I'm refurbishing a 1973 or so Panther Craft Tornado.
It's going pretty well so far but need to know where to install the bungies for the trapeze lines.
I could guess where they should be installed but it's an old boat and if you happen to have an exact
measurement from the front or back of the hulls it would be appreciated.
Also if you happen to know where to get a new trampoline for it that would be appreciated as well.
I found a good supplier of trampolines for my other boat but they don't have the one for the panther craft
which is kind of unique I guess. They might custom make one if needed but there's someone out there that makes them.
Also I've never sailed one of these before any last minute tips on sailing with a trapeze?
Thanks very much.



edited by: strategy, Jun 15, 2009 - 11:13 AM

strategy

I'm refurbishing a 1973 or so Panther Craft Tornado.
It's going pretty well so far but need to know where to install the bungies for the trapeze lines.
I could guess where they should be installed but it's an old boat and if you happen to have an exact
measurement from the front or back of the hulls it would be appreciated.
Also if you happen to know where to get a new trampoline for it that would be appreciated as well.
I found a good supplier of trampolines for my other boat but they don't have the one for the panther craft
which is kind of unique I guess. They might custom make one if needed but there's someone out there that makes them.
Also I've never sailed one of these before any last minute tips on sailing with a trapeze?
Thanks very much.edited by: strategy, Jun 15, 2009 - 11:13 AM

Not familiar with that boat, but if it is like the hobie 16 where the tramp is raised off of the hulls by pylons you would just run them under the tramp athwart ship (port to starboard). They kind of "free float" and move forward or aft depending where you are trapping at.

For a tramp have you tried Slo sails in California? I had them make me a tramp this past year and couldn't be happier. Very affordable, very comfortable and they even custom add tramp pockets for storage.

I have sailed the classic Tornado rig, but not a Panther Craft. The Tornado was a very tightly controlled design and 95% of everything on the boat should be similar across manufacturers.

Some Tornado plans are available on this site (Thanks Damon).
http://www.thebeachcats.com/index.php?module=pictures&g2_itemId=11015

The Classic Tornado is a nice rig to sail, but is very technical (the new rig even more so). It is not affected by crew weight as much as many of the boats and it is fast when sailed properly. The skipper that I sailed with sailed by the feel of the boat and didn't pay as much attention to the sails as he did boat speed and water conditions ahead.

Since the boat that I sailed (and your 73) are classic rigs, the skipper doesn't have a trapeze, but in heavy air, the crew should actually be behind the skipper (the skipper almost lays on the crews legs to get all the weight aft).

Trapezing tips are the same as any trap equiped boat:
- Set the trapeze low (you should have to lift your head to see the tramp).
- Keep your feet as close together as possible (gets areder in wave)
- Bending your aft leg slightly makes it easier to bend it a lot when you see a wave that might slow boat speed significantly. If you get the leg bent far enough, fast enough, you can prevent a trip around the fore stay (bad for crew to go in front of the boat as it leads to the stern coming out of the water as the mast heads into the water).

When you do capsize the Tornado, you will also find that it seems to take a long time to hit the water.

Thanks.

mma600psi

strategy

I'm refurbishing a 1973 or so Panther Craft Tornado.
It's going pretty well so far but need to know where to install the bungies for the trapeze lines.
I could guess where they should be installed but it's an old boat and if you happen to have an exact
measurement from the front or back of the hulls it would be appreciated.
Also if you happen to know where to get a new trampoline for it that would be appreciated as well.
I found a good supplier of trampolines for my other boat but they don't have the one for the panther craft
which is kind of unique I guess. They might custom make one if needed but there's someone out there that makes them.
Also I've never sailed one of these before any last minute tips on sailing with a trapeze?
Thanks very much.edited by: strategy, Jun 15, 2009 - 11:13 AM

Not familiar with that boat, but if it is like the hobie 16 where the tramp is raised off of the hulls by pylons you would just run them under the tramp athwart ship (port to starboard). They kind of "free float" and move forward or aft depending where you are trapping at.

For a tramp have you tried Slo sails in California? I had them make me a tramp this past year and couldn't be happier. Very affordable, very comfortable and they even custom add tramp pockets for storage.