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Balls!!!

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 1:41 am
by mike cunningham
Well, I decided to rebuild my Harken Big Boat Traveler car on my Freedom 30.

In retrospect I probably only needed some one drop traveler bearing lubricant, but so much for probably. I pulled the traveler off the track and I want to tell you, there are a lot of 3/8 inch torlon balls in that thing. A lot! I know this because they were bouncing everywhere, overboard onto the deck, on the dock, etc. This is one of those times when you discreetly look around to see who might have observed you being a complete idiot.

So West Marine made a sale of a rebuild kit and I learned yet another lesson. What I want to know is how many more lessons are there to learn on a little 30 foot sailboat!!???

Re: Balls!!!

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:46 pm
by gamayun
Oh no, Mike! I had some very expensive work done with Hank Easom of Easom Rigging ("rigger to the stars" people call him because he races on Pyewacket, Roy Disney's boat); however, he showed me how to take the traveler car off without losing any of the bearings. I guess in retrospect I should think that was money well spent to learn that lesson. There were a bazillion little balls in there!!!! Don't worry....I've made some Whoppers of expensive/time-consuming mistakes. Maybe we should start a thread on that ;)

I did make a mental note the other day at the SHTP seminar about using only one drop of McLube. That's good to know! Is there a Dummies book on sailboat maintenance where this is all written down?

Re: Balls!!!

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:57 pm
by mike cunningham
If there was a sailboat maintenance for complete idiots book, it would be a very very long book.ha ha.

I got the traveler rebuild kit, did a few dry runs with the included bearing loader and all is well in traveler land. Apparently I did need a rebuild after all. The thing zips around like it was brand new, big improvement.

Yes, I did buy some one drop and used it when The traveler went back on the track. Works great.

While I was at west marine I checked out the Kevlar halyard chafe shields mentioned during the rigging seminar. These are going on my new halyards.. FYI Carliane, my jib halyard was half chafed through upon arrival in Hanalei so you should consider these guards for Kyntanna.