On the 367 cutter I have seen several with the traveller track moved forward of the companionway on risers with the main sheet mid-boom. On Silver Wings I am looking at dodger options and have a thought...
Has anyone built a hard dodger with a strong enough frame to put the traveller on top of the dodger? My thinking is that moving the traveller forward of the companionway with mid-boom sheeting puts a LOT of extra load on the main sheet as well as loading the middle of the boom. I thought of either having an 1-1/4" double arch fabricated that would follow the angle of the cabin sides which would be bolted down with backing plates or to fab a laminated arch with strips of mahogany.
Not being an engineer, I am curious as to the lateral (sideways) load in the traveller when the boom is out on a beam or broad reach as well as the torque (twist) on such an arch with the boom way out down wind. I can see that an arch would have to be stout, perhaps with struts forward on each side of the companionway to support this forward loading.
I have just been looking at dodger design options and it seems that the traveller location is a limiting factor and a hard dodger of this sort would solve the relocation of the traveller but not put it so far forward.
Am I nuts?! ???
I know there is I saw your old post mentioning that you were going to a hard dodger. We have a P367 cutter and are looking at dodger options. I would like to see what you came up with.
Thanks,
Risto and Liz
"Silver Wings" (formerly "Sol")a lot of brain-power looking at this site and welcome any insight.
Thanks,
Risto
Risto,
Talaria, our current 365 sloop has mid boom sheeting, as did our previous three cruising boats. It has never been a problem and to me the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. With a traveler you get a wider range of control, and the cockpit remains clear. When racing, the main sheet trimmer stays forward out of the way. The sheet to boom attachment is usually to two or three bails spaced out over three or four feet, spreading the load on the boom, so no great fear of spar failure. We have beat into thirty knots true in steep seas with no difficulty with the sheet location. It DOES require a dedicated winch in heavy going. My point here is that an off the shelf traveler setup and dodger is less complicated an I assume much less expensive than the rig you are suggesting. However, your idea with the stainless tube arch for an elevated traveler is standard on many of the newer Hunters and you can probably gain much info through that company. Good luck.
Jim
Placing the traveler on top of a hard dodger would be difficult. Unless the dodger is very low, there will be insufficient room for the track and tackles. On the 365, the three block sheeting arrangement is forward of the dodger and I have seen a track system installed there.
My harken traveler is ahead of the gutter thats built into the deck for a dodger. There is a aluminum I beam built into every Pearson 365 that enables attachment of the traveler forward of the companionway without a lot of excess hardware. Portside there is a hardwood block with dual stainless bolts through the cabin top. Altogether 6 bolts 2 each port, starboard and center .
Here's a link to my previous post where this is shown.
http://www.pearson365.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg6198#msg6198
I have a 6:1 tackle that goes forward to the mast and down and back to the cockpit with 3/8" line. Sometimes called a cruising main sheet. Pete
Yeah, the more I look at it, it would be hard to have enough clearance between dodger and boom. I will take a look at the conventional raised traveller track forward of the dodger.
Thanks all for the feedback!
Risto,
I understand your dilemma. I have been confronting this same issue for about three years now. Not wanting to put the main track forward as with the 365 because, of the loading mid boom, I also have concerns regarding the strength of the roof compared to the strength around the track set where it is behind the bridge deck. The 367 Mast sits about 18 inches aft of the 365's position therefore moving the track onto the roof and bridging the garage shortens the base line considerably and has got to introduce loads well in excess of what was designed for that area. I visualise either big chunks of roof disappearing as it is ripped out or the boom folding in half.
I have considered a hard dodger but could not come up with a design I like and was worried about trying to lift an engine out at any time.
So I have decided on a rigid frame made of two 1.1/4" or 1.1/2" tubular's. which would need to be bent to form the arch of the dodger roof, a top plate could be welded to mount a curved track to, (my track is unfortunately flat). At each end of the arch it would flare out to three tubular's which would curve sharply down but then flare out again to form a triangular leg arrangement with two legs siting on the winch platform capping, bolted through and a third running inboard down to the bridge deck bolted through the upright face of the cockpit side as it passes and through the bridge deck. Very difficult to describe Two tubular's would be attached to the upper forward tubular and would form the roof and windscreen pillars to give the shape and support of a traditional canvas dodger but still allow access for big lumps of stuff like engines to get in and out of the companionway.
All I need now are the Cajones to lash out a small fortune on the steel and a bender or someone brave/gullible enough to take on the job.
I've got mid-boom sheeting/traveler with cloth dodger. Works really well, especially since I moved the traveler cam cleats from ends of the traveler to inside the dodger so I can adjust the traveler much more easily. It was a hassle going outside the dodger to adjust the traveler. Now, both traveler cleats are port of companionway next to winch that handles mainsheet and spin. halyard.
If you are going to move the traveler and you actively adjust the traveler to shape the main, make sure you bring the traveler trim lines into the dodger. put both next to each other so you can ease and pull simultaneously and to have to straddle the companionway opening adjusting traveler
Other point to watch out for is to not put the traveler too close to the fwd end of the dodger. You need a little room in there for the mainsheet blocks to swing around without banging the dodger. Mine are too close and there is a bit of chafe. Also it's difficult to snap the dodger fabric to the deck because the traveler is too close.
If you are storing you dinghy aft of mast, you probably won't be able to once you go to mid-boom, unless it's a short dink or nesting.