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National One-design Cruiser/Racer

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Full Width Traveller

1st February 2000

Jack Hardie
Administrator

posted 01 February 2000 09:59 PM  


I had an email from Jonathan Abbott (jonathanabbottt@compuserve.com) of ‘Sarabande’ enquiring about fitting a full-width traveller to a Sonata. Anyone got any ideas on the best way to fit one? I fitted a full-width curved Harken traveller to Pied Piper and it worked fine. However, if I had to do it over again I’d take a look at the arrangement that is described within the notes by Steve Goacher in the hints and tips section of the web site. My traveller was supported at each end by bolting it to the top of the cockpit ‘seats’ with short spacers made of aluminium tube. I retained the old traveller track and its brackets, fitted it a short distance beneath the new one and connected the two together in the middle of the span with a home-made stainless steel bracket. The whole structure turned out pretty rigid.
Jack Hardie
[This message has been edited by Jack Hardie (edited 01 February 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Jack Hardie (edited 03 February 2000).]

Jim Dominy
Member

posted
03 February 2000 12:04 PM


There are a couple of points I would like to add to Jack Hardie’s reply.
1. Make sure you use the ‘deep section’ track as it has to span the footwell.
2. The ideal arrangement is the ‘bridle system’ which is detailed on the website. This is by far the most effective (and cheapest) and like all the best systems, mounts the mainsheet jammer off (aft of) the track. The mount for this can incorporate a foot brace for the helmsman.
3. Mounting the jammer off the track accentuates the ‘twisting’ loads of the mainsheet on the track. These loads are trying to topple the top of the track forward. These need resisting somehow, especially as the track is not bolted to a flat surface, relying as it does on spacers to accommodate the slope of the cockpit seat tops.
The easiest way to overcome these loads is to have a ‘leg’ from the central mainsheet mount / footrest running down and fixed on the cockpit sole. It doesn’t have to be massive as it acts as a lever resisting the twist, and slightly in tension, stiffening the track span.
An alternative, is the continuous tube running all the way aft to the transom at the height of the traveller. This provides all the stiffness, is an excellent foot rest, but increases the obstacles in the way the helmsman when manoeuvring. Therefore the tube needs to be stiff enough to fend off the weight of a falling helmsman.
4. The jammer mount / foot rest are usually built in aluminium, varying in execution from poetic sculptures to the rather more agricultural.

Sam North
Member

posted
05 February 2000 12:01 PM


I was wandering if anyone had details of some “poetic” rather than “agricultural” solutions for fitting the mainsheet support for the bridle system, preferably without needing a footrest attatched to the aft face of the cockpit as there is a certain agility failure present on our boat!
Sam North – High Note

Jack Hardie
Administrator

posted
06 February 2000 06:56 PM


I suppose poetry, like beauty is in the eye (ear?) of the beholder. At least, I avoided the footrest with my setup so I’ll elaborate a bit. As I said, I retained the old track and fitted it so as to span the gap between the vertical bulkeads below the seats. It was mounted below and aft of the new track. The two tracks were connected firmly together in mid-span by a stainless steel bracket and this bracket also served to mount the jammer block just above the old track. The location of the old track was chosen carefully so that the jammer had room to move without fouling anything. Sorry if the explanation is even less poetic than the engineering.
Jack Hardie
[This message has been edited by Jack Hardie (edited 07 February 2000).]

Jack Hardie
Administrator

posted
09 February 2000 10:06 PM


Good news for traveller afficionados. Jim Dominy has been out and about with his camera snapping the Windermere variety of the mainsheet traveller. The resulting is now on the hints and tips page of the web site.

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