>>On the bigger cats where a crew might use the traveler more, a smoother motion would be needed, but I don't think too many Hobie 16, 17 or 18 crews are or should be working the traveler upwind.

Ah yes, the moving the traveller thing while mainsheet is under load is mainly a spinnaker sailing thing. If you don't fly a spi than there are other ways to control the boat effectively. Also the systems have switched. Now the crew more often then not plays the mainsheet while the skipper hold on to the traveller sheet. This gives him an emergency control while the crew can fully concentrate on trimming the main continiously. On modern boats, with large squaretops, the mainsheet is too often to heavy to be played by the skipper anyway.


>>Nothing worse to me than sheeting in and having the car come towards you instead of sheeting tighter

Well I've got one for you that is definately worse. Having your mainsheet car stuck on the rearbeam during a spi run with gusts and having to decide wether you are going to bend or break your mast by releasing the mainsheet OR capsize spectaculary and bend / break something in your body.

But honestly; like you said H16,H17 and TheMightyHobie18 don't really need a smooth traveller when they are sailed as intending during their design stage.

Regards,

Wouter