traveller track postion

[tomb]

I am currently renovating an old ok and have removed the old traveller as it was shot. I have been searching to see if there is any critical dimension as to the height of the traveller bar. I can increase the bend and install on top of the centreboard casing which would give the lowest point for the block to mount, is this best?

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look forward to any comments
tom

[davecooper]

Hi Tom,
I think most people would regard the track position as shown in your pic as way too high: going to windward in a breeze you need to pull the boom pretty well down to the deck so that the mast bends and the sail depowers. Also, if you’re thinking about putting the fixed block on that pad on the back of the centreboard box, that’s generally found not to work very well because it stops the traveller going right down the track: you can let the traveller right off but when you sheet in, the horizontal pull from the fixed block drags the boom back towards the centre.

https://www.okdinghy.co.uk/gallery/snaps/jhunt.jpg

This pic shows you pretty much how low and how far out the boom is in a breeze. The fixed bock is pretty well down on the floor.
I think if I was you I’d use the pad on the cb box to anchor the middle of the track: the ends of the track can attach to the bottom of the sidedeck inwhales and I’d put the fixed bock down on the floor a couple of inches aft of the cb box.

Dave Cooper

[tomb]

Dave

many thanks for the reply, regarding the track position I literally just laid it there so it was in the picture. Should have been a little more clearer in my questions! the plan is as follows

1) mount the traveller bar onto some chocks that are towards the bottom of the inside deck panel (inwhales?)
2) mount directly onto the centreboard casing as low as possible maybe where the main sheet block used to be
3) move the block onto the floor

the main guidance I am after is
1) Is it better to have more bend in the traveller and mount higher up the side decks
or
2) run with the curve I have got and mount lower down the side decks? basically is there any benefit to more curve in the traveller and mounting as low as possible on the CB casing?

I also could not find any critical dims within rules stating the required max or min position of the traveller di not want to fit then find out illegal!

[davecooper]

Ah, sorry! I looked at the pic and thought that was where you were aiming to stick the traveller! There isn’t anything in the rules – you can put the traveller absolutely anywhere. I think the idea of curving the traveller is so that you can adjust the traveller position without altering the rig adjustment – if you let the traveller off, the distance to the fixed block increases and that would pull the boom lower on a straight traveller. Looking at your pic, it looks like the traveller has the same sort of bend in the vertical plane that most modern oks seem to have – maybe 50mm lower in the middle than the ends (just guessing that figure!), but most new boats also have the track radiused so that the sheet is pulling vertically down on the boom all the way from the centre to the end of the track. I imagine trying to put a 2D bend on like that is pretty difficult and unless you have a technique for it I wouldn’t bother!
Dave

[tomb]

Dave

Mast thanks for that will get it fixed in and move on to next job!

[tomb]

Mast = many! Thinking about the next job whilst typing!

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