| Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: utahsailor]
#54187 08/01/05 04:18 PM 08/01/05 04:18 PM |
Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4,451 West coast of Norway Rolf_Nilsen
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,451 West coast of Norway | Those small balls are outrageously priced in my opinion! I have had the traveller blast trough the end fitting, loosing the balls in the ocean twice now. No more flimsy plastic or alu end fittings for us now, stainless steel bolts should do the trick.
You can make the 'loader' yourself if you can find a piece of identical traveller track. Just cut it so:
-------------------\ ___________________\
Make the angle even more pronounced, and you can easily 'reload' your traveller car and run it over to your boats track when finished. Take care not to fill the car full, the balls need some room to circulate. Sometimes the balls desintegrate, and you need to replace them. Sounds like you passed the critical number, and the remaining balls could not take the load. I dont think the diameter of the traveller-line have anything to do with it, the traveller car should be able to take the loads anyway.
Tieing the mainsheet to the aft-beam is a desperate move (but your only move when this happens, unless you have a spare car mounted on the track already. Like the Worrel guys did), after all, the traveller is your emergency brake when things start to go wrong so it's very nice if it's operational.
Wonder why those Torlon/Delring balls are so expensive. Are the materials so rare? | | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: TSurfer]
#54189 08/01/05 04:24 PM 08/01/05 04:24 PM |
Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,528 Looking for a Job, I got credi... scooby_simon Hull Flying, Snow Sliding.... |
Hull Flying, Snow Sliding....
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,528 Looking for a Job, I got credi... | Those small balls are outrageously priced in my opinion! I have had the traveller blast trough the end fitting, loosing the balls in the ocean twice now. No more flimsy plastic or alu end fittings for us now, stainless steel bolts should do the trick. In the past I have just placed a knot in the traveller so the car cannot hit the end stop !
F16 - GBR 553 - SOLD I also talk sport here | | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: utahsailor]
#54192 08/01/05 05:05 PM 08/01/05 05:05 PM |
Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,528 Looking for a Job, I got credi... scooby_simon Hull Flying, Snow Sliding.... |
Hull Flying, Snow Sliding....
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,528 Looking for a Job, I got credi... | Aaron,
It sounds like your car was missing a few bearings; I have been told of instances where the Cars have come off; but only when they were put back on incorrectly (ie with missing bearings.
Sorry, my boat uses a Harken one only IIRC
F16 - GBR 553 - SOLD I also talk sport here | | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: utahsailor]
#54193 08/01/05 05:37 PM 08/01/05 05:37 PM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 12,310 South Carolina Jake
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 12,310 South Carolina | Aaron, The bearings are 1/4" torlon bearings and can be purchased considerably cheaper at http://www.mcmaster.com - their service is awesome too. Part number is 9593K17 - I just replaced all the bearings in my traveler and have enough to replace one side of the traveler a second time for $30 (two packs of 50). Check the harken website to see how many bearings should be in the car - sounds like you may have been missing a few to begin with. The older style Harken traveler cars do not keep the bearings captive when off the track so the special tool is pretty useful. However, (don't laugh - it worked!) I replaced the bearings in the same car on my 5.2 using K-Y jelly to keep the bearings in place while the travler was put on the track. Once installed, you can just wash the jelly away with water since the KY is water soluable. You want to be carefull not to use a lubricant that is greasy or oily (like WD-40) because these tend to attract dust and sand over time and can cause more wear than they prevent. For long term lubrication, be sure to use a dry (silicone) lubricant or sail kote.
Jake Kohl | | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: Jake]
#54194 08/02/05 12:07 AM 08/02/05 12:07 AM |
Joined: May 2002 Posts: 1,037 Central California ejpoulsen
old hand
|
old hand
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,037 Central California | Jake, Thanks for the KY tip--I just went through the nerve-racking process removing and cleaning my traveler and bearings. Boy, those bearings are hard to find in a field of tall weeds...
Eric Poulsen A-class USA 203 Ultimate 20 Central California
| | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: Commodore_CCC]
#54197 08/02/05 06:59 AM 08/02/05 06:59 AM |
Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,074 Northfield,NH USA bullswan
Pooh-Bah
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,074 Northfield,NH USA | Stupid question probably, but I am on a mission to replace everything on this 1991 Nacra 5.5sl that I am worrying about it's age and longevity. I've replaced all mission-critical stuff like shrouds and stays and lines but now you have me thinking about this. How do you know when to replace the bearings or is it just an "ounce of prevention" item? Do you replace them regularly? I am sailing this exclusively in fresh water and so I assume my requirements for replacing would be different that yours?
Thanks Greg
The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised. - George Will "It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so" -Ronald Reagan | | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: utahsailor]
#54198 08/02/05 07:02 AM 08/02/05 07:02 AM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 371 Michigan, USA sparky
enthusiast
|
enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 371 Michigan, USA | I think Performance went to the next size up traveller car for the N5.5U by 1993. You might check with Nacra to see if you have the larger traveller car. If you don't have it, I recommend you bite the bullet and get the larger car. It makes the traveller much smoother and handles the load better, allowing it to move easily under load. I upgraded my 1988 5.5 Uni the first time I had problems getting the traveller to move easily. Also, I used a little Joy detergent in a spray bottle of water to lubricate the traveller each time I put the boat together. It sure helped make the traveller reliable and free-moving.
Les Gallagher
| | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: sparky]
#54199 08/02/05 07:57 AM 08/02/05 07:57 AM |
Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,074 Northfield,NH USA bullswan
Pooh-Bah
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,074 Northfield,NH USA | Thanks Les. How do I determine what car I currently have? Is there a way of identifying either the pre-1993 or post-1993 car? Larger, okay, but relative to what?
My car seems to work fine at the moment. Should I wait till I have the problem you experienced or just "bite the bullet"?
Finally, Does the Joy work better than McLube in your opinion?
Thanks. I welcome your opinions. Greg
The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised. - George Will "It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so" -Ronald Reagan | | | Re: aft beam mainsheet traveller
[Re: bullswan]
#54200 08/02/05 08:20 AM 08/02/05 08:20 AM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 371 Michigan, USA sparky
enthusiast
|
enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 371 Michigan, USA | Greg,
When I switched, the new traveller car was wider (longer?)and carried more balls, but still ran on the same track. You might check with a local Nacra dealer or even directly with Performance Catamarans. You might contact Harken and give them the dimensions of your current track and car and ask them what is available for your track. I think their products have evolved since 1989, but Performance still uses the same track.
You can continue to use your current traveller car, but I think you will replace the balls more often to have it work well, and I don't think it will ever work as well as the larger traveller car.
I never used McLube on my traveller, so I cannot compare it to the water with a little Joy in it. The Joy is cheaper though.
There is one more factor in the smooth operation of your traveller, and that is the line with which you control traveller position. It needs to run smoothly through the roller fairlead on the traveller car. We usually had a separate, smaller diameter line for this and would tie the end of it to the end of the mainsheet. We positioned this knot so that when the traveller was all the way out, the knot would prevent the traveller from hitting the end stop. It saves wear and tear and helps to prevent what happened to Rolf (tearing off the traveller stop).
Les Gallagher
| | |
|
0 registered members (),
126
guests, and 84
spiders. | Key: Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod | | Forums26 Topics22,405 Posts267,058 Members8,150 | Most Online2,167 Dec 19th, 2022 | | |