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The traveler
used is available from Garhauer - see more information on the Mainsheet
Traveler section of the Garhauer website.
They
sell a kit developed for Catalina 36's, but which fits the A28 very
nicely. Garhauer will send
you instructions for measuring. They want the total distance between the
riser legs, and the amount of rise needed. When measurements were sent in,
Garhauer shipped a 48" traveler and car, port and starboard blocks
with cleats (part MT-2), heavy duty port and starboard risers, and backing
plates for the risers (UR-1 or UR-2.) The hardware is VERY sturdy and the
weight is a bit high, which may not appeal to racers.
Garhauer were very supportive through the process.
They mistakenly sent a pair of risers too short and then shipped
the correct items express when notified of the problem.
Locating
the traveler is pretty simple. You'll
want it just barely forward of the main cabin hatch since if it is mounted
too far forward, the added stress on the unsupported aft portion of the
boom would be unnecessarily increased.
Fitting the traveler with an existing dodger could present a
challenge unless the dodger comes down to the cabin top right at the
forward edge of the hatch. If
you look closely at the photos, you can pretty well see how tight the
relationship would be.
Installation
is also very simple, provided your existing cabin-top winches. rope locks
and other hardware leave a clear path for the traveler.
With the parts in hand, it is pretty easy to check for clearances.
You may note in the photos my rope locks. They were repositioned and the handles clear the traveler
with very little clearance, but are quite operable.
Once
you've decided on placement, you'll want to mark the riser base-plate
positions, remove them from the risers (very simple single pin,) and then
use the bases as templates for drilling six holes on each side.
The backing plates are the same quality polished stainless as the
risers, and are far enough off center not to be a hazard to taller cabin
occupants.
12
bolts, standard through cabin-top sealing, and the traveler is in place.
The mainsheet rigging to the boom needs more advantage than a boom
end sheet. I chose to use
three bails each with a single block on the boom to get a good advantage
and to distribute the load over a wider area.
For the time being, I've kept the mainsheet run direct from the traveler
into the cockpit. The block
on the traveler is a triple
with a becket and a cam cleat. Mount
the cleat with jaws down for ease in releasing.
While this leaves it in a good position for control, it may get
fouled in the hatch if its left open.
Pulling the boom to port or starboard while at the dock clears the
hatch completely for easy access.
I've
been very happy with this arrangement for the past two seasons.
I sail alone mostly and find the mainsheet easy to reach in a hurry
without leaving the tiller. I
highly recommend the layout. The
cabin-top traveler allows better vertical control of the boom at wider
angles than the original transom mounted traveler.
Ondine came with a bridge deck traveler which really cut down on
cockpit space. I'd do it
again in a heartbeat.
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