Jib Traveler

[daviddiscenza]

Not that I'm the most experienced sailor, but I recently saw something in an ad for a boat that I've never seen before. The ad is for a 1990 Pearson 35 and it lists having a jib traveler. I've never heard of such a thing. What is its purpose and how is it used?

[Yellowtulip]

To me it means a track across the foredeck on which the clew of the jib runs, attached to a car. This makes the jib self-tacking. They're quite common in the U.K.
There may be other meanings.

[cal40john]

Back in time when racers liked drilling lots of holes in the deck it could mean two fore aft tracks parallel to each other and another track mounted sideways onto the cars on the two fore aft tracks. the jib block is mounted on the car on the sideways car.

You can then position the jib lead fore/aft and inboard/outboard.

Nowadays you're more likely to see floating blocks or rings rigged as barberhauls to change the sideways lead.

[StuM]

Sounds like track for a self-tacking jib to me too.

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by StuM

Sounds like track for a self-tacking jib to me too.

I was going to say that a sloop from that era that relies on a big jib would be unlikely to have a staysail, but apparently some have modified the boat, so a self tacking staysail is a possibility.

From Practical Sailor
https://www.practical-sailor.com/rev...35-1226-1.html

As a further aid, several owners report having fitted their 35s with an inboard staysail, in effect a double head rig, but the short foretriangle base (“J”) of the 35 would seem to militate against much effectivess from that rig except in extreme conditions.

[Yellowtulip]

Hmm, looking at the pictures and drawings, I can't see a self-tacking sail being of much use. A staysail would be tiny, unless a bowsprit were fitted, and the coachroof forward looks too narrow for a full-length traveller. Perhaps cal40john is correct, though I would call those 'Genoa car tracks'.