Hi ! I would like to build traveler support from wood on my 43' LOA
sailboat(fiberglass).It would be 5' long and raised 10''.What kind of wood
would the best to use for this project.Any www. to support that?
Best Regards,Adam

On Tue, 3 Feb 2004 17:27:34 -0800, "Ytter"
wrote:

Hi ! I would like to build traveler support from wood on my 43' LOA
sailboat(fiberglass).It would be 5' long and raised 10''.What kind of wood
would the best to use for this project.Any www. to support that?
Best Regards,Adam


The traveler horse on my J36 is teak. It has held up fine for 23
years. How thick it should be depends on the size of your main and
whether it is sheeted mid boom or end.

Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


Capsizing under chute, and having the chute rise and fill without tangling, all while Mark and Sally are still behind you

Adam,
There certainly is no problem using wood as a traveller support on
your boat. The only problem I see is the fact that it needs to be
raised 10" This would require quite a bit of wood and be really
bulky. At the end of the day it is far more practical to have one
fabricated out of SS or aluminum. There are all kinds of pre-fab
traveller supports out there. Harken, Antal, Schaffer etc. all make
them.
If you do decide to go with wood, I would agree that teak would be a
nice choice. One advantage here is that Teak can be left unfinished
if desired and not rot or deteriorate. Many people like to oil thier
teak for some reason, but this is not the best Idea, both for
protecting the wood, or for making maitenance easier. Varnished teak
does look fabulous, but it is not the easiest wood to varnish and
maintain in that sense. Lord knows I have acres of varnished teak on
my boat, and while it does look great, it does keep me up at night
sometimes worrying about it.
Alternatives to teak could be Mahogany, Iroko or Fir. As far as
Construction goes, I would laminate 1/2" or 3/4" strips of wood to the
desired thickness, then shape to suit. Epoxy would be my glue of
choice here, however you could go with resorcinol if you wished. If
the track follows a camber, then just laminate the support on a jig.
Make sure you put slightly more camber than is needed, because the
wood will inevitably spring back a little bit. Again though, I would
think about a pre-fab or custom metal riser. Let me know if you need
anymore help
-Eli

"Ytter" wrote in message ...
Hi ! I would like to build traveler support from wood on my 43' LOA
sailboat(fiberglass).It would be 5' long and raised 10''.What kind of wood
would the best to use for this project.Any www. to support that?
Best Regards,Adam

Eli is correct in his observation and recommendations.. To get 10" height
would require a lot of wood structure.. Kind of a "Trestle"..

Many boat with a mid boom sheet end up with a structure over the cabin top
and companion way.. Here was my solution, fabricated out of stainless steel.
http://hood.hctc.com/~esteve/traveller02.jpg

There are some traveler end supports that are intended to be fitted to
proprietory tracks, but IMHO they lack support in the middle of the track,
where it is needed must.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Thanks for the confirmation of my thoughts Steve... As far as your
situation goes, getting support in the middle of your traveller bar is
fairly simple. Just weld a flange running the length of the traveller
support along the middle of the underside, thus making a rigid I-beam.
It on only need be 1/8"x1" in section, but this should beef it up
considerably, and it is an inexpensive modification
-Eli

"Steve" wrote in message ...
Eli is correct in his observation and recommendations.. To get 10" height
would require a lot of wood structure.. Kind of a "Trestle"..

Many boat with a mid boom sheet end up with a structure over the cabin top
and companion way.. Here was my solution, fabricated out of stainless steel.
http://hood.hctc.com/~esteve/traveller02.jpg

There are some traveler end supports that are intended to be fitted to
proprietory tracks, but IMHO they lack support in the middle of the track,
where it is needed must.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Actually, you can't see the beam cross section. It is a 1/4" X 2" flat bar
as a base, then the track is a "X" in cross section, formed by two 3/16"X 1
1/2" angles.. The whole thing is welded.. (needless to say, I'm a retired
welder metal worker).

The traveler car is a LEWMAR running on roller bearings and which normally
would have been on an aluminum X track, on a trestle.. My arrangement is
much stronger.

The traveler control lines lead to a Hood continuous line winch.. With the
purchase I have on the line control, I can winch the car to windward in the
heaviest of conditions without luffing up..

I'm pretty happy with it, if I do say so myself.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Woops....sorry Steve. I misread your post. I thought your were
referring to your own support being weak in the middle, not the
production ones. For what it's worth, I have a production on on my
boat (I don't remember who the manufacturer is....I think it's
Italian), and there has been no noticable deflection, even in the
heaviest winds.
-Eli


"Steve" wrote in message ...
Actually, you can't see the beam cross section. It is a 1/4" X 2" flat bar
as a base, then the track is a "X" in cross section, formed by two 3/16"X 1
1/2" angles.. The whole thing is welded.. (needless to say, I'm a retired
welder metal worker).

The traveler car is a LEWMAR running on roller bearings and which normally
would have been on an aluminum X track, on a trestle.. My arrangement is
much stronger.

The traveler control lines lead to a Hood continuous line winch.. With the
purchase I have on the line control, I can winch the car to windward in the
heaviest of conditions without luffing up..

I'm pretty happy with it, if I do say so myself.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions