Hi guys,

During a recent sailing-somersault I managed to break one of my traveler end stops but am having a hard time finding a replacement. The track cross-section looks like a double I-beam but has no markings on it to identify its make/model. It mates to the seaway mainsheet hardware but, again, I can't find a supplier for replacement parts.

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,
Jimmy

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1983 Nacra 5.0 Sail #10
Dallas, Texas area
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Does Murrays not have them? I might have one from my 5.7, have to check & see if they are the same part. I know I have a brand new one that doesn't fit my track, I'll look at it & see if some file work will make it fit. They don't have to be an exact fit, it looks better if they do, but all its for is to keep the car from flying off the end. Can you match your track up with a model #, look on Harkens website. They have a page with diagrams including measurements.
In a bind, just use a bolt that fits the hole. Use two nuts/washers, one above, on the outside of the beam, & one below, on the inside where the nut normally is. Yeah, I know the nut is normally at the tiller but you know what I mean.
Find a small piece of high density poly, (or cut up a hockey puck, you're in Canada, no?)cut it to size & drill a hole to accept the bolt. This will do exactly what the end stop was designed to do, not elegant, but it will get you back on the water.
Did you lose the bearings when the traveler went to far? West marine has them, but sailing services in Florida also stocks them cheap.
Once you get it fixed remember to tie a knot in the traveler line so that the car stops short of the end stop.
Let me know, I can mail you one of the stops, or a piece of HDPE 3/4" thick.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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I tried to get to the Harken pages, but every one that i want just says "stopped" when I click the link. Harkens website can be a PITA, lots of links don't lead you anywhere, & many items that you know th enumbers for don't return anything in their search function.
Try under Tech Corner, Manuals, or go to the online catalog, the n look under travelers & small boat. There are a couple of small boat systems, I can't remember which ours use. The Nacra parts manual shows the same part # for the track end stop. My car is not the standard car, I have a Harken car 4' long, but I think the track is the same.
Here is a page from the catalog showing some of the track. It's not the web page I was looing for, but I get stonewalled on their site when trying to access some areas.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/b45b96ae#/f11cf079/4

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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you could always make 1 out of a hardwood:o)

Yes, I should have mentioned that Eric. I think the chap is a Canuck, & we have hockey pucks, black rubber, impervious to everything, including kryptonite
The rubber is dense enough to take almost any pounding, but still soft enough to offer some shock absorbtion.
I checked my stash of junk, & i do not have an extra red end stop (sits slightly proud of the end of the track). If you PM me an email address I will email a photo of what i have, lined up with the end of the track. The hole wil match what your old stop used. You can file the 2 nubs off the end, & it will work fine. It is grey in color, brand new & won't look as good as the original, but i will give it to free if it gets you back on the water.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

I picked up a couple of end stops for my 5.8 at my local West Marine store. They have them online at: http://www.westmarine.com type "traveler track end stop" into the search window.



Edited by trihokie on Jul 07, 2011 - 09:42 PM.

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Barry Jones
1982 NACRA 5.8
Space Coast, Florida
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Thanks for the replies! Actually, I'm in Texas! I did some research from Harken and it is not one of the designs shown on their online catalog. Mine just looks like a double I-Beam and the car has 2 wheels on either side of the track. The end stop does look like the Harken end stop but the cross-section doesn't match. My bro-in-law is from Sault Ste. Marie, ON so I'll ask him for a hockey puck if all else fails! I looked all over the track and couldn't find any identifying marks whatsoever. Weird. PM on the way.

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1983 Nacra 5.0 Sail #10
Dallas, Texas area
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Ok, part of the mystery is solved! Schaefer traveler, apparently. Here's a picture of a traveler car like mine.



It looks like my local WestMarine has it in stock!

Again, thanks for the help!

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1983 Nacra 5.0 Sail #10
Dallas, Texas area
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For safety reasons you should always put a figure 8 knot in your mainsheet line at a position that will stop the traveler car from going all the way out (3-4 inches from the stop is good) in the event of an uncontrolled gybe. I was sailing a P-16 and the boat did an extreme gybe while racing down wind and when the traveler car flew over it got hung up on the bolt head on the end of the rear cross beam and there was no way to get it off, I had to go into another uncontrolled gybe to release it. I was fortunate to have a real heavy crew with me and we prevented the boat from going over. Hobie 16's if allowed to do the same thing to often, it can and will shatter the traveler car, you will have needle bearings and parts of plastic flying all over at the worst time. You only have to tie the knot one time and leave it and it will always be there.

Here is my setup as it came with the boat. The extra endstops are
Schaefer tapered end stop, as seen on the west Marine page.
http://www.westmarine.com…arch?Ns=Most%20Popular|0

If I filed off the nubs, the hole will line up with my old one. You can see the Schaefer stop is a lower profile, it wouldn't stop the traveler, unless it were shimmed up about 1/4".


My track is 25/32" wide, & 17/32" high, with one groove for the car. I believe it is Harken, & the measurements are metric. I don't have a tape with metric markings at the lakehouse, but IIRC when I could still access the proper page on Harkens site it matched exactly with a small boat track that was given in metric measurements.

At least it is a relatively easy, & inexpensive fix. If you would like a piece of 3/4" thick white delrin, from which to fashion a stop let me know, I'll mail it you.

If you get your B in law to send a puck, con him into cutting it into slices (jigsaw, table saw, whatever he has)in the thickness/width you require. One slice will make 4 end stops,& you will be able to cut it with a razor knife, a whole puck is tough to cut without power saw. As long as the package is just under 1" he can mail it very cheaply.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Folks,
You might be making this more complicated than it needs to be. Tie the stopper knot in your traveler sheet/mainsheet. The end cap is not designed to stop the car in a full load crash jibe. The stopper knot will take the load. The end cap was intended to (more or less) offer protection from the sharp edges of the track and prevent you from accidentally sliding the traveler off the end of the track and "loosing your balls".

Still want the pretty little red cap. Why not call 3 or 4 dealers. They will more than likely still have the old stock in their parts bin. Here's another tip for ya if you still want the red cap. Ask for the cap for a N20. It's the same piece with end cut off.

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Philip
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I have an '84 Nacra 5.0 and have looked everywhere I can think of. I ended up making one out of some solid plastic as is suggested several times above. A band saw turned out to be the tool of choice.

The other thing I can no longer find is beam end caps. I'm currently making a set out of fiberglass. A bit time consuming but turning out ok

jmoritz here is how nacraman57 made beam caps

nacraman57

Guys, here's what I did with my 5.0....(5.0, 5.2, 6.0...all crossbeams are the same Dia.) go to your box lumber store, get a schedule 40 end cap for a 3" PVC pipe cut the lip off so the rounded end fits flush over the end of the crossbeam. Usually there is a line to follow where they moulded it. Next, take a 3" schedule 40 PVC pipe, cut 3/4" off for the new lip inside the crossbeam. Epoxy it to the cap and for added security I used thin screws of appropriate length. Make sure you cut a gap in the pipe to fit the tramp slot. What's cool is the PVC matches the color of the hulls, they're rounded and cost just a few bucks plus they look better than the black ones. Wish I had a picture but the boat is on Hobie Beach 60mi. from here. Maybe this weekend.edited by: nacraman57, Jun 03, 2010 - 09:29 PM

Edited by skarr1 on Jul 08, 2011 - 09:25 PM.

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"loosing your balls".

Good one. It's not that painful, I did it, all 42 of them. Finding them on the workshop floor is the pain.

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jmoritz here is how nacraman57 made beam caps

The links to his photos are broken in that thread. Here is his album with photos.
http://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures/?g2_itemId=79084

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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