Traveler/bridle preference?

sosopix

Member
I am getting ready to replace my old rope traveller with a wire one, I think both the plain wire and the one with the loop are class legal. Does anyone have a preference for one or the other, and why?
thanks,
Sue
 
Re: traveller preference?

the plain wire is the best option
it divides the force applied on the traveller to both eyestraps
the one with the loop instead, when you are sailing in a closehauled course pulls
only on one eyestrap that means you get double probabilities of loosing an eyestrap
 

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Re: traveller preference?

But does it make a difference in performance? I've read opinions both ways.

It depends on what are you used to sail with
it it's not the boat what makes the sailor sail fast, it's his experience and boat handling skills
 
Re: traveller preference?

I will second Matias' first post. Some other considerations:

New boats come with a loop-less bridle. Perhaps more significantly, The Sunfish Bible (p 49) states:

'But with the new racing sail introduced in '88, there is almost universal agreement that a rope bridle, allowing full travel from side to side, works best in all winds'
Of course, using rope is illegal nowadays, for racing.
 
Does anyone use a pully/block on the traveler (the loopless one ) or does the main sheet clip slide smoothly enough along the rope/wire ?

At this point I have a wire with loop and a loopless rope backup as the wire has snapped twice... I am tempted to ditch the wire all together :cool:
 
I find that the clip slides just fine. You don't even need the clip; you can just tie the sheet to the bridle (with a bowline).

Snapping a wire bridle twice seems pretty unusual; was this a 'builder supplied' bridle?

Have others experienced this problem? I can imagine teabagging (or going in altogether :eek:) if that happens while hiked out in heavy wind....
 
no, my poor attempt to replace the existing and very frayed wire traveler after repainting the deck, it didn't go so well. I used aluminum clinch devices to hold the wire and they didn't do the job. I repaired on the lake after the 1st break with the bow line, repaired the wire back on shore (without actually changing anything) only to have the opposite side let go. Back on went the wire a 3rd time, with the the rope as back-up ...

1) it was a fairly gusty day
2) I really really wanted to get sailing
3) Ben broke the rudder so its not been an issue for a week ,now...

& yes, I got wet both times... the second time was a jibe and there was much excitement :rolleyes:

the more I think about it... that wire is getting retired
 
If you're only a recreational sailor, a mini block by Harken makes a great traveler for the main sheet on the bridle. It's no larger than a small keychain fob. They were giving these away at Annapolis one year. Consult the Harken site.

Fred
 
wish Id known that before I replaced both of mine with the looped ones. The straight ones are half the price
 

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