When do you use the traveler?

I just bought a 1980 hobie 16. I have an albacore and race 420 out of my local yacht club and has also sailed several other monohulls but despite all of my research I'm unfamiliar with sailing a hobie.

First, when should I use the traveler instead of the main sheet? I know that the H16 sails best with a lot of mast rake upwind but is it the same for reaching? Do I simply keep the sheet in and adjust using the traveler?

Also should I set the jib cars based on wind conditions or do I adjust them as I'm sailing to optimize different points of sail?

Any other tips or advice for sailing a hobie and how it differs from a monohull would be helpful as well.
Thanks

You adjust the jib and main travelers based on the point of sail.
Inward for upwind, Out for broad reaches and down wind.
In between depending on the reach.
Tell tales on the sails will help to show you when you have the travelers set right.

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JKK
83 yellow/ white decks Hobie 14 Corando turbo
82 yellow hulls Hobie 16 Cat Fever
84 yellow hulls hobie 16 Yellow Nationals
plus a few extras that I'm restoring

My main has tell tales along the windows in the sail but not along the leech, would you suggest putting them along the leech or is it unecessarry?

On a reach, adjust the mains lower telltales using the traveller, adjust the uppers with the mainsheet.

Think of it this way:

The traveler adjusts the angle of the whole sail with respect to the wind.
It's a coarse adjustment. Additionally, when you are overpowered upwind, traveling out some will reduce the boat's inclination to heel up on every puff. In really big wind, it's not uncommon to be traveled out to the hiking strap upwind.


The mainsheet controls the amount of twist in the sail. Less tension - more twist. The angle of the wind to the sail is not constant over the height of the sail. Twist allows the sail to function more optimally. Even the solid wing sails of the America's Cup catamarans allowed for twist:

If you are racing a 420, you already know most what you need to know to get the most out of your 16. Biggest difference relates to heel. You want to keep the 420 flat so it planes easily. You want to keep the 16 heeled slightly so that one ama is out of the water to reduce wetted area. The traveler is used to control heel (along with mainsheet). Like others have said, travel down off the wind. Some folks like to play the traveler upwind instead of the mainsheet, you might try it, I'm not that comfy doing that, though, myself.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

Thanks for the tips, can't wait to get my boat out for the first time this weekend!