Boom traveler queston

Hello,

I have to admit I don't know much about this subject, but a friend said that he was going to add a homemade boom traveler to his Prindle 18-2. He is planning on using a Harken traveler and track, mounted to his boom. His upper blocks would be attached to this traveler, which is free floating. He said that the main blocks maintain a constant angle with this setup, when the main traveler is centered or out to the side. I guess the main advantage would be that the main sheet cam would always be the same angle to you. Does anyone out there have a similar setup? Is there an advantage with it?

Jack Hoying

Prindle 18

Fort Loramie, Ohio

about all you could do would be to vary the pressure the boom puts on the mast for mast rotation. Boomless cats have a similar short traveler built into the clew of the main sail to which the upper main sheet block attaches. Since the end of the sail isn't fixed by the boom, this traveler performs the similar function of an outhaul on a boom equiped sail. I really don't see the advantage of adding this kind of traveler to a sail plan with a boom.

OK--I'm the one Jack is talking about. The reason I was interested in adding the boom traveler was that the hanger is aligned with the main traveler when the boat is going down wind. When I'm going up wind, the blocks are at an angle that puts a LOT of pressure on the gooseneck and it makes it very difficult to cleat/uncleat them. I have adjusted the angle of the main block cam as low as it will go, but I have to practically stand up on the boat to cleat the main! The only other alternative I could think of would be to move the hanger in a little and find a happy medium.

Ahah...O.K. now I see what you are after. I take it that your cam cleat for your blocks is upside down? (since you have it as low as possible and still have to stand up to cleat it). Your mainsheet block/cleat looks something like this?



http://www.harken.com/press/038to1.php



Most of the Harken blocks have the option to place the cam cleat inverted or rightside up. If you have a Harken Hexarachet mainsheet system you can probably change the position of the cleat. All my Nacra boats and my Hobie 18 have the cleat upwards (hold the sheet low to cleat and up to uncleat) and I have no problem with adjusting to a good cleating angle. Perhaps you can move your cleat instead of all the trouble of a traveler on the rear beam (which will probably not help much and will definitely screw with your mast rotation).

It does look like that--I have a small pulley attached to an eyestrap on top of the cam base, so I have to either keep the cam cleat on the bottom or get rid of the pulley and lose a little purchase. Perhaps moving it would be the best idea--hadn't thought of that. I got the boom traveler idea from my old Hobie 17 sport that had the traveler on the boomlet. I'm still concerned about all the pressure on the gooseneck when I'm close hauled, though. It just seems to me that it would be better for the rig if I had the boom traveler working to keep the pressure of the main at a constant angle.

I can identify with excess gooseneck loading! My new sails on my 5.2 were lower in the foot and took away the little bit of angle that was in the boom so that it was now pretty level when sheeted in tight. This left very little forward pressure to rotate the mast. I added a second bail about 6" out from the original but it was too far out and bent the snot out of my goosneck!

Most of the older 18 squares have a traveler on the boom- with an 11' beam it's quite necessary! But then the boom attaches to the front beam so it doesn't alter mast rotation doing this. The traveler must be parallel to the tramp (or 90 degrees to clew load actually) or it will tend to pull/push car in or out as you sheet (instead of straight down). Greatly increases ability to travel up or down since the mainsheet now does not "fight" or "help" (depending on which way you are going!) the traveler car moving in or out. On the Taipans and "A"'s we use a webbing "strop" from the clew grommet, around the mast, and mainsheet blocks hook directly into that-

Booms can be very light then as the large sheet loads are directly transmitted to the clew of the sail- Boom only has to resist the pressure from the outhaul/inhaul and webbing slides easily on boom-



Regards!



Kirt

post pics please.