[quote=Edchris177]It looks in pretty good shape, not many still have the end caps.
What year is it?
The earliest 5.0's I have seen are '83, & none have the beam or jib tracks. The PO might have added the jib tracks.
Measure the hull length, is it really 5.0?
The early ones just used the 1/2 moon chocks & studs in th ehull, no centre beam. By '84 they went to beam straps.
I wouldn't worry about the traveller for now, as long as it rolls smoothly, lots of older 5.2's & other boats used that style. They are plenty strong, just be careful if you decide to remove the car. The "wheels" are not attached, they just sit there on very short studs. They will fall off & those tiny SS bearings are impossible to find after it happens, nor can they picked up with a magnet. There are still 8 or so of them on the forest floor in my backyard!(From a 5.2 we wrecked)
If you decide to change it, you will also need to replace the track.
If you elect to go to the 1 1/2" ball, you will need to change the mast base, DS rod, beam strap, & saddle the rod sits in. Also drill a new hole in beam & replace the compression tube. The old system is a smaller diameter rod, they were prone to bending...but you already know the importance of rotating the mast when raising or lowering.
Our season is just about done. You will enjoy that boat, they suffer a bit in light air, but when the wind picks up they rock. Going to weather get right up to the front beam so as to push the lee bow way down, use the fwd trap if need be.
I took ours out yesterday, the forecast was for BIG wind, but not til the evening, so I went. The first 30 minutes were great fun, then the wind picked up, the buoy showed 29 mph. I scooted back into the bay to escape the building seas, blasted around for another 1/2 hour, then retired as I thought it was getting to the point of breaking things.
If you are 200lb, you can solo right just by hiking. They carry 2 adults just fine.<!-- editby --><em>Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 29, 2014 - 08:04 AM.</em><!-- end editby --> [/quote]
