I took my Dart 18 apart to do some general maintence and found that my traveler car is at its end of life. My traveler car looks like this:



My traveler track looks like this:



If I go to the very few sites that sell Dart parts, the traveler car looks like this:



The traveler track appears to be exactly what I have. I contacted a dealer in IYE travelers and sent them the picture of my traveler. They say its not an IYE but haven't been able to identify it. I'd simply buy the IYE, except that I need to do so from overseas, making a return a logistical nightmare if it doesn't fit.

An experienced sailor I know suggested I replace my traveler with a centralized swivel cleat traveler car. I like the idea of swapping it out for something more common so that I can source parts if needed. I don't have any idea how to go about this, so has anyone been through this? Any suggestions?

Note that I believe I only need the car. I can strip the remaining parts off and add them to the car if the correct mounting holes are present.

Dana

P.S. I contacted both prior owners of the boat without success. Owner #1 doesn't recall what was on the boat but it was all original from England when purchased. Owner #2 doesn't recall ever changing the traveler, but the traveler looks like his work.

--
Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18
--

Looks similar to Prindle 16/18 traveler.

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Joshua

Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
‘87 Hobie 18 (Sold)
‘89 Hobie 17 (ill-advised project boat, Sold)
--

what exactly is wrong / broken with your traveler car?

MN3

what exactly is wrong / broken with your traveler car?

The rollers no longer roll smoothly. One is near frozen. I bought new rollers (from England) but when installed, the traveler car no longer fits on the track. The space between the rollers becomes too narrow.

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Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18
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Had same issue. Bought new traveler car but never installed it. Couple of drops of "Harken McLube Sailkote One-Drop" and now rolls freely. Might be worth a couple of bucks rather than a couple hundred.

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Steve
Nacra Inter 20
Okemos Michigan
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dartsailors

MN3

what exactly is wrong / broken with your traveler car?

The rollers no longer roll smoothly. One is near frozen. I bought new rollers (from England) but when installed, the traveler car no longer fits on the track. The space between the rollers becomes too narrow.

Gotcha
i like steve's idea above - worth a shot
I think Ed stated 3in1 oil is about the same

I almost dont wonder if a prindle traveler wouldnt fit that perfectly

--
Captain Chris Holley
Fulshear, TX
'87 Prindle 19 "¡Hijole!"
'74 sunfish "1fish"
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cholley12

I almost dont wonder if a prindle traveler wouldnt fit that perfectly

The swivel isn't on the traveler on the P16 atleast, but might be able to modify it or use the rollers from one.

dartsailors

MN3

what exactly is wrong / broken with your traveler car?

The rollers no longer roll smoothly. One is near frozen. I bought new rollers (from England) but when installed, the traveler car no longer fits on the track. The space between the rollers becomes too narrow.

Need to find a friend with a lathe to turn them for you. That'll take care of it.

--
Joshua

Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
‘87 Hobie 18 (Sold)
‘89 Hobie 17 (ill-advised project boat, Sold)
--

^^^^^^^^^^^ what he said....


Or contact RWO marine and ask them.... the original part is probably no longer available...

http://www.rwo-marine.com/products/product.php?subprod=Traveller+Systems

How about the Dart website

http://www.dart18.com/



Edited by JohnES on Jun 03, 2019 - 03:38 PM.

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Quote

Need to find a friend with a lathe to turn them for you. That'll take care of it.

Dana, Ron has access to a lathe

I have a lathe too. Where are you based out of? It would be best to have rollers and track available so fit is dialed in. If you are nearby, I could help you out.

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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Thank you to everyone for the thoughtful comments.

badfish

Looks similar to Prindle 16/18 traveler.

It does and the immediate prior owner indicated that the traveler was stainless, even though it doesn't look it.

schoen.steve

Had same issue. Bought new traveler car but never installed it. Couple of drops of "Harken McLube Sailkote One-Drop" and now rolls freely. Might be worth a couple of bucks rather than a couple hundred.

Unfortunately, that's great advice that is too late for me. The rollers on my traveler are riveted in. I drilled out the rivets to install the new rollers that I thought would work.

badfish & ctcataman

... using a lathe on rollers to make them fit ...

That's an option, but I'd prefer to replace the car with an up to date one so that I can avoid this issue in the future.

JohnES

^^^^^^^^^^^ what he said....


Or contact RWO marine ...

That's a good idea. I've also reached out to The Wetworks, a UK based dealer of IYE travelers. I may also reach out to RigRite, as I think they are here in the US.

Dana

--
Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18
--

Quote

Unfortunately, that's great advice that is too late for me. The rollers on my traveler are riveted in. I drilled out the rivets to install the new rollers that I thought would work.

my traveler is similar to yours
my 4 wheels are not held in by rivets so i have to hold them in place when i put the car on the track
might work well for you without rivets ???

PS i might be interested in buying the wheels from you that don't fit if you go another route - they may fit mine?

I am having traveler issues as well. I have a P16 and the PO chewed up the traveler bar and the car is worn out. I was wondering if anyone has replaced both the bar and the car together with something like the Harken 22mm set up?
Pricey but I figured it'd be a performance upgrade as well as easier to get parts after the fact.

Mr.wad3

I have a P16 and the PO chewed up the traveler bar and the car is worn out.

The traveler rail is one with the crossbar, having been extruded as one piece. Removing the "rail" and leaving it true and strong enough to add an aftermarket rail will take machine shop expertise.
If it is chewed up that bad, replace the crossbar. PM Pete Begel here and see if he has a one.

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

The rail looks to be riveted on and looks original but I could be wrong. I thought the crossbars were just extruded mast sections that had been cut and modified based on it's use? I have heard many suggest buying old mast sections and simply cutting them to size and drilling the holes for whatever accessories were needed. Some rivets and silicone sealer and all is well again.

I have sailed hobies for years but after I turned 18 and joined the army a while ago I wound up moving out of my boat mechanics house and am now forced to do my own maintenance...