hunter traveller arch

[wchevron]

i was at the boston boat show a few weeks back and noticed the hunters have the traveller mounted on a stainless pipe arch over the cockpit. just wondering how this setup works. was thinking of building one for my catalina 30. any thoughts.

[T34C]

Aaaahhh, the famous Rube Goldberg design.

[sailortjk1]

Never did like them.
To each his own I guess.

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by wchevron

i was at the boston boat show a few weeks back and noticed the hunters have the traveller mounted on a stainless pipe arch over the cockpit. just wondering how this setup works. was thinking of building one for my catalina 30. any thoughts.

What attracts you to this idea - do you want to get the traveler out of the cockpit? If so, a less experimental way to do so would be to go to mid-boom sheeting and mount it over the cabintop. You can run the sheet aft on the side-deck if you worry about single-handling.

If you really want an arch, I'd have a naval architect design it for you, or you could end up with a mess.

[k1vsk]

This isn't a novel or untested idea although Hunter is among the few who have adopted the arch to all their larger boats. Among the obvious advantages are easier access to the traveller with end-boom sheeting making it more easily managed with less strain. I've sailed a couple of them with this design and it is definitely easier to tweek the traveller and I'm all for easier.
Designing one yourself such that it is properly supported and able to withstand the stresses inherent in boom controls is inherently something few of us are qualified to properly do so, although Hunter's design is quite good, you may want to go about this with some caution.
I've seen similar arrangements on a Shannon and an Oyster and tend to think their reputations speak more than words here.

[ReverendMike]

I'm not a fan of mid-boom sheeting (high loads and distance from helm) and Hunter's arch is a novel approach. It's not really a DIY project, though.... as the fool says, get a professional to help you on this one.

[chucklesR]

Many of the Cat's I've chartered have the traveller on a arch or at the back of the solid bimini. I love the idea and would love to convert my Gemini' s traveller from back of the cockpit to bimini/arch.
No way I'd do it myself - too many ways to go wrong on how much force it would have to handle and proper braceing.

[wchevron]

i would build it myself. i have a stainless fabricator i do some work with who has a structural engineer working for him. i was really wondering if anyone had a hunter or had sailed a hunter with one and how it functioned. it seems like a simpler design than a mid boom traveler.

[SailorMitch]

We call those Hunter Roll Bars. They make a good place for stereo speakers. Need I say more?

But I will -- you probably would have to lose some mainsail area to give headroom under the arch, then more clearance room atop the arch for the traveler, mainsheet stuff, etc. Most Hunters get around this by having huge mains with a big roach, which they can have because of the lack of backstays.

[T34C]

Originally Posted by k1vsk

I've seen similar arrangements on a Shannon and an Oyster and tend to think their reputations speak more than words here.

Luckily the rest of their boats aren't shaped like a clorox bottle.