicHughV]

I like the idea of the tube inserts between the davits and extending on both sides of the davit arms....this would lend rigidity to the roof..the track then gets thru' bolted thru' both tube and roof..the traveller would be straight.......but certainly workeable....big washers under the roof here at all bolt locations.......if memory serves me, those bolts that go thru' the traveller are relatively small diameter.....so big washers needed...

[Thumbs Up]

The straight track combined with the very short distance to the boom (where a purchase system is supposed to reside) is liable to be a challenge. The track and car will be subject to extra lateral stress. Your mainsheet purchase system needs to be specified. Some mains can be controlled with a winch on either end of the mainsheet which would be dyneema(or similar) core line. This setup gives you a 2:1 that you control with a winch on each end. I recommend the curved track. The beam under it would become integral with the cabintop. The curved spacer beam should be no big deal and should become integral with the roof. Along with mechanical fastening from below you should have no trouble adhering the glass wrapping the beam to the epoxy roof.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I like the idea of the tube inserts between the davits and extending on both sides of the davit arms....this would lend rigidity to the roof..the track then gets thru' bolted thru' both tube and roof..the traveller would be straight.......but certainly workeable....big washers under the roof here at all bolt locations.......if memory serves me, those bolts that go thru' the traveller are relatively small diameter.....so big washers needed...

Thanks. I was going to do a backing plate all along the underside of the roof but maybe the large diameter fender washers will be enough.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

The straight track combined with the very short distance to the boom (where a purchase system is supposed to reside) is liable to be a challenge. The track and car will be subject to extra lateral stress. Your mainsheet purchase system needs to be specified. Some mains can be controlled with a winch on either end of the mainsheet which would be dyneema(or similar) core line. This setup gives you a 2:1 that you control with a winch on each end. I recommend the curved track. The beam under it would become integral with the cabintop. The curved spacer beam should be no big deal and should become integral with the roof. Along with mechanical fastening from below you should have no trouble adhering the glass wrapping the beam to the epoxy roof.

It was doing a short distance to the boom to keep the sail area low to the cabin top and keep sail area maximized. The actual distance at its closest approach (when the boom is at centerline) is around 24-36 inches. I am unsure what mainsheet setup to use. However, it’ll be lead back forward and down to the sail control table, which makes use of rope clutches and shared winches.

I have one of these in the works:




I would imagine a purchase system would make things easier.

For now, I can only do the straight track. It’s too much extra work to do a curved track since it’s not directly on the cabin top. It’s elevated 3 inches. I don’t know where to get a 3” elevated tube curved to the arc of the boom. I’d have to build it in a mold or something. A week of work. The self tacking foresail will be in a curved track.

It’s not perfection, but a 16ft traveler is a far cry from the 8ft traveler I was going to use.

[Chotu]

Damn you guys always finding extra work for me! Ha ha ha.

Well, I woke up with the solution to how to do the curved track.

It’s kind of clunky, but not awful.

Take the long, pre-made beam and make a bunch of cuts in 3 faces. Aft face, top face and bottom face. Leave the forward face intact.

Somehow get the thing to match the correct U shape and hold it there.

Now glass along the 3 surfaces I had just cut to hold it in place.

Presto. A curved beam that’s mostly pre-made and will take only a single day to construct.

The beams are polyester so I’d use polyester.

This is still a maybe, but feeling like I may do it.

If I do it, I should be able to install the davits independently of that beam if it’s curved because it crosses the davits at a different point than the whole mess of support columns below and cantilever davits.

The straight one crosses at the point of the support columns, davit cantilever, etc. the curved one crosses forward if that.

Damn you guys. Perfecting my boat and finding all this extra work! Ha ha.

Thank you.

Note: I’m currently wondering why a more simple car and a polyester I beam wouldn’t work equally as well as these marine tracks we use for straight travelers.

[Chotu]

Why not?



1 ton safe working load

[Chotu]

And I just found a place to make me a curved, composite I beam.

Going to check into this. Only sticking point (pun intended) is the load is off axis. Might overwhelm the I beam trolley.

[Chotu]

Question: how do you winch your traveler along a U shaped track???

[Rucksta]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Question: how do you winch your traveler along a U shaped track???

The track will not be a U. If your sheeting point is 16 ft from the gooseneck
and the track is directly below the hight of the chord described by the track is about 18 inches.

If your sheaves are mounted at the end of the track the hardest point to haul is across the centre line.

Very rare to haul to the end. Usually you let the car down. Hauling it back becomes the problem

One solution is to place the sheaves inboard of the ends (off track) about one third in.

This will reduce the apparent chord hight by half reducing the haul problem from the ends and across centre.

I prefer a straight track.


Instead of mucking around with laminated plastic for the track bed why not just use the same section as your davitts.

Box section bends well. Panel beater (body shop?) will have the gear to do track and box section.

Cut out sections for the davits and weld it all together.