I was told it takes 3 people to install wing tramps on a Hobie 17 or 18. I am installing some any advice is greatly apreciated.

Dr FrankenCat

By install, do you mean the tramp cloth or installing the structure on the boat?? The cloth part is easy. Start the bungi or nylon line at one end on one gromit fastened with a hog ring.. lace it through the gromitsback and forth .. Ensure that the tention is even, one end to the other by holding tention with vice grips or a tapered dowel and is tight enough to get all the slack and wrinkles out of the material.. Work the slack in the line from the starting end to the running end several times, holding the tension with grips or fid.. Fasten the line on the last 2 gromits with hog ring .. Leave a bit of extra length to help loosen or tighten later if necessary. New tamps will loosen. Sometime even used tramps will.. One Key!! do it on the boat so the frame is solid and supported !!!
The structure part is easy on a 17.. Pipe in the holes. Insure that they are fully seated. An 18 mounts on SS bolts that are slid into the crossbars. See the owners manual on line if that is what you need.. Cheers Hal

--
Hal Liske
Livermore CA
H 16 (6+ 1.. Friends) H 3.2 N 5.2 (2) H 17 (2) H-18
Nacra 5.8 (son's) H 20 (Friends)
It's a Sickness

I Need a A Cat Please
--

We replaced our mesh H18 wing tramps with used vinyl ones. We were pretty successful with two people.
It is a bit tricky to get the thing centered when you start. Kinda wants to move when you pull the slack out.
We worked hard to get them tight to remove all the wrinkles. After we installed them and stepped back we noticed we actually bowed the frame inward from tightening a bit too much. Seemed ok so we use it like that. curious what others have done. Ours are magnum wings. Wear gloves. my hands were sore afterward.

--
Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
--

I thought you might be interested in a story about me.

When I was younger I used to set my wing tramps up tight. As I got older and my tummy started making it more difficult to bend my leg back enough to get it on the outside of the wing, I started setting the wing tramps up softer. That way I could drape my (lardy)ass over the outside of the wing, bend my leg and dig my heel in behind the inside of the wing and go out in two steps, one on the inside and one on the outside of the wing.

OK ... that's it. Back to whatever you were doing before I told you that.