mainsheet travellers.

[silverdawn]

Hi I have a wooden boat with a central traveller mounted on an arched metal support across the rear of the cockpit, I think they are known as a (horse) the problem being that you have no control other than pulling down on the mainsheet very hard to try and position the boom , in very windy weather when tacking the boom crashes across, the horse is solid 16mm dia s/steel with no way of putting any form of intermediate stops.
I have heard of a set up where you can rig a traveller system up with port and starboard sheets through blocks which give you full control in any position and also has the advantage of being a preventer when sailing downwind.
Any advise /diagram/other methods would be welcom.

 

[damo]

Look at the websites for any of the deck gear manufacturers eg Harken, Rutgerson etc. Plenty of pics of set-ups.

Traveller gear doesn't act as a preventer though - you need something going forward from the boom

 

[Salty John]

Here's how we did it on Adriana:

Very simple, but less adjustment options than with a mainsheet traveller. Worked fine for me though.
Regarding preventers, I used a simple 'handy-billy' as a boomvang - a three part purchase using a single block with becket together with a double block. This had a snap shackle at each end. When running I would unclip the end at the base of the mast and reattach it at the toerail in line with the mast; when you haul it tight it pulls the boom down as well as acts as a preventer. If you have two of these you don't even need to move it when you gybe, just slack one and tighten up on the other.

 

[William_H]

I have never much believed in preventer but that may be a reflection of my sailing style. ie short races with many course changes. However inadvertant jibes can be minimised by holding the boom down when the boom sheet is released so the boom goes out when running. This holding down can be achieved with a vang and to some extent with a wide traveller. This holding the boom down also minimioses chafing of the sail on the spreaders. (especially on fractional rigs.

Now to your question. You ant to be able to allow the mainsheet attachment to cross from one side of the boat to the other. To this end a tubular tube is set across the cockpit with something to slide on the rod. You havn't said what you have. Possibly just a shackle although better would be a large pulley with the sheave (wheel) rolling on the SStube.
All you need is 2 identical tackles I use 3 to 1 purchase although many use 2 to 1. You need a cleat like a cam cleat that can be locked and released quickly and easily from the helmsman's position.

Now when running the traveller (main sheet attachment) is allowed to run to the lee side and can be locked there by tightening the tackle on that side. The mainsheet can be tightened up more than usual and this provides some down pull to the boom.

When reaching this same principle is used the main sheet can be quite tight and this will pull the boom down to stop the top of the mainsail falling away and losing drive. While all the time the boom/sail is not pulled in to the centre line.

When beating there can be some advantage in pulling the traveller up to windward bringing the boom over the centre of the boat. When the boat is overpowered you can allow he traveller to fall to leeward so providing the max drive even though you are dumping power and reducing heeling.

however when you come to pull the traveller back up to windward with the mainsheet still on tight you will find the friction in the traveller slider or roller becomes a real problem. Thhis explains why serious sailors use an aluminium track with multiple wheeled ball bearing car or recirculating balls to provide minimum friction under load. (All at huge cost)

One last gem of wisdom (doubtfull) Boom Vangs. This is a powerfull tackle from the base of the mast to a point about 1/4 of the way from goose neck to boom end. It pulls down the boom without any tndency to pull the boom in toward the centre line. Some large racing boats even have a hydraulic jack to put real power into this action. At least 8to 1 purchase is normal on a small boat.
However if the space between the bottom of the mast (or top[ of the cabin) and the gooseneck is small in relation to the boom length then you can not get very much pull down power at the boom end. (where you need it) So my little boat has about .5 metre clearance under the boom with a3 metre boom. A powerfull vang just can't get any real power at the boom end 6 times as far out. Worse the other half of the vang effort is wasted in trying to shove the boom into the gooseneck which can't be good. so i have to accept a boom vang is little more than a device to limit boom rise in a jibe rather than to actually shape the sail. On the other hand an open boat with keel stepped mast where the vang can pull from the keel can at 45 degrees pull down at least half way out the boom so give real power down at the boom end. Some catamarans run the vang from a curved track near the base of the mast to permit the vang to pull at a point further out the boom but then you are getting into real complications.

Good luck with the traveller olewill

 

[ShipsWoofy]

I have set up a pair of blocks either side of the car, I run a line through a block on the end of the traveller back to the cockpit where is locked into a gripper cleat thinghymebob. The same on the other side.

This means we can set the boom on the track wherever we want it. Also useful when leaving the boat as we can now lock it in the centre by cleating each adjuster line. I thought about making it an endless adjustment line but it was too painful so I kept it simple. When you need to say, pull the boom to starboard, you slip the starboard line and lock off both when you are happy. If pulling into the wind I have never had any problem, as in the case above, pulling the port line to move the car over.

I fixed those loop bolts at either end of the track to attach the blocks to, I find on a 9ft boom 30ft mast, 6mm line is plenty adequate to move the boom about.

Slightly different traveller, but I can't see why you can't adapt upon my idea.

 

[Lakesailor]

I had the same on my Foxcub. I moved the mainsheet track from the bridge-deck to a bearer in the cockpit to make single-handed sailing easier.
I shouldn't think you really need the blocks on the traveller, just a line to a cam cleat at each side, as I found I never adjusted it under load.
Having said that I usually left it in the middle unless it was really light airs and I wanted to make the sail a lot fuller on a beat. I never found the alternate option of flattening the sail by dropping it to windward and sheeting-in worked that well. When it's gusty in a small boat the difference between OK and over-pressed is very thin.

 

[silverdawn]

Many thanks for your advice and ideas.