Questions about the traveler on my 27 Cat

[n0w0rries]

The traveler on my boat is right behind the tiller. There are some notches in the rail behind the tiller because the bolts on the tiller hit it (they're either worn in or they were filed/grinded down on purpose). I have attached a pic (the notched/damaged area is circled in red)

I went out on a 34' Beneteau last weekend and I really liked how it was rigged. The traveler was over the cabin.

So now I've got the itch to tweak my rigging. I don't like that the traveler gets caught in the middle. Any recommendations? Should I consider moving it over the cabin? I'd have to mount it on an arch so the cabin top could still slide... would I end up hating it because I'd be hitting my head on it all the time? Any other tricks you can recommend? Any inexpensive ways to repair what I have? I guess mount a piece of teak under the rail so it wouldn't hit the tiller anymore, but I'd still have to fix that rail.

[sailingdog]

I'm guessing that the mainsheet is end-boom sheeted at the moment. If you were to move the traveler forward to the cabin top, you'd likely need to upgrade to a heavier traveler track and increase the purchase on the main sheet, since it would be mid-boom sheeted now and would need to bridge the companionway, which your current traveler is probably not capable of doing safely. You'd also have to make sure that the boom you have is sufficiently strong to handle the loads of a mid-boom sheeting setup.

One simpler fix would be to move the traveler aft a couple of inches. That would prevent the tiller from hitting it, and still leave the main sail end-boom sheeted. It wouldn't require new hardware either.

[n0w0rries]

Ok so moving it forward sounds cost prohibitive.
Moving it backwards won't work either. There's a hatch directly behind it.

Any tips on what to do with the damaged traveler track? Replace just the track? Where to get it, etc?

[sailingdog]

Who made the track?? Does it have any manufacturer logos on the traveller car??

[2Gringos]

Would it help to put some kind of spacers or spacer strip under it and raise it up a bit? Advantage there would be using the same holes, hardware, etc. if that would gain you some clearance. Doesn't look like you need much.

Or could you change/modify the offending hardware on the tiller? Go with smooth headed bolts, like carriage bolts, and cut off any excess thread? take a grinder to that sucker and take the sharp edges off?

[AboardIndigo]

Catalina Direct sells just about every replacement/factory upgrade/aftermarket upgrade part you could want. In your particular situation, you could:

1. Fix/replace the track and/or re-engineer/replace the tiller head.
2. Convert to mid-boom sheeting.

The first option might include shims under the track and or smoothing the damage if it's causing binding when the traveller passes by, or replacing the track with this Catalina Direct part,

Catalina Direct: C-250, CP-25, C-27, Traveler Upgrade For End Boom Sheeting

as well as engineering some sort of stop on the tiller head such that the bolts aren't stopped by the track, but rather are stopped by something that is attached to the tiller head instead (use your imagination). An alternative to this might be replacing the tiller head with one that already has this feature built-in with these Catalina Direct parts,

Catalina Direct: Tiller Head CP-26, C-27, C-30

Catalina Direct: Tiller C-30 Mahogany and Ash

The second option starts like this:

Catalina Direct: C-27 Mid Boom Traveler Upgrade

Good luck!

[2Gringos]

yeah, that's what I said...

(without having a clue what I was talking about, but hey, the ideas were there...)

[AboardIndigo]

Originally Posted by 2Gringos

yeah, that's what I said...

(without having a clue what I was talking about, but hey, the ideas were there...)

I agree, half-heartedly...



...actually, your shim idea might cut the mustard entirely and sparked my bothering to login and reply. Attacking it from the other angle, I was thinking something like a couple of tabs epoxied at 90-120 apart onto the shaft/tube, that stop against a partner epoxied to the cockpit (say 3" lower down the rudder tube than where the track is).

Bird's Eye View:

..______.. hatch
....\ | /.... new bits
......O...... rudder stock

[sailingdog]

I would be hesistant to raise the traveler up at all. That would give the mainsheet a longer lever arm to tear the bolts out of the deck. If the backing plate wasn't sufficiently heavy, you could have a serious issue.

[AboardIndigo]

Dog, that's a theoretical concern that I doubt is applicable in this real-world application.

In fact, the CD page specifically states that shims are used/required in both the Capri 25 retrofit and for early C27 applications.

If you were thinking of 6" posts rather than <1" inch shims, then I rescind my admonishment and agree that it's not a great idea.