You are quite right. I was too lazy to get out in the cold yarden and see how I did it exactly on my rear beam. Infact I drilled little holes on the utmost innerside of my rear beam. (which I also made by myself of a wooden core covered with a very strong carbon-epoxy laminate).
I remember that Sunrise offered your solution also as a possibility.
Nice, do you notice any difference, good or bad, going upwind, in respect to wind (not) getting under the tramp, lifting the hull, etc. Does the boat stay down more with the netting than other boats you may have sailed with a traditional tramp? Also, about the waves, looks like a pretty wet ride for anything on the tramp, as the waves are going to come straight up through, but down here in Florida the water is usually pretty warm so that's not a problem...but do you think it is
slower
or
faster
, in regard to drag, from both wind and waves?
Timbo, just wear your snorkel and you should be fine! <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />
kiddin' but real curious to see what you end up doing
I've sailed many many years with different cats with normal oldfashioned tramps. Yes there are differences. Indeed there is the impression that my cat stays down a lot more, especially in waves. There are no hits again to tramp.
In passing breaking waves it is an essential difference, as you might see on the video.
But for me the most impressive difference is the fact the water is no more something down under the tramp, but is more active and lively felt where ever you are on the cat.
That may seem a bit vague, but it feels more like sailing a windsurfboard.
With regard to speed I cannot remember any difference.
One last detail: when uprighting after capsizing, you cannot wait anymore untill the windforce in the tramp turns you in the wind! So you have to swim to the top of the mast, lift it, and turn the cat in (and a little past)the wind. Go back quickly via the shroud and lift the cat.
Before I forget: you can very easy hook all kind of things to the net (bags, blocks for jibsheeting,etc).
One last warning: look out for getting stuck with your trapezehook in the net when laying down on your belly on the net. It happened to me once when I was climbing on board from deep water and I got stuck just when I was lifting myself in one movement on board. So I ended up fighting half hanging with my legs still overboard. Since that day, I always sail with a legknive.
Thanks for the info. I might try something like that on my Prindle in I can get Sunrise to build one for...no too much more than the standard Prindle 18 tramp. My boat lives on my small lake and never goes to the ocean, so not too worried about really big waves, but good tip on the righting! I forgot about the wind helping push the boat via the tramp, around to the right direction.
Three years ago I paid US$ 330,- for a net (to fit 85
x64
opening) with Sunrise Yacht Products.
Haven't seen anyone mention lossing lines through mesh tramps...that would be a big issue for racers. The Tornado class limits lacing gap size from the inner gunwale to the tramp edge...some teams were pushng this dimension out pretty far to reduce wind force under the tramp. My tornado used to have a lacing gap along the rear beam...so that lacing points were on the forward surface of the beam to lift the tramp a bit higher off the water. But the lacing gap meant losing mainsheet/spin-sheet through the gap. I switched tramp to wrap under rear beam and lace to the rear side. I feel it reduces force of wave impacts on the rear beam a bit.
Yeah, losing the sheets overboard is a big deal for me too. And when it's windy/wavy enough to lose them, those are the conditions when you need them to run freely as a safety valve. And I feel like I have to throttle back until they've been retreived. I'm amazed at how well they can find the holes in the lacing, so it's hard for me to imagine how they stay on an open net.
With regard to sheets creeping through the holes of an open net tramp, I have to say that in my experience this does not happen.
That is to say, assuming holes of 1-1/2 inch and ofcourse assuming through-going (
endless
) sheets.
I have to add that I'm used to assemble all the spare of the mainsheet in my steering hand (I've big hands)on the tiller, while the other end of the sheet is in my other (sailing)hand.
The jibsheet I made so short that it will stay always onboard.
But I agree that it all depends on the habit of collecting the spare of the sheetrope in your hands. This habbit also make sense because it enables you to use the mainsheet traveller more often. So the lines to both cleats are tight and ready to be sheeted in or out.
There are by the way tricks for collecting and holding this sheet rest more easily in your steering hand.
I think they were talking more about sheets falling through the much larger gaps between the traditional tramps and hulls or beams(6"?) like the side lacing setups we see now on the A cats.
A cats only have one sheet and it's usually in their hands all the time, unlike the spinnaker sheets and halyard of spin cats (newer Tornados).
My very old Prindle tramp has a large rip across the rear, just forward of the aft beam, and the mainsheet LOVES to slide out the back and drag in the water when it's blowing!
As I was thinking more about your net setup, I realized it could be rough on my dog's paws if/when I take him out with me... I'm thinking maybe a smaller opening type netting, I'll keep looking.
My Blue Healer Loves the water, and loves sailing. Now I just have to train him to bring me a beer!
http:/
as headhunter mentioned, we have a friend with a cheeze grader mesh tramp for his supercat 17. He wears sailing pants and knee pads it is so ruff (intended) on him. The upside.. His crew (pit bull) has great grip and stays on the high side, even in gusts
[quote=northsea junkie]One last detail: when uprighting after capsizing, you cannot wait anymore untill the windforce in the tramp turns you in the wind! So you have to swim to the top of the mast, lift it, and turn the cat in (and a little past)the wind. Go back quickly via the shroud and lift the cat.
NS Junkie,
I've watched your vid before, impressive build.
Do you realize that if you walk towards the bow with the boat on it's side (capsized), that the boat will orient itself to the wind? Perhaps it's different with a 'cheesecloth' tramp however. Give it a try nest time, swimming to the mast head, etc., sounds tiresome, and could be dangerous.
Hi Todd,
Thanks for your comment, but I'm quite familiar with your described procedure. Problem is it doesn't work so well on a 15 footer. With such short hulls you cannot hardly go towards the bow, because that will turn the whole cat over.
Don't forget when I capsize its always in waves condition, so things are anyway difficult to control. Pushing the bow under water in this conditions can have dramatic effects.
Besides the self orienting effect of the cat is for the greater part caused by the sail-effect of the tramp and is not present when using a nettramp.
The procedure which I described, I used already for twenty years and in that days I was able to upright my cat in breaking waves in less then a minute.
As said before, that I will never manage these days anymore. Grrrr.