SX18 single handed

I have been doing more and more of this when my wife and daughter decide to stay behind, and northerly wind season is here due to the cold fronts racing south through the gulf of Mexico and the high pressure gradient.

So, I wanted to consult with all you guys what you think about setting up some cam cleats in the wing so I can have access to my traveler line ? I am easily overpowered here and I need a fast, hassle free method of traveling the main in or out from the wing. The cleat in the rear crossbar is not cutting it as I have to be on top of the hull to cleat it back after uncleating.

I had planned on drilling the holes through the wing tramp about 4 feet from the aft portion of the wing and riveting the cleats there.

Just don't forget to take your traveler control line with you when you tack or jibe.

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Have you considered just bending the traveler bracket so the cleat points higher upward (or buying the Harken plastic wedges that allow you to change the cleat angle)? This would allow you to more easily work the traveler from the wing. How much do you really need to adjust the traveler? I generally just set it and leave it for a given windspeed/heading. The mainsheet and downhaul are your primary "on the fly" controls. Do you have your downhaul rigged so you can adjust it from the wings?

I would think having to uncleat, carry across, and reset the traveler line during each tack would be a major PITA and would probably end up in quite a few blown tacks. Especially when you consider that you already have to handle the mainsheet, jib sheet, and rudders.

sm

Not sure if that cleat can be pointed high enough, it is a very good idea and would be the ideal thing to do.

Northerly winds here tend to be very gusty--up to 35 knots in the lake. I usually need a combination of mainsheet tension and traveler out to depower. In the same point of sail I may have 15 knots or 25-30 knots in gusts. Letting out that much mainsheet makes the ride miserable.

I admit I don´t have the downhaul control in the purchase or extension that I would like or should, but I usually leave that alone before I launch depending on wind and it is pulled in very tight under these circumstances and don´t really see the need to loosen it.

In that case, I would go for the Harken wedges under the cleat as a first try. That'll be the lowest cost and easiest change. I think the wedges are around 10 or 15 degrees and you can stack several of them if you need to achieve larger angles. You will need to buy longer screws too.

The reason to play the downhaul is the same reason you play the mainsheet or traveler- it provides a change in power to the rig. Tighter in the gusts, looser in the lulls. If you're able to adjust it on the fly, the change in power is pretty noticable.


sm

Got it, thanks for the advice!!

Before you drill into the wings to mount your cleats, you want to be sure you got the location right. I mounted a cleat to a small board, then tied it around the wing; This allowed me to try different locations to get it right. I also sail ~80% solo (magnum). I learned that where I wanted the cleat located changed when sailing with crew.

I guess I'm a little confused. I find the traveler to be almost useless on the boat. Due to the curve of the x-bar if you have the main on hard the traveler can only move so far because the tension increases as it moves. My boat is spin equipped and the proper technique to slow the boat under spin is to travel the main out and backwind it. In order to protect the mast the main sheet must stay locked, it becomes a backstay. I must release some main tension to get the traveler to move enough that it matters. If the rear x-bar was flat this would not occur.

Are you guys able to get the traveler to work with the main sheet tight?

As SRM has stated above under normal and fairly stable wind conditions and constant point of sail I´ll look for optimal traveler position and wont touch it. But in heavy gusts single handed and easily overpowered I find a combination of letting out mainsheet and traveling out to be the best solution to keep that windward hull just touching the water. But you´re right, if I am sheeted in hard I have to let go a little mainsheet before traveling out. But the mainsheet is in my hand anyway, so I´m just looking for a way to have my traveler line handy while sitting on the wing. I´m thinking the only way to do this will be to have it cleated nearby in the wing like I had originally thought.

Al: Are you suggesting 2 cleats on each wing, one each for mainsheet and traveller?
I find that having the traveller line tied to the end of the mainsheet gives me easy access to traveller adjustment while on the wing.

I think the reluctance of the traveler to move under load has more to do with the design of the traveler bearings than it does with the curve of the rear crossbar. The curve of the rear crossbar would effectively tighten the mainsheet as you travel out however as the boom swings outboard, the upper and lower mainsheet blocks also come more inline with one another and this effectively reduces mainsheet tension. So it probably ends up staying about the same at least for the first two or so feet of travel.

The slides in the traveler are really the source of the problem. They don't like to move unless the mainsheet is pretty loose. A long time ago, we experimented with having the crew operate the traveler upwind and the only way we could pull the traveler back in when fully sheeted was if the crew pulled in on the traveler line and I pulled in on the mainsheet simultaneously.

If you have no interest in one design racing, you might consider installing a Harken ball bearing track to the top of the rear crossbar. Those travel super easy.

sm

No, absolutely not. The cleat would be only for the traveler line. Consider this sailing single handed: What is better for smoother control and more effective depowering, letting out a lot of mainsheet ? (which becomes very hard to pull back in after the puffs) or--to me a better alternative--letting out smaller amounts of mainsheet and traveler combined? This latter one prevents the mast from counter rotating as much. A cleat in the wing properly positioned would serve the purpose perfectly. I always have my mainsheet in the non tilller hand, and it would be a snap to get a hold of the traveler line now cleated right beside my hand over the wing. It would also prevent a lot of mainsheet line getting tossed in the water between the wing and the hull.

BTW, my mainsheet is the same line controlling the traveler, but it is so long that they practically work independently.

The best method in my experience is to set the traveler for the lulls (so that during the lulls you are still reasonably powered up an not getting 'tea bagged'). Manage the puffs through moderate mainsheet trimming and steering. And fine-tune the rig's power and CE through downhaul adjustment.

You shouldn't need to be dumping and pulling in massive amounts of mainsheet.

Another very important thing to do is to watch for the puffs and lulls on the water so you can anticipate wind speed/direction changes before they happen. You can't watch the water if you're constantly messing around with all your control lines.

sm

I agree with SRM. Its better to set the traveler to the lulls and work the boat and main sheet to control the boat. In real gusty conditions you can't react fast enough if overpowered, or underpowered sometimes. A 30kt gust is a beast regardless of what you do.

Dave Gauci with a 21SE has mounted cleats on his wings to keep the traveler line and cunningham line close at hand when trapped out solo sailing. It is discussed on the 21 forum, http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=12230

The same thoughts could be applied on the 18.