Ronstan Repair Shop for old gear?

[Deric]

Hello Mates,

I have an old Ronstan car that looks like the new Ronstan car#11922; however, my old must be larger because the track is wider than the tracks available by the company.

I am hoping that I can find a shop that can replace the bearings and the end caps, which hold the bearings in the car, or buy one that is used car rather than having to redo the entire car track and car.

When I needed repair on a Schaeffer block, I sent the block to Schaeffer for repair. I had hoped Ronstan would do the same. I have sent email to Ronstan and have not received a reply. I have contacted a dealer of Ronstan who told me it can't be repaired, and that I needed to buy an entire new system -- replace car track fill holes, redrill new holes, buy brand new car -- kaching, kaching, kaching.

One would think there are parts about, or left over parts sitting in a warehouse. Hard to believe that there are no bearings or plastic caps to be had.

I ask my fellow sailors for opinions and advice.

What say ye?

(picture of car and measurement of track)

The track and car are fastened to a half wishbone boom and is used for the outhaul and reefing adjustments. The boat is a Herreshoff Cat Ketch.

Thank you for your help.

Deric

[Ilenart]

A couple of years ago I had a similar car explode and I managed to find a compatible unit that fitted the existing track. Some of these units can sit at the shops for years before they sell so I would scout around a few Chandlery shops. I would also look at other brands which may fit the existing track.

Good luck Ilenart

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by Deric

Hello Mates,

I have an old Ronstan car that looks like the new Ronstan car#11922; however, my old must be larger because the track is wider than the tracks available by the company.

I am hoping that I can find a shop that can replace the bearings and the end caps, which hold the bearings in the car, or buy one that is used car rather than having to redo the entire car track and car.

When I needed repair on a Schaeffer block, I sent the block to Schaeffer for repair. I had hoped Ronstan would do the same. I have sent email to Ronstan and have not received a reply. I have contacted a dealer of Ronstan who told me it can't be repaired, and that I needed to buy an entire new system -- replace car track fill holes, redrill new holes, buy brand new car -- kaching, kaching, kaching.

One would think there are parts about, or left over parts sitting in a warehouse. Hard to believe that there are no bearings or plastic caps to be had.

I ask my fellow sailors for opinions and advice.

What say ye?

(picture of car and measurement of track)

The track and car are fastened to a half wishbone boom and is used for the outhaul and reefing adjustments. The boat is a Herreshoff Cat Ketch.

Thank you for your help. Deric

Find an industrial bearing supply house in your area. They can supply an incredible number of obscure bearing related items. I presume your car has ball bearings? If so or even if they are rollers or something else, there are only so many sizes they could be. Any decent bearing supplier will have them all or can get them in a number of materials. I imagine you will need Delrin balls but that's just an educated guess.

The end caps are a different story - they are almost certainly proprietary but they can usually be replaced with something else for little $$ with a bit of imagination and / or creativity. Considering the probable several $hundred cost of a replacement, I'd be tempted to investigate your repair options first.

[Deric]

I was able to locate replacement bearings. A company called Sailrite had them.

The bearings are .25 of an inch made by Tarlon.

Ronstan sent me a reply to my email. They said that I may be able to use a newer car without having to replace the track.

I am researching end cap options for my car.

Update forthcoming.

[jay grant]

Tapped the attachment clip and two blank boxes poped up. What gives?

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by Deric

I was able to locate replacement bearings. A company called Sailrite had them.

The bearings are .25 of an inch made by Tarlon.

Ronstan sent me a reply to my email. They said that I may be able to use a newer car without having to replace the track.

I am researching end cap options for my car.

Update forthcoming.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that they are MADE OF Torlon, a type of hard plastic similar to Delrin and used for non-lubricated bearings, not by a company named Tarlon.

[tommays]

Mcmaster is generally the cheep source for plastic balls of all types as i have replaced a bunch of balls on Lewmar blocks

There are about 200 balls in a double block and shaving gel does a good job of holding the balls still

[Deric]

I had posted this topic when I was looking for bearings and plastic end caps for a traveler car that is fastened to the half wishbone boom on my boat.

During that month of the post, the only solution appeared to be to replace the car with a new one at 350 bucks. Instead, I purchased the bearings from Sailrite and I discovered a company, Smooth-On, that had materials to allow one to create a mold and materials to make a cast (replica) of the end cap.

I created a mold from an undamaged end cap. I poured a cast. The process was simply so I created several spare end caps.

I share this solution because it served me well. I saved more than 325 bucks, learned a new skill. and afforded myself with many spare parts for future maintenance.

Lastly, I do not work for Sailrite not Smooth-On. I only share the company names as a matter of reference.

Thank you contributors for your suggestions and advice.

Best,
Deric