Hobie Cat Forums

Last time out the (very old) tramp developed an 18" tear near the rear crossbar.

Is it worth even considering fixing?

If not the options appear to be:

Non-Hobie black 3 piece mesh for $360

Non-Hobie bias cut 1 piece black for $400

OEM White Vinyl canvas 3 Piece for $450

OEM Mesh 3 Piece black or turquoise for $615

The old one was turquoise so it must have been the last (though it didn't look mesh). Is the mesh a lot better than vinyl? I thought the white would stay cooler here in Florida. Has anybody tried a 1 piece?

Thanks

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

I only have experience with Hobie brand tramps. My crew and I actually prefer the solid vinyl tramps on the 18. The boat stays much drier with solid than with mesh. One of the downsides of the white vinyl tramps is that they tend to be quite bright when it's sunny out, to the point that the glare can bother your eyes.

I have an older blue vinyl tramp for sale if you have any interest. It is in decent condition. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=43521

sm

I agree : I recently switched from black mesh to vinyl because the sea kept sloshing up through the mesh (never ever had that problem with my mesh on my HC16 (it rides higher)) The costlier original Hobie cat vinyl lasts nearly for ever (so they say)
Michel

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Michel

Yep..still beating hard on my 87 blue vinyl tramp and it looks like it will outlast me...25 years of active sailing on that unit. BUT it lives in a boathouse It's the UV that kills tramps and everything else on your boat. AND it's double laced with black bungee which keeps it from being point loaded on any given grommet....ever.

I used a mesh tramp for 10 years before replacement. I prefer the mesh as 1) allows the water to drain off... (yes it splashes through also), 2) the wind passes through it so it dosn't act as another 'sail' when you are flying high, and might be that extra little push to a capsize......

I went through this decision process about a year ago. If you plan to race, you officially can only have a Hobie brand tramp, though I was told that most people wouldn't care unless you were beating them all the time. Racers are also anal about weight and the mesh is supposedly lighter than the vinyl.

I ultimately chose blue replacement tramps from http://www.slosailandcanvas.com. I added the Tenara thread for longevity, two storage pockets (awesome), and the line catcher. The fit and quality are great and I get compliments all the time. Their "mesh" is actually pretty tight, much tighter than what I have on my Tiger tramp, so it keeps things pretty dry.

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1989 Hobie 18 Magnum "Rhapsody"
2007 Hobie Tiger

Poole, Nice looking boat!!

Hi,
Does anyone have experience with Non-Hobie bias cut 1 piece?

My original 3 piece solid vinyl final shredded away. Love the idea of not having to 1. lace, 2. deal with water flying between center lacing and 3. keeping track of the ropes (I recognize a center rope catcher takes care of 2 and 3).

Will a bias cut trap eventually have more sag vs a 3 piece solid vinyl?

Jeff in VT.

I can sell a locally made mesh 18 tramp for $300, It is of very high quality. A layer of vinyl is placed over all of the threading and then sewn down, meaning all of the threads have ultimate protection from the sun. I used it on my personal 18 and I have sold several just from someone noticing how nice mine is.

A few thoughts on the vinyl verses mesh.

On mesh tramps I have only ever seen the threads wear out. The Mesh itself seems to last longer. The vinyl eventually gets eaten by the sun and tears. The original Hobie tramps do not have threads leaving the vinyl itself to fail first.

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2001 Nacra 20
84 H16 108123

Thanks Brian, it was a total restoration and huge amount of work over 6 months but I enjoyed it.

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1989 Hobie 18 Magnum "Rhapsody"
2007 Hobie Tiger

FYI, if price is everything, the least expensive new tramps that I found come from Tampa Catamarans for $229 at the link below. I have no experience with them.

http://stores.tampacatamarans.com/-strs ... Detail.bok

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1989 Hobie 18 Magnum "Rhapsody"
2007 Hobie Tiger

One thing I can tell you is DO NOT under any circumstances buy one of those aftermarket tramps the Amish make in Ohio, and sell on eBay.

I bought one last year and it only lasted one season.

Total waste of money.

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Aaron
1981 Hobie 18
Fleet 250

Has anybody done business with Tampa Catamaran? They are in my backyard and I like supporting local businesses.

The SLO traps look nice as well but the shipping from CA has got to add to the cost

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

Tampa Catamaran tramps are a little too stretchy to really tighten up the rack and hold the boat tight.... but they are cheap and I have one on a spare 16...

I replaced my 21SE tramps last spring with OME and the quality was well worth the difference in cost compared to the after market ones I have seen ......

I replaced the 1989 main tramp and wing tramps which were still in OK condition after 22 years. The originals held up very well....you get what you pay

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Bill 404 21SE

So from what Ive been researching and seeing here; DO NOT buy from "racedaytramp" located in Ohio with their store on ebay, and do go with "slosailandcanvas" (why don't they make a white/mesh tramp!!!) -- poolemarkw your boat looks so fantastic!! Maybe the best Ive ever seen, did you document this restoration online anywhere??

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