I did get the brilliant advice (in this forum) to use a metal detector to find reinforcements in the cockpit benches. This regarding moving the main traveler from the coach roof to the cockpit and attaching the traveler on to the cockpit benches. 

Now the final question before buying and installing the traveler. Is it structuraly sound, even with the reinforcements in the benches in place, to just drill holes and attach the traveler as mentioned earlier. Any thoughts, anyone out there that has done this before or has any connection in the Hanse network that can answer this question. 

best wishes 

Tor Djuve

Usually Hanse produced boats as standart with several reinforcements for diffrent options. 

This way it was possible to deliver the same boat with a coachroof traveller or a traveller in the cockpit. It was just a question what you ordered. Only in the final step of the production the traveller was added.

This in mind, the reinforcement in your benches are, if the cockpit traveller was on the optionlist for a standart 411, always there for a traveller. So you can use the reinforcement, as your dealer would have done the same if ordered direct from the start. I would have no problem with this. Make sure the traveller is strong enough for the loads. The reinforcement will be strong enough, i am pretty sure.

BTW: At some point for cost reduction, hanse started to reduce build in reinforcements. In example older Hanses have reinforcements for genoas or 110% jibs. These reinforcements are no more standart in recent Hanses. But as you found them with your detector, you are lucky ;-)

There is a graph that shows how long an unsupported span is allowed for a certain size sail and mid vs end boom sheeting locations.