main traveler replacement

[Ed Shankle]

I'm going to replace the traveler this season with the Garhauer model and have a question for those of you who done this already. I've read the posts as well as Steve Lyle's Mainsheet article, but want to confirm the mounting screws/thru-bolts.
I've got four screws on each side, but Steve talks only about using 2 thru-bolts. Is the recommendation to replace 1 screw per side with a thru-bolt and just replace the other 3 per side with longer screws?

thanks,
Ed

[Stu Jackson]

Ed, it could very well be that your boat is already "covered."  It is my recollection that it was the 'way older boats that only had one screw on each side, into a molded in metal plate.  The second thru bolt was required, one on each side, to keep the traveler down, literally.  If you already have two on each side, you should be fine. You can cofnirm it by looking at the Tech Notes article.

[Ken Juul]

I believe with a 1989 model your traveller track is all ready through bolted.  If you have an acorn nut on the cabin ceiling about 2" from the edge of the head door in the open position and one about in the center of the galley ceiling you are all set.

Unless your track is damaged, you can save some money by just replacing the car and the end pieces.  This works for the MT-2 series travellers, not sure about the new unibody style that came out last year.  Talk to Guido or Mark at Garhauer, they are the experts and will get you what you need.

Link to my installation last year.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=3167.0

[Jeff Kaplan]

ed, i just got my new traveler in from gar. i have 4 bolts on each side set at 2" intervals. all four bolt thru the metal plate, none are thru bolted to the to the cabin top. before you order it,if you haven't yet, a surveyor is coming to my boat next mon. at liberty marina, and it is possible the boat will be totaled, because of the explosion.  i really hope not, but if it is, i will have a new one for sale, $495-. it is set for a dodger conversion so the lines come back to the coach roof thru the dodger. e-mail me your phone #, and i will let you know how i made out. i'm sick about the possibility of it being totalled as i love the boat and have put so much time and money into refurbishing the old girl. the ins.adj. told me that 23 out of the 25 boats he was assigned, have been totalled, hopefully mine is the exception...jeff

[Ed Shankle]

I've got 4 on each side, but none are thru bolted. Would it be advised then to not bother with the thru bolts since I have more screws than what the earlier 34's had?
Jeff, sorry to hear about the condition of your boat. I didn't get the impression you had that much damage from the last time you mentioned it. Hope it's not totaled.
The only problem with purchasing your traveler would be the hole alignment potentially not being right. but it the event they are, sure I'd be interested. My email is ejshankle@aol.com. Phone (cell) is 978 500-1495.

Ed

[Stu Jackson]

Ed, I used the new "Knowledgebase" by Jon Schneider (http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=3362.0) to find the May 1997 Mainsheet Tech Notes article, which also has a picture.  I suggest you read that article if you haven't already and then decide.  Only you can tell what you have on your boat and what the next step should be.  If it was my boat, I'd check to see if the four screws go into plates, and even if there are four of them, I'd buy the through bolts and put one on each side.  Your boat, your choice.  FWIW, it was one of the VERY first things we did when we bought 'Aquavite' in 1998, since I read ALL the Tech Notes from 1987.  As you'll see in the Knowledgebase, and probably already know, there are a bunch of articles on this subject.  BTW, traveler is sometimes spelled with 2 Ls in the Tech Notes and the "Knowledgebase."  I used the Ctrl-F function in the Excel spreadsheet to find "traveler." Good luck.

[Ron Hill]

Ed : If you look at that Mainsheet article (written by Dave Euing) you'll find that the 1986 boats were NOT thru bolted. 
Your 1989 C34 should be OK.