DaySailer.org Forum

I bought a used Spindrift day sailor 17. I have it all rigged except for the traveler. I am not sure how to do this correctly. Can anyone help me out. Preferably with some photos or a website to go to. Thanks

Look in the gallery on this site to see whether any of the pictures matches your boat. There are many different setups for the DaySailer and it's not clear which one is the one on your boat.

All Spindrift Daysailer 1 came with mid boom sheeting. A previous owner may have changed it over.

I stand corrected. I found a manual for a Spindrift Daysailer that talks about the traveler. The system will not let me attach it.

Thanks for all who replied to my set up questions. I finally found a set up that matched my boat's mid boom attachment of for the main sheet.

Now for the next question. The port side stay went boing, unraveled the stainless strands. There were only 4 inner strands left by the time we got the sails down. No one was hurt and the mast stayed up long enough to be towed back to shore.

Where can I find new stays for the Day Sailer I?

Wow, you really lucked out! Usually, when they go boing, they go boing all the way ...

All things DS are to be had here:

www.drmarine.com

Thank you Tim Webb

No prob! You will find Rudy and the gang at D&R a pleasure to do bidness with.

Cleaning the garage several weeks ago and found a Fico (bought by Ronstan years ago if memory serves right) Mid-Boom Traveler, Harken Fiddle Ratchet Block and the wood spanner bar (template only as I had to cut it apart to remove) connecting the tanks and centerboard trunk.
$100.00 and I'll pick-up the UPS Shipping. More than happy to e-mail a photograph.
Mike Gillum DS #2772
(916) 847-5780 (cell)

I have an '83 Spindrift Daysailer and it definitely has a traveler at the stern. The traveler line goes through vertical grommeted holes in the gunwale on each side of the rear deck near the transom and is fixed with stopper knots outside the hull under the gunwale lip. The mainsheet ties to the post of a becket block at the end of the boom, down to a back-to-back traveler block, back up over the sheave of the becket block, forward to a block at mid-boom, and then down to a swivel block with cleat mounted at the aft end of the centerboard trunk. It seems fairly simple, reasonably effective, and everything stays attached and threaded when the boom is stowed for trailering (quick and easy at the ramp).

But... after reading about the advantages of having the traveler anchored amidships - I tried it and the boat definitely seems to point higher with the sail more close hauled. So I'm thinking of changing the traveler rigging. The quick, easy and free approach would be to simply tie off the traveler block in the middle. I think I read somewhere that ~12" above the aft deck is optimum. Would this have a negative affect on my ability to reach and run? If shifting the traveler anchor point offers a noticeable performance advantage at varying points of sail, my thought is to mount a block to each of the existing traveler mounting holes, add a cleat on the deck or the deck bulkhead, and mount a loop of line with the lower half of the traveler block tied to the mid point in the loop. I figure that a quick turn around the cleat, capturing the knot between the horns, would provide secure midships sheeting and, with the loop released from the cleat, the traveler would be free to fall off to lee. What do those of you with more experience in this boat think about this idea? I'm definitely open to suggestions as long as they are reasonably simple, reasonably cheap, and don't increase my trailer-to-water time.

I'm also looking to add a simple boom vang, but that's another thread...

Thanks,
- John

John,

letting the traveler fall off gives a tad more vertical pull on the boom in close reach situations. A simple boom vang would take over this function for broad reach. A mega-boom-vang (20:1) could be used even upwind and make the traveler location less relevant. Many people here swear by this beefy vang (and call the method of sailing with it "vang sheeting").

Mounting two upright blocks at or near where you have the holes and stopper knots today is definitely workable. Phill Root describes such a system and I've copied it. Instead of a horn cleat, I followed his suggestion and mounted a simple hook. I don't know whether your '83 has a rear deck with wood coaming like the older DS1s. Mine does and I've simply screwed the hook into the back side of the coaming. I have a knot with a loop at the mid-point and that knot goes over the hook when I want to lock the traveler.

If you don't' oversize the traveler you can tie both ends to your block, and leave a loop in the middle. I used some spare rope, so mine is oversized and all I could do was a single standard knot around the becket of the traveler block. That left me with the two ends of the traveler and a challenge how to tie them together and yet have a loop. I solved that with a sheet bend tied with one of the ends doubled, which leaves a nice loop sticking out of the knot.



(Imagine you had doubled the red end, then you would have a nice small loop sticking up in this image. The knot will not come apart if pulled that way)

I originally did it that way as well so I could experiment with slightly different lengths of traveler. Now, after many seasons, the knot around the becket is so tight, I cannot undo it any longer and until it's time to cut apart and throw away the traveler I'm stuck with it the way it is.

GreenLake -

I'm coming back to sailing after many years, and my primary crew (wife) never sailed until this summer, so I'm not sure we're quite ready for vang sheeting and the like. Ask me again in a couple years.

I like the simple hook suggestion. That would minimize the extra traveler loop length needed and simplify the close-hauled to reach/run transition. On the other hand, a cleat might have other uses (anchoring a boom crutch or a mast and boom holder for trailering...). I'll have to think about this. Our boat does have wooden coamings, but they are thin and nearly flush with the decks - they seem to be decorative more than structural - any cleat or hook will need to be mounted on the rear deck or on the face of the stern coaming with bolts through both the coaming and the fiberglass lip it's mounted to.

Your image didn't come through, but it seems to be a simple concept that you describe. I'll need to double check, but I'll bet that I'd be able to dead-end both ends of a 1/4" line on the existing block - 5/16 might be too tight, but good 1/4" line should have plenty of strength.

Thanks for your advise. I'll try to remember to post a few pictures next spring and a report on what I end up with,
- John

Almost all lines on most DS I've seen or read about are oversized given the relation between actual loads and the safe working loads the line could handle. I bet you could go down to 3/16" or even 1/8" for the traveler, using some high-strength no-stretch rope. Unlike the sheet, you don't need to be able to grip the traveler, so there's no benefit in extra bulk.

To make sailing more enjoyable, switch one or both of the blocks on your boom to ratchet blocks. I like the Ronstan ones that engage if the pull exceeds some set minimum. (That way I don't have to remember to turn off the ratchet in light winds.) They make holding your main so much easier, that you don't have to rely on the cleats as much - also make sure your cleats uncleat from the top, so they can be uncleated more easily and don't "self-cleat" everytime you adjust the sail trim (I find those downfacing cleats rather annoying and think they are a capsize risk).

Greenlake -

Yep, our traveler line is definitely larger than it needs to be.

I do have my eye on a mainsheet ratchet block for the next round of improvements. Our current rig has a swivel block-with-cleat. Top loaded. When we first got it, the cleat was mounted a bit high and tended to lock in too easily. I adjusted the angle so that a bit of down force is required to cleat the sheet, but a straight pull releases it. Good enough for now.

- John

Looks like you are all set up then.