TRIAKing

We are happy to announce the Snuffer2. We partnered up with Dennis Key from Barefoot Studios in San Diego, California to help us make a beautifully designed snuffer system for the TRIAK that works flawlessly. Dennis’ SNU units for F-18 cats are widely used by top racers in the US and Europe. As a sailor and designer, Dennis has the best insight to what makes a good snuffer system. Together, we designed a specific size and shape hoop and bag system for the TRIAK that looks great and works flawlessly.

TRIAK Snuffer2

The Snuffer2 features a new composite hoop and gorgeous mylar and mesh bag. The unit quickly and easily slides onto the bow of the TRIAK, via the molded arms at the base of the Hoop, and is easily tied off to the existing pad-eye forward of the mast. It is sturdy and car-top friendly, and quick to remove and store in the aft hatch for long freeway trips (avoiding dead bugs on your snuffer!) and for storage.

Effective July, 2011 the new base MSRP for the TRIAK is $4,999 which will not include the spinnaker and snuffer. The spinnaker and snuffer system will now be a $500 add-on option sold as the Spinnaker Package. The package includes:

• Asymmetrical Spinnaker sail by North Sails
• TRIAK Snuffer2 (hoop and bag unit)
• Lines: Halyard, Sheets, Tack
• Mast Head Swivel Shackle and Harken Swivel Block
• Harken Block for the fore-deck halyard feed

A small number of owners have experienced water leaking into the floats (amas). There are several options to avoid this that people have found work well. On TRIAKs delivered after July, 2011 we have modified the underside of the float deck with a Float Nut Cap part that will eliminate water entering through the bolt-nut cavity. As the schematic shows, a fiberglass “Cap” is now glued in place over the stainless-steel nut and backing plate hardware. The Cap stops water from entering the rest of the float.

Float Nut Cap Drawing (click to enlarge)

Some owners have had success adding a bit of caulking into the nut cavity of the float to plug up any small holes that may exist. One owner in Washington State added weather sealer strips to the tops of his floats and claims it works perfectly. This is a good idea, but we advise that very thin stripping be used so the float is tight against the bottom of the wing. Especially in rough conditions, a flexible gap between the float and wing may allow the float to twist and bend under load against the wing and bolt which could at a minimu bend the Float Hand Bolt and possibly cause damage to the float and/or wing attachment area.

Customer's suggestion to add weather sealer to top of float.

Float sealer while attached to wing.

Customer’s specifications:

“I purchased a strip of 3/16″ x 5/16″ rubber “weather seal” (with adhesive backing) and affixed it to the floats, as seen in the picture above.  When I mated the wing and floats, the seal compressed, as you can see in the photograph below.  It is easy to apply and — so far — works fine keeping the water out.  I no longer have a seepage problem.”

To help with the operation of the spinnaker we added a 4th Harken Cam Cleat on the deck. This 4th cleat allows the spinnaker retrieval line AND the halyard to be cleated at the same time. This keeps tension on the halyard to avoid tangling in the mainsail during furling and unfurling.

New Harken Carbo-Cam Cleat Added

Also new, and standard: higher risers and fairleads have been added to the Mainsheet and Spinnaker Halyard Cam Cleats. This improves cleating and sheeting angles for these lines.

New: larger risers (wedges) and a fairlead.

Both upgrades are now standard on 2011 TRIAKs delivered after July. These upgrades are easy to do on existing 2010 and 2011 TRIAKs. You can order the parts from your local chandlery or see below for the upgrade kit pricing and ordering details.

Kit Details & Pricing

If your 2010-2011 TRIAK has 3 Harken Cam-cleats on the deck, you may purchase the following upgrade kit for $65.00 USD + shipping. To order the upgrade kit, please call toll free 866-858-7425 or +1 858-240-2730 opt 1.

The kit adds and includes:

Qty	Description
1	Carbo-Cam cleat to replace the strap-eye for the spinnaker retrieval line
1	424B Fairlead for the top of this new, 4th cleat
4	294 micro 15 degree angle cam risers replacing the wedges to get the cleats up higher for better sheeting angle
2	475 micro cam-mactic with wire fairleads for the Spinnaker Halyard and Mainsheet cleats to improve sheeting angles
1	Set of mounting hardware including: 8 bolts to accomodate for taller riser, 8 nyloc nuts.

To improve the performance of the mast-head swivel shackle, 2 nylon spacers and a nylox nut have been added. This keeps the mast-head bolt in place, allows for the “wand” to spin freely, and raises the “wand” from the mast head to keep it from binding up from friction. This is included standard with the new Snuffer2 Spinnaker Package and may also be easily added to existing 2010 and 2011 TRIAKs.

Adding a nyloc nut and spacers improves the Mast-Head Swivel Shackle