The never-ending project to fill my hole in the ocean while bailing it out

Preparing for Sailing Season '05
Traveler Car & Control Lines Project

Description

I bought a traveler car from Catalina Direct so that I won't have to dig out the pliers and wrestle with those nuisance thumbscrews each time I want to adjust the traveler. I'd acquired the rest of the parts that I'd need, and yesterday began rigging the control lines. (May 5, 2005)

Once the traveler car was mounted on the traveler bar, I ran the 1/4" control lines around the stern and forward, determining where the hardware needed to be mounted.

The first challenge I encountered was, each side of the deck is different: on the port side there is the aft vent to get around; on the starboard is the stern light. I decided to start the control lines forward along the outside of the coaming. A turning block redirects the line forward on each side, and a fairlead brings the control lines alongside the coaming.

Forward of the turning blocks and fairleads, the next challenge was stepping it up to the top of the coaming, clearing the coaming's edge and leading the line to where I planned to install Harken Cam-Matic cam cleats. To make the step up, I used small spring-loaded stand-up bullet blocks. On the top edge of the coaming I mounted the cam cleats. (Geez, the name on the side's going to have to be touched up before launch!)

A closer view of the port side turning block and fairlead. To get better access to attach the fairlead, I removed the stern cleats. I rebedded them, then used large fender washers when reinstalling them, instead of the small washers that I'd found upon their removal.

A closer view of the port side cam cleat and spring-loaded stand-up bullet block.

After tightening everything down into the bedding compound this morning, I added a cam cleat with fairlead to each side for the jib sheets. The jib sheet cleats also had been originally installed also using only small washers, so I replaced them with large fender washers.

On the starboard side, I led the control line to its turning block just ahead of the stern light then forward using the same procedure as on the port side.  (May 5. 2005)

UPDATE:  After a smart suggestion from Dick King on the discussion list this morning, I rearranged the traveler control lines on the traveler car to provide a 2:1 mechanical advantage. To accomplish this, I added two 1/4" twist shackles to the traveler bar (twist shackles to prevent the lines from chafing against the thumbscrew stops, which hold them outboard). I also removed the thumbscrews and replaced them with stainless steel set-screws. Then I routed the control lines through the traveler car and back to their respective shackles, where they are tied off.  (May 6, 2004)

The traveler car, back view looking forward, with the new control line arrangement.

-- See subsequent 2009 improvement --