traveller block in middle

N

Nora171010

New Member
The traveller block is never getting close enough to the corner of the boat, as compared to other boats. The traveller is packed on as tight as possible. The tiller is an old rounded one instead of the acme's, is that the problem? or could it be the traveller blocks, thanks.
 
The traveller needs to be tighter still. A low profile carbon tiller (like the Acme) will let you get the traveller a bit tighter while still allowing the tiller some freedom of movement, so that will help. It is easier to get more tension on the traveller if you keep the triangle (between the two traveller fairleads and the knot) as small as possible. Make sure your traveller line is the lowest stretch line you can find.

In lighter wind, the blocks will still try to come into the middle. Easing the mainsheet a few inches for a moment will help the blocks return to the transom corner, and sometimes you will need to physically push the boom to leeward (using your foot is the easiest).
 
Your traveller needs to be as tight as possible and be a low stretch rope. No point having a tight traveller if as soon as the main is pulled in the rope can stretch.
 
Is there any point of sailing (direction or wind speed) that you actually let the traveller out?

In other boats I used to ease/play the traveller rather than mainsheet when overpowered but it seems not to be the case in lasers. Similarly easing the traveller in light winds would open the leech a bit but it seems that easing the sheet is preferred...
 
177102 said:
Is there any point of sailing (direction or wind speed) that you actually let the traveller out?

In other boats I used to ease/play the traveller rather than mainsheet when overpowered but it seems not to be the case in lasers. Similarly easing the traveller in light winds would open the leech a bit but it seems that easing the sheet is preferred...
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No!
this is how I look at it...
[I started sailing Lasers last year but have been sailing 2 handed boats most of my life. Laser were my first single handed and unstayed mast experience.]
Sounds like you may have similar experience. So...IMO...
1. Forget everything you have learnt about sail tuning. Unstayed masts are a very different beast, and when you put a gad awful laser sail on it gets worse. But its the same for all of us and we get great racing don't we.
2. Unlike stayed masts, the only way to create mast bend is by using kicker or mainsheet. Upwind use the kicker to get a good luff shape ie bend the mast and IGNORE the leech. Yes its difficult to ingore the leech if you come from other classes. And in answer to your original Q keep the traveller tight at all times- tight leech at all times upwind, yes it looks awful in light winds.
3. Play the mainsheet when overpowered, the tight kicker will keep the sail shape.
4. Downwind, now use the kicker to get the correct leech tension [do it approaching wward mark to assist bear away]. On light wind runs the luff can look awful but thats ok.
Hope this helps.

Experts may disagree with some of this but I think it is a good starting point for anyone coming from proper rigs. [author puts on tin helmet and ducks
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Strangler said:
1. Forget everything you have learnt about sail tuning. Unstayed masts are a very different beast, and when you put a gad awful laser sail on it gets worse. But its the same for all of us and we get great racing don't we.
2. Unlike stayed masts, the only way to create mast bend is by using kicker or mainsheet. Upwind use the kicker to get a good luff shape ie bend the mast and IGNORE the leech. Yes its difficult to ingore the leech if you come from other classes. And in answer to your original Q keep the traveller tight at all times- tight leech at all times upwind, yes it looks awful in light winds.
Click to expand...

Well that would explain why hardly anyone has leech tell tales! I guess it also dosent helop that my sail is pretty average and looks shit anyway.
 
177102 said:
Well that would explain why hardly anyone has leech tell tales! I guess it also dosent helop that my sail is pretty average and looks shit anyway.
Click to expand...


I sail my radial with leach tails, and I find in marginal wind that I can be the fastest person out on the water. Do you always keep your sail two blocked? It seems that you would be going significantly slower.
 
I have only been sailing a laser for about a month now but I have been using the Andrew Campbell 1:10 rule (1 knot 10" between blocks, 5 knots 5", 10 knots 1") however I have been sailing by myself or with another guy who has had a laser for the same amount of time.

I have put leech tell tales on the sail and have been trying to use them but this is getting away from Nora's original post so i dont want to hijack. Maybe I will start a new thread about when/if to use the traveller.
 
you never need it that tight, just fall off a little, the cat rig isnt ment to have the boom bottomed out to the center of the deck.
 
My current tiller is round as well, but carbon. I always use a Kevlar Travelar, even made my own line with Kevlar Core and Yale Light Sheath (for decreased wear on aluminum travelar eyes). When it is light and lumpy, wind speed variations between 3-10, I would cross my mainsheet, because the twist in the blocks will "lock" the bottom block on the trav line, so it wont slide as you sheet in and out or take a bad wave. My travelar blocks became "broken in", so the twist in the line and blocks did not create too much resistance to get the boom down to 2blk. Had those blocks through 5 lasers......until I traded my last "fast" boat for kids........so I am breaking in a new pair.....One last tip came from Nosensios, in the light and lumpy, crack off the travelar to free up the tiller to get you through the chop. The cross sheet lock tip came from Fast Eddy........
 
If its any consolation, I just use a standard round ali tiller, and 5mm dyneema (spectra) for the traveller. It's set with just enough slack to enable me to put the tiller on when I launch, and I never even think about it otherwise.

I used to find that the traveller always wanted to lift towards the middle in light winds, but soon discovered that as long as I have enough kicker, it stays right at the corner all the time.
Once I learned that, my light weather results improved drastically.
 
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