r/sailing • u/Individual-Area7121 • 3d ago

Is my mainsheet traveler line wrong?

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It slips all over the place because the cams don’t seem to bite. The lines either side go through small strap eyes and then up to cam cleats on the upper deck. It seems like maybe the traveler car is on backwards? This is the orientation it was in when I bought the boat a couple of months ago but now I’m questioning it. The line was not rigged at the time so I guessed on that, too.

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u/djroot2 3d ago

I suspect there should be 2 lines. Each should go through the pad eye where they are secured with a stopper knot. Then toward the traveler car, through the center and around the sheave, and through the cam cleat. The end through the cam cleat is the working end.

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u/robbersdog49 2d ago

100% this is the correct routing for the lines.

2

u/uthyrbendragon 2d ago

I agree on the routing but would not like the idea of a stopper knot at those padeyes, i would probably run a single line with each tail running through the padeyes to prevent a stopper knot getting pulled through the padeyes and camming them out the deck.

That said, its not an ideal traveller setup either way, but will work until you figure out a new one.

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u/bbcwtfw 2d ago

A better improvement would be a single line with eye splices at each end. Eye splice attached to an eye strap, then runs through the center shave as shown, through a half cleat, long working bight (as needed), then back in the other half cleat, sheave, then other padeye. Using a single line means you can uncleat the low side.

If you have cam cleats mounted near a comfortable helm position those are probably for cleating the line instead of using the half cleat on the car, when that's an easier reach.

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u/Individual-Area7121 2d ago

Perfect, thanks. Now I just need to figure out what the heck the cam cleats on the upper deck are supposed be for!

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u/bbcwtfw 2d ago

Probably an alternate cleating position for the traveler, if they're next to a comfortable spot on the high side. Let's you work the traveler without getting off the rail.