DaySailer.org Forum

For crosby traveler,
Does anyone have pics or good drawing of the crosby traveler where it comes together centered on the transom deck and the back coaming?

Best I have is this one. It's recent. so you may have seen it already.
There's no wind in the picture, so everything has collapsed down, but that way, all parts fit into the picture.

And then there's picture by Phill Root, a former champion DS sailor.



I simply have a hook underneath the coaming where I hook the knot that connects the two ends of the traveler. (The knot is a sheet bend, where I doubled up one of the lines before tying it, so that a loop sticks out instead of a free end - just try it, and it will become apparent). That loop is what goes around the hook. (The line is grossly oversized, but it's from a time I rigged a temporary one to figure out what I wanted).

Phil tied/spliced together both ends and then has one tail go into a cleat. I can cast loose the traveler altogether or center it. He can fine-tune it. Otherwise the setups are the same.

There's a variation that dispenses with the block and separate line for the traveler. In that, the mainsheet gets run from the boom end block to one of the transom blocks, across to the other, and back up and tied to the end of the boom (or more likely to a becket on the block at the end of the boom). It's the least adjustable of all these variants, but also the simplest. The mainsheet will form a big triangle.

Hi. These pics and description are helpful.
This is my 1st DS1 and 1st time to rig for crosby traveler. In fact, if it wasn't for John Alesch, I wouldn't have this nice find but that's another story!
I had a DS2 with the midboom rigging so I'm not too familiar on how to rig the DS1 here.

A couple of questions:
1. On Phil's pic, I can't zoom in, but there looks like a double cheek block that the tail passes through and then a cam cleat. Is that right?
Does anyone have a link to that double cheek part? I can't find it on the interweb. Could a fairlead with SS insert do the same function?

2. When sailing close haul, how is the traveler adjusted to have the boom on center? I would suppose that the mainsheet is brought in tight.

Thanks!

I believe, friction isn't going to kill you on this application; if I'm right you could use any combination of fairleads or blocks that works.

This setup allows you to pull the main tight, then let out a bit of the traveler to adjust the boom location without too much change in the leech tension of the main.

KC wrote that many people are moving to a split mainsheet. This part of the setup will work if you do want to go that route at a later point. (Because the setup is the same you can google and find some pictures of how people have rigged that. However, while I can easily find pictures of installed versions of that "double" cheek block, I cannot find it in anyone's catalog. You may have to call some better outfit and see whether someone can identify it for you or special order it. (Or make up your own arrangement from separate parts).

Having a good vang (read up on vang sheeting) might also be part of that picture.

All require that you have decent sails that can be trimmed flat and that you understand precisely what mast pre-bend you need to match your sail -- but as this particular setup isn't tricky to do, you might as well get that in place first.

I get it now on the fairlead, there are options.
As for trimming when close hauled, I have new sails by Neil Pryde and the boom vang is similar to that by D & R Marine with ratio 3:1.

I've read your posts and the others on the "20:1 vang" and so do you recommend that I up the ratio from the 3:1?

As for mast bend and tension, I have a stepped mast so it doesn't bend like the 1 piece tappered.

I'm still working on prep and plan to get her out in mid Sept.

Thanks.

My vang is a 12:1