J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Fico Traveler

Hello: My first post after my first season racing CAN-106. The crew and I are thinking new traveler - the boat has the original Fico system.

Have already read http://www.j30.org/html/technical/articles/traveler.html and assume that others have upgraded so am keen to hear about experiences good and bad.

Have others kept the Fico system and modified its purchase? Has anyone had bad experiences with Windward sheeting (other than having to raise it above channel)?

I have the windward sheeting conversion as described ... there is NO way I would leave the dock without it. period ... If you do not have it its the best upgrade you can make . No doubt ..

One thing in the link it says one piece of teak to raise it. I have this white plastic stuff which worked well. No matter what material you want to make it at least 3 pieces with small openings in between, so all water and gunk can run out and doesnt get trapped in front of the riser.

Having lived quite well with that system I have encountered a couple times that the line got tangled up in the slot behind the traveller and if the traveller gets down it kind of hangs up and gets blocked. So I took a piece of hardwood and filled the slot forward of the traveller... I havent tried it out, but I am pretty sure it will make things even better ..

Thor

I replaced my Fico system about three years ago. I went with a new Harken system. Rather than do the windward sheeting traveler, I ran the control lines to the cockpit combings on each side and connected the entire works with a continuous traveler control line. Now my mainsheet man can straddle the traveler and simply pull upward to bring the car up to weather. Because the line is continuous, you can simply yank it off the leeward camcleat to free it up. I decided to go this route because it gave us a better purchase in a blow. At the end of each side of the traveler, I have Harken turning blocks to improve the purchase.

When you take the old traveler off, you'll discover that the indentation is arched. After I filled all of the old holes with West epoxy, I bought a piece of white heavy plastic and cut it to fit the traveler indentation. I used stainless steel washers to level the plastic and the track. The washers allow water to drain out from the area.

If you are interested, I could send you photos via e-mail. My address is goodreader@cox.net.

Good luck. Changing over to the Harken system is a huge improvement.

Bob Rude

My original thought was to keep the current car and upgrade the controls but you both have me thinking that there is significant benefit in the new car / traveler itself, WindWard sheeting or not.

Thanks for your posts!

Windward sheeting car is the way to go. It may not look like it, but the proper size has 4:1 purchase and works fine in any conditions.

Is the proper car size, Harken Midrange?

Yes, the Harken Mid Range is the car to have. I installed that about 4 years ago and love it.

Had a conversation with Harken last week and they suggested the Midrange Long Car owing to the loads involved.

My wife is deeply concerned that now, when I send emails to Harken they actually phone me back. She is investigating some sort of Betty Ford Clinic for chronic sailing hardware buyers.