Need help from the experts.

Just bought a new tramp for a Sol Cat 18 from SLO - (great price and free shipping)

I was wondering if I should use shock cord or lace it with non strech rope.

I hear that shock cord will evenly spread your weight. I am 6'2" 280# and the last tramp was old and laced with rope and I ripped it out at the gromets.

I am not into racing just getting started and want the tramp to last as I would rather put my money into fixing the soft spots on the topsied of the hauls where you would sit.

Thanks

Scott

Hey Scott

I also have a solcat 18 and would say if you went trouble and expense of replacing the tramp I would put on new lacing as well. I don't think shock cord will work but I haven't tried it. I used 3/16" line and it works great, allows you to get the tramp nice and tight. I also padded the center beam with heavy foam pipe insulation and zip ties from the hardware store, it will save you knees from getting bet up all day long. I also changed the rear strip for heave duty Tramp slug slides which I got from murrays which have held up better then the plastic ones that came with the tramp I bought.
While you have the tramp off you might want to check the rivets in the side channels that hold the tramp, I had quite a few that where lose and needed to be replaced.
good luck
Jeff O

--
Jeff O
N5.0
solcat 18(sold),
N5.2,
H16
Camarillo CA
--

I don?t know anyone who uses shock cord on a tramp.

I don?t know solocats, but on many cats, the tighter the tramp, the better.... On some boats (H18) the tramp adds allot to the rigidity of the boat.

Also if your grommets ripped out I would guess either the tramp was: UV damaged, or poorly made... and in every case ... needing replacement.

One of my biggest fears is falling through a tramp during stepping of the mast and shattering my legs.

straight from the murray's catalog

don't shoot the messenger


CHOOSING LACING FOR YOUR TRAMP

SHOCK CORD

For recreational sailors, shock
cord is usually the better choice
over line tramp lacing. Just ?set
it and forget it? because shock
cord maintains the tension you
set when lacing your tramp.
Shock cord also reduces tramp
and grommet wear because
the load is spread over multiple
grommets, especially when
walking on the tramp. The latest technology shock cord used in
our kits is designed for durability and longevity.


LINE
Line offers a longer-lasting option over shock cord and is the
better choice for sailors who prefer a very tight tramp. As the
line stretches slightly over time, sailors can re-tension the tramp
lacing to their liking. Our standard kits include black, abrasionresistant
low stretch line.
For an alternative favored by racers, tramp line kits with smaller
diameter, high-tech Dyneema® line are also available. Not only
is Dyneema® line stronger and lighter in weight than 8-strand
line, it has almost no stretch and has excellent ultraviolet and
abrasion-resistance properties. Race kits include gray, 3mm and
2mm Dyneema® line as specified at right.

--
Gordon
Nacra 5.5SL
--

BANG!!!!

lol... i stand by my statement! :) I have NEVER seen a cat sailor use bungee and many boats benefit in handling, and are more rigid with very tight tramps. on my h18 if the tramp wasnt tight.. i coul lift one hull and the other would stay on the beach...

Thanks

You all have good info..

I am trying a 1/2 breed idea. I laced the tramp with line and then relaced with a shock cord. Believe it or not it allowed me to get the lacing tighter with the line. I know the tramp will stretch so I left the shock cord in and will keep tenisioning the tramp with each sail.

I will be heading out tomorrow and will let you know how it worked. The pipe insulation is a great idea.

This $100 boat has turned into about a grand but well worth it.

Next thing to conquer is the soft spots on the top side of the haus where the skipper sits/ stands. I plan on trying the injection method first if that does not work I was thinking of reglassing the top with 6oz chop matt and then following up with 3oz woven then a layer of gelcoat.

Thanks for the input.

Scott

PS any sailors in the Portland / Vacouver area?

Given the time I spend each season replacing shock cord that rots out or abraids, I cannot imagine its use as tramp lacing. That is one place where durability, UV resistance and strength counts. Of course I could be wrong but lacing/tensioning a tramp is my least favorite thing. I try to do it as little a possible.

It seems clear that most everybody uses low stretch line for the tramp lacing to stiffen the rig. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has tried shock cord since it seems like there could be some advantages to it. Murrays suggests that casual sailors use shock cord for the tramps because it is more comfortable and puts less stress on the tramp and I would think that shock cord would not need to be re-tightened as much since it is elastic. Has anyone used shock cord for the tramp lacing? Did you have any problems with reduced stiffness of the boat? What diameter shock cord did you use and how long did the shock cord last? I'm trying to figure out what to lace my Solcat 18 tramp with.

I agree with everyone about normal shock cord but I actually just got an order of the shock cord Murray's suggests and I must say it is about 10 steps above any other shock cord I have ever seen. The cover layer is extremely fine braid and it is super stiff. My plan was to use it to lace my Nacra 5.2 up next year as I couldn't keep the poly line I was using tight this year, I ended up having to tighten it almost every weekend. Now it wasn't Sta-set or anything remotely special so it was likely the wrong line to use (came with the boat). I think the Murray's shock cord is likely going to work better than most of the other experiences indicate, unfortunatly I have about 7 months to think about it now.

All that being said i would think that the best line to use for tramp lacing would be a Vectran blend over Dyneema. The reason I say this is that Vectran is low stretch and low/no creep where Dyneema is low stretch but will creep under load. For a static installation like a tramp lacing creep would be worst than just stretch (creep is the tendancy of the fibres to lengthen over an extended time under load). Anyway I have been looking and am really liking the blend of properties and price that VPC line by New England Rope offers(over pure Vectran lines). It`s available at quite a few places (West Marine, Catsailor, etc, etc) but not Murray`s for some reason.

D.




edited by: Wolfman, Oct 14, 2009 - 09:32 PM

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

Quote

All that being said i would think that the best line to use for tramp lacing would be a Vectran blend over Dyneema

I agree.. the only draw back is vectran is semi coarse so it could be a little hard on the knees if you drag them on the line... but so is tramp material.

As per the shock cord, there is a H18 sailor (regular on another forum) with MANY years under his belt, and he is a racer who swears by shock cord on his tramps.

I can't imagine,... as a shock cord will not provide the same tension other lines will.. and that is key on the H18....

I have always been told that the tramp is actually part of the structure of the vessel. Which means that a tighter tramp... the stronger the vessel. Helps to keep the pontoons square. Shock line cannot do that.