Denis Marier wrote:
The view of the Hunter's fiberglass or Stainless Steel Traveler Arch is
interesting.
I wonder what would be the merit of having an arch like that on a sailboat.
Could a strong squall damage such an arch? Can the traveler be released in
time to empty the main sail when hit by a strong gust of wind? When
maneuvering through canal locks can the arch rub against the concrete walls
while the boat is rising and swirling? I see that the latest model have a
stainless steel arch instead of fiberglass on previous models.



I can't address the Hunter Arch because I've never sailed on a newer
Hunter. As near as I can tell their poor reputation is deserved, but
that doesn't mean that the design concepts are flawed.

My boat has an overhead traveler mounted on a hardtop. Previous
versions had the traveler mounted aft in the cockpit, but this new
arrangement was so superior that it (along with a few other
improvements) led to our purchase of a new boat rather than buying
used. The safety factor alone was huge, but I've found that I have a
lot of control with the overhead traveler.

The implementation apparently was problematical, because the first
version had flexing issues. The hardtop supports were doubled up and
a few pounds of carbon fiber were added for stiffening.