Prindle Traveler car with stainless steel rollers???

Looks to me like Murrays has them.

oppps - maybe that's a plastic roller one.

These guys used to make the Prindle traveler cars.
Contact them and see if they still can.
http://garhauermarine.com/catalog.cfm

Murrays has 17 in stock---56-3010 $80. Pete

pbegle wrote: Murrays has 17 in stock---56-3010 $80. Pete

the ones murray's offers online says that it has plastic rollers

I contacted the link that klozhald sent and am awaiting a response

Edited by vinnyvincent on Aug 27, 2013 - 06:11 AM.

Talked to Murrays this morning and rollers are plastic (they can't get steel), but black plastic with a little more carbon in them. Pete

you really don't want steel running up and down that aluminum travelor..it will grind it. the plastic will take the abuse instead of the crossbeam. and this will likely be the last time you replace this part even if it is plastic or steel.

We'll jeez they are charging the same price as they were for the stainless ones. That alone makes me not want to buy that item from them.

Thanks you for calling them. I am wondering if I just sand down my track and spray some silicone on the track and rollers if that will work for a while. They aren't worn to the point of falling off or anything. I just notice my traveler doesn't want to...well, travel. There are small burrs along the tracks and the rollers are a little chipped/worn down to the point that it wobbles. It just seems like a lot of work drilling out and replacing all those stainless rivets and removing the crossbar bolts, just to slap another piece of junk on there.

Sometimes I have to push or even kick it over. I've capsized a few times while tacking in heavy air because the main sail got stuck on the windward side and I couldn't push it over in time.

Has anyone ever done something like rivet a Harken traveler track onto their crossbar as an upgrade? It seems do-able....I would bet it works a lot better than the factory traveler.

coastrat wrote: you really don't want steel running up and down that aluminum travelor..it will grind it. the plastic will take the abuse instead of the crossbeam. and this will likely be the last time you replace this part even if it is plastic or steel.

Have you replaced one before? I am wondering how much of a difference it would make. 80 bucks is a lot of money for that part. I like the H18's where you can just replace the rollers.

is it supposed to have play in it? you can take mine a wiggle it around very easily. I am wondering if replacing it would make a significant difference or if I should just try and make mine work.

have you tried lubricating the track and the rollers?

mine is worn pretty bad...I keep it lubed with silicone and it works fine. a new one would work a little better but it's not an issue enough to warrant buying one yet. the biggest upgrade to a p16 is balancing the helm and getting the rudders right.

coastrat wrote: mine is worn pretty bad...I keep it lubed with silicone and it works fine. a new one would work a little better but it's not an issue enough to warrant buying one yet. the biggest upgrade to a p16 is balancing the helm and getting the rudders right.

I think I'm just going to try that and see how it works for now. I'm already way over budget with this thing. I may take some fine grit sandpaper to the track itself because it has some visible burrs and dings in it. I'm thinking that will also smoothen things up a little. I am also considering using a second, smaller diameter line for the traveler instead of the tail end of the mainsheet.

It's really the last issue I'm having with getting this thing into good functioning condition. I'm happy with the current helm and rudder lock down tension. I was having major delamination issues. I ended up just biting the bullet and buying another P-16 that was in great shape. Now I have a bunch of spare parts. Maybe I'll try injecting the other one while it's just sitting there.

It's turning out to be a nice little boat. even my die hard hobie friend admitted that it's super clean and he likes it. the only thing he could find to complain about was the traveler.

It's turning out to be a nice little boat. even my die hard hobie friend admitted that it's super clean and he likes it. the only thing he could find to complain about was the traveler.

I grew up a hobie 14,16,18 guy...had a 16 up until hurricane Katrina and was working on another project h16 when I bought my p16. always thought the prindles looked goofy and didn't see that many as a kid. didn't take long to love the boat...simple, well engineered, tuff, heavy air boat. you can load them up and abuse them, they can take it. on and off the trailor in a snap. I just invested in mine with a new surise tramp and fresh set of sails from whirlwind...it's a brand new boat and if I tear off a hull, i'll bolt another on. not scared to inject the k-rapp out of the suckers either! yeah man, slick out the travelor and lube it up and sail it like you stole it!

oh yeah, a smaller diameter line for the travelor helps too...you can tie it to the end of the main sheet if you like

[quote=coastrat]

yeah man, slick out the travelor and lube it up and sail it like you stole it!

😆

vinnyvincent wrote: I am also considering using a second, smaller diameter line for the traveler instead of the tail end of the mainsheet.

Your Prindle originally came with a 7/16" dacron main sheet. If that is what you still have, then a smaller diameter traveler line would be a good idea, and was offered as an option by most dealers.
Ten feet of 5/16" line will allow for a stopper knot at one end and a double figure eight, or knot of your preference, with the main sheet to keep them as one line.
This gives you a bit more line on the deck, so you should run a bungee from the dolphin striker post under the tramp to the grommet in the center of your tramp with a loop in the bungee that stays on the top of the tramp. While you are rigging and before you tie the two lines together, run the mainsheet through the loop in the end of the bungee and then tie the mainsheet to the traveler. The bungee will keep the bulk of the mainsheet on the tramp so that it won't slide off the deck into the water as often.

Edited by klozhald on Aug 28, 2013 - 03:51 PM.

klozhald wrote: so you should run a bungee from the dolphin striker post under the tramp to the grommet in the center of your tramp with a loop in the bungee that stays on the top of the tramp. While you are rigging and before you tie the two lines together, run the mainsheet through the loop in the end of the bungee and then tie the mainsheet to the traveler. The bungee will keep the bulk of the mainsheet on the tramp so that it won't slide off the deck into the water as often.Edited by klozhald on Aug 28, 2013 - 03:51 PM.

That sounds like a good idea! I keep dropping line into the water out on the wire...
THANK YOU!

The track has been sanded and lubed. Won't be able to test it until next weekend, though.

I am thinking of using a MUCH smaller line for the traveler. It's hard to cleat it while under load. I'm thinking about getting some 3/16" dyneema(About as strong as 3/8" dacron) and tying that to the end of the main sheet for handling. It has 4900 lbs breaking strength and I'm thinking it will cleat/un cleat a lot easier and reduce friction where it wraps around the traveler.

stopper knot for such a small line??? I'm thinking a monkeys fist :denk:

vinnyvincent wrote: I'm thinking it will cleat/un cleat a lot easier and reduce friction where it wraps around the traveler.
stopper knot for such a small line??? I'm thinking a monkeys fist

If you use a synthetic line for the traveler, make sure it has a durable cover. Otherwise you will eat up the line in a season. On most boats sailed hard, the traveler line gets the most wear.
A monkey's fist would be fun. On line that diameter you'd want a three strand one, as a two would be unstable under the kind of load the traveler would put upon it. I'd be tempted to use a half grapevine.

Edited by klozhald on Aug 29, 2013 - 03:08 PM.

In my experience, the dyneema (e.g., Amsteel) in relatively poor at holding cleats.

rattlenhum wrote: In my experience, the dyneema (e.g., Amsteel) in relatively poor at holding cleats.

Yeah that was kind of my afterthought since posting my original idea. I remember the boat used to have a dyneema line holding my Jib blocks in place. the line is so slippery that it would come loose and I would have to tighten it every time I went out.

Then there's the whole issue of it wearing out easily when it rubs against any surface.

I have two booms. One is rigged with a 7/16 mainsheet and the other with something like 3/8th mainsheet. I have been using the one with the smaller mainsheet and using that for the traveler. I guess I'll just continue doing that and see how the lube/sanding works for me. I went to west marine to get 5/16th, but it doesn't look noticeably smaller than the small mainsheet I already have. Not 10 dollars worth of difference, for sure.

ohh...ohh.... and a reminder...when you lube the travelor, BE CAREFUL! the crossbar can be slippery! stepping the mast or leaning on it . don't ask me how I know this... :-O :-O

For what it's worth, I was having problems with my traveler sticking too. I used some paraffin on the track and a little WD=40 on the plastic rollers and now it's working just fine... Hope this doesn't come to late to help you out.

Everyone had excellent advise. I ended up combining a few suggestions and the result was zero issues with my traveler sticking. I wet sanded th track with 200, 400 and then 800 grit sandpaper.(bought a kit from auto zone for five bucks) then I tried finding parafin wax but I was pressed for time, so I just took a 99 cent jesus candle, broke the glass and used that. when I got to th beach I sprayed everything down with silicone. The difference is like night and day.

I lost one of the plastic rollers on the traveler car last summer in heavy wind on lake Huron. It pretty much exploded and the traveler got real ornery. I had good sailing days ahead and needed to rig some sort of fix (without removing the traveler car). I finally settled on a length of 12 gauge solid copper wire removed from a scrap of Romex. Using two pairs of needle nose pliers I was able to wind the copper wire several times around the vacated axle forming a roller from the copper wire. It works perfectly. I works better than the traveler worked when I bought the boat used 6 years ago, as it managed to take up some of the slack from the collective roller wear. When I found that Murray's wants $80.00 for a new traveler I thought about the hassle of drilling out the end cap rivets and redoing them and decided to leave the copper wire roller in place. The copper is softer than the aluminum traveler track, so It isn't wearing the track. I also grabbed a candle and waxed the track thoroughly. Works better now than before the plastic roller went AWOL.