Traveler screws

[Jim "SV Ohana"]

Have a broken bolt on my traveler and am trying to remove the car, but ALL the bolts are siezed, been soaking in liquidwrench but nothing is budging.  Think it's Gaupner (sp) the countersunk screw in the endcap and large screw holding the turning block need to be removed.  Any suggestions on how to loosen this stuff up. Boat is 91 C34.
Thanks
Jim

[Jim Price]

I used a hand impact driver with the correct fitting to get mine to break free.  Also used liquid wrench.  Came out without any damage to screw head because I was very carefull and did not let it slip.  If it does not turn on first try, leep using luqid wrench and try later.

[Buddy]

Jim,
The hand impact driver will work as well as a large, well fitting, long handled screwdriver. Get one that a wrench will fit the shaft to get some leverage. After you get them out Garhauer Marine has all the parts. They made me a terriffic deal on a hardware upgrade. Their website is www.garhauermarine.com. Go there and get the phone number and ask for Guido. He knows all about Catalinas.

Buddy

[Jim Price]

I also forgot to mention the reason I was removing the end cap was to replace my original traveler with the newest setup from Garhauer.  Same system that comes on the 2003 boats.  It is fantastic and uses original track.  One of the many best deals I have gotten from the Garhauer folks.

[bjmansfield]

After using Liquid Wrench and the largest screwdriver I could find, I still buggered up the screwhead on the end cap.  Ended up just hacksawing it off.  The traveler upgrade is arguably the best upgrade there is for the "older" C34's.

Jack

[Jim "SV Ohana"]

Well, I finally got it; never did get the endcaps to come loose, but figured a way to disasemble the car "lots of little plastic balls rolling around" drill out the broken stud and reasemble.
Thanks
Jim

[jentine]

I purchased the upgraded parts for the traveller at the Newport Boat Show and installed them yesterday. The end cap screws are only 1/2" long and will easily remove with a few whacks with a hand impact wrench.  This is only the beginning of your problem. Years of galvanic corrosion has already won so I had to take drastic, but simple methods.  I changed all the parts in less than half an hour.
 
Once the end cap (only one need be removed) is removed, the first two screws holding the plate at the base of the rail need to come out.  If they don't, don't dispair.  All the new parts will slide on the track from one side.

Remove the bolts holding the sheaves on each side of the track.  Using a hacksaw or sawzall, remove the ears at the bottom of the track.  This will allow the old car to be removed and the new parts installed.

Caution:  Do not remove the new car from the track section.
 
Once the old car is removed, slide the far side sheave assembly on and secure the set screw (I attempted to remove the first track fastening screw on each side and broke the head off each.)  This was not a bad thing.  It gave a large dimple for the set screw to set in.

Butt the new track section with the new car in place up to the traveller track and slide the new car in place.  The ball bearings are not secured in the car.   Should you remove the car from the track, you will have 100 balls on deck.

slide the near side sheave block in place, set the set screw and replace the end cap.

That is all there is to installing the new sheaves and car.  Immediately following installation I went sailing.  The new system is so superior to the old one that I should have done it a long time ago.

Jim Kane

[Mike and Theresa Vaccaro]

Might also try a vise grips on the set screws on the end fittings.  It will probably work after a soak with some type of penetrating oil, but you do run the risk of snapping the screw head.  Recommend a long soak followed by tapping and "gentle" persuasion with a vise grips.  You'll trash the machine screw, but can do this without damaging the end piece itself.

To avoid future corrosion, treat your screws with some type of lubrication (Boeing T-9, ACF, lithium grease, machine oil or plain old vasiline), and re-treat 'em annually.  The problem is galvonic corrosion between the stainless screw (cathode) and the 6016 aluminum extrusion (anode) and any water (particularly salt water).  A little preventative maintenance goes a long way, since this type of corrosion can litterally weld a screw in place while erroding the surrounding aluminum structure.

The Gauhauer upgrade is great, the original purchase on the traveler was 3:1 and this is doubled to 6:1 with the new car and ends.  The downside is that you lose approximately 3-5" of outboard traveler adjustment due to the larger car and the design of the car stops on the new system (which require you to drill a 5/16" hole through the I section of the track).  Very robust hardware at an awsome price (the entire upgrade costs less than a Harken car alone--and there's no need to change the track).

Cheers,

Mike Vaccaro
"Spirit" '88 #563