paxfish 5 Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 We are still frozen here in the North. The creek is still locked with 6 inches of (thankfully) rotting ice. BUT we had two beautiful days this weekend and managed to get some work done on the cat. The rebuilt engine pod is installed and the newly sewn tramps are laced. Question: What do you guys think about lacing tension? On my Hobie, tension has always been the key to a stiff boat. But my gut says that having the tramps real tight on this boat may lead to premature tramp failure. Less tension may distribute the load among more lacing points and reduce catenary forces. What does your BIG TRAMP experience say? You can see in the second picture that the grommets are heavily loaded from the weight of the photographer. I intend to replace the forward and aft center lacing with black shockcord to try and distribute the load across more lacing points. I will also add about 10 grommets to the center aft lacing area (5 on each side. Otherwise delighted. Maybe about 5 more hours of work, and she will be ready to launch. Material: Black Poly mesh, Shelterite borders and Gore Tenara thread (all from SailRite). Lacing at motor pod is 3mm Amsteel Dyneema. My 17 year old took charge of the lacing... And yeah - It's been a cold winter here in Maryland: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MartinRF 53 Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Quick assessment without being able to go there and see what it actually looks like: To me it looks like the area where the grommets are anchored is under-built. My tramps: http://hem.bredband.net/b262106/Boat/trampolines.html /Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paxfish 5 Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hi Martin,, As interest, the grommets are mounted through a layer of poly mesh and two layers of Shelterite. There is a piece of rope sewn in the edge as well. Thanks for the link Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MartinRF 53 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 This stuff? http://shelterritetarps.com/prodspec.html Which weight? How is it attached to the poly mesh? Here is a photo showing how I used a similar material combination on my old trampolines. The new ones are built differently. I have no good photo of the reinforcements but instead of grommets there are webbing hoops sewn to a wide piece of heavy polyester sail cloth. This is then sewn onto the poly mesh. You see the stitching in this photo: (I have changed the lacing scheme since) /Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paxfish 5 Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 This stuff? http://shelterritetarps.com/prodspec.html Which weight? How is it attached to the poly mesh? Here is a photo showing how I used a similar material combination on my old trampolines. trampolinmått_121026_78.jpg The new ones are built differently. I have no good photo of the reinforcements but instead of grommets there are webbing hoops sewn to a wide piece of heavy polyester sail cloth. This is then sewn onto the poly mesh. You see the stitching in this photo: ny_trampolin_2013_7.jpg (I have changed the lacing scheme since) /Martin Thanks for taking the time to post pics. If at some point in the future you could post a picture of: " webbing hoops sewn to a wide piece of heavy polyester sail cloth.", I would be indebted. I have a feeling that perfecting tramps on Terrapin will be a long process. At the moment, I'm game. After 3 or 4 iterations of reeving and removing and reinstalling..., we shall see! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 it seems lashing, through tramp slots, to pvc pipe sewn into the tramp edge distributes loads better, much reduced point loading problems, than grommet systems maybe next time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 while we're on the subject of tramps - lashings etc. - what's the view on individual lashings vs a continuous lashing line down each side (or indeed around the whole perimeter). Currently my tramps are individually lashed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 imho a continuous lashing down each side is easier, faster + better than multiple single lashings Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shane B 2 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 & imho If it is on a boat that gets regulary dismantled, tramps taken off - then a continous line is best as it is quicker. But prone to chafe & hard to get tight. If you do not plan on pulling boat apart then single lashing are better but take a long time. & you can get really tight if you spend time & will last longer as there is no movment. Cheers Shane Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paxfish 5 Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Gentlemen, My only regret is that I did not discover your forum sooner, since I have already built and installed my tramps. I suspect I will be removing them halfway through the season to sew in a sleeve along the engine pod sides. I solicited information elsewhere on the internet, but in retrospect, it makes sense that you guys, who have been sailing things with tramps for 50 years, would be the keepers of the knowledge. In the US, 99% of the tramp experience is with our Hobie Cats, the lessons from which only partly apply on bigger multis.... I humbly thank each of you who responded... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 you need to get your butt down here - the cost of the airfare pales in comparison to the savings you'd make by crawling around on other people's boats! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MartinRF 53 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Webbing-loops sewn to stout sail-cloth: Poly-mesh is folded around the tramp edges before the sail-cloth is sewn onto it. /Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paxfish 5 Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Really Nice work there Martin! I'm betting you have some UV protection most of the time. Here in the US, my tramps are exposed to UV year-round. On the advice of the previous owner, I used Gore Tenara thread on the tramp re-sew. Pricey, but it is said to outlive the material.... Webbing-loops sewn to stout sail-cloth: ny_trampolin_2013_9.jpg Poly-mesh is folded around the tramp edges before the sail-cloth is sewn onto it. /Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MartinRF 53 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Our sailing season is roughly 5 months long and the rest of the year my boat sits dismantled on its trailer and under a tarp. Trampolines stuffed into the port hull and sails into the starboard hull. /Martin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paxfish 5 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Thanks Again Martin and everyone for the advice. I have since removed many of my grommets and inserted an 8mm fiberglass rod along the edge of the tramp. It is somewhat flexible, but definitely helps distribute the load across many points. My hope is that this will get me through the season, after which I will remove the tramps and completely resew the edge with more rows of stitching and perhaps including a PVC pipe rather than the fiberglass rod.. At any rate, it is far better now, with minimized stress points. More importantly it has a much more predictable tramp response which is nice when you are maneuvering about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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