Trapeze Adjustment Question

My apologies in advance, if this topic has already been addressed. I've recently gotten hooked on Hobie 16s, and I just did the Charlotte Harbor Regatta. Much was learned from the experience, although I ran into an issue, yesterday, that I hadn't accounted for. During the regatta weekend, I had the privilege of gaining some tips from Tom Korz and Susan Korzeniewski. Tom said something that stuck with me. He told me that when he pulls on someone's trap wire, and it doesn't touch the tramp frame, that he knows that person isn't a serious racer. His point was that the wire should be set so that you can get horizontal to and level with the tramp.

I adjusted my rig that way, although there is a problem. I went out to train, yesterday, and I was good until I hit a hole, at which time the mast tilted to windward, causing just enough slack in the trap wire to send me into the drink. Here is my question: When you adjust the length of the trap, so that the dog-bone just touches the trampoline frame, where should the mask be tilted, so that you don't repeat my mishap? The sails were down, and the mast was slack, when I adjusted the trap rig. Any advice would be appreciated.

KC

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People tell me that I take my sports too seriously. My answer is always the same: Half-assed effort yields little satisfaction for me. On the other hand, performing well is like good sex. I'm in no hurry for it to end. - KC

You need to have the boat fully rigged and the mast pulled forward (as you would for sailing, so jib up) to figure out the sailing position of the trap system - and if you rake back, the dogbones would need to be adjusted again if you want to keep the same height off the water.

Thanks for the reply. What about the lateral tilt of the mast? It was the mast tilting to windward that caused enough slack to dunk me when the wind let up for a second. Should I pull the slack out of the shroud, on either side, before adjusting the trap length for that side?

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People tell me that I take my sports too seriously. My answer is always the same: Half-assed effort yields little satisfaction for me. On the other hand, performing well is like good sex. I'm in no hurry for it to end. - KC

Big difference between someone who's been racing hobies for 30 some odd years and someone who's just starting out. It's ok to run your trap slightly higher while you're learning so you avoid getting dunked. Also, if the wind is very up and down/gusty, even the top guys will likely run their traps a little higher than normal. The speed difference between trapping horizontal versus trapping at say a 30 degree angle is very small. Plus any advantage will definitely be lost the first time you get dunked. Trap from a comfortable angle while learning and lower the angle as you become more confident.

Also, its really important to keep your head out of the boat at all times to watch for lulls/shifts and adjust for them before they hit you. This is how the top guys are able to trap at a low angle without getting dunked. Its a skill that takes a long time to develop.

sm

Sounds like excellent advice. Thanks. My concern about trapping too high is that I don't want to get tossed into the sails if the boat heals up too quickly. It seems to support the argument for an on-the-fly adjustable rig.

Cheers,

KC

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People tell me that I take my sports too seriously. My answer is always the same: Half-assed effort yields little satisfaction for me. On the other hand, performing well is like good sex. I'm in no hurry for it to end. - KC

Ken,
This is good advice. While i disagree with the 30 degree anaolgy, I would def start learning with the wires up a bit. Wind and wave conditions have alot to do with the trap height (as prev mentioned). If you look at some of the pics from Ft Walton NA's you will see teams trapping higher than what would be the norm due to the large waves and the short interval.

As JB says, do yourmeasurement with the rig tensioned. Make sure that your rig is not so wambly that is is swingin all over the place too.

It also takes a little TOW (time on da Water) to anticipate puffs, lulls & shifts all of us on the forum have taken our dunkings.

Are you gonna make it to Daytona?

Thanks. I'm good at seeing the wind patterns. Started racing J24s in 1983. It was actually the combination of the mast slacking up and a wave side-swiping me that dunked me. I'll try to explain my specific question a little better. There is a certain amount of slack in the shrouds when the sails are up and tuned properly for the boat. Susan K. showed me how to measure that. What happened was that when I hit the lull, the pressure on the mask eased up and lowered me down pretty close to the waterline. Then a wave took me out. We have really boxy (vert-walled) waves in Charlotte Harbor. Anyway, when that happened, it made me wonder if, when adjusting the trap length, should I pull on the shroud to take the slack out of it before making the trap adjustment. I apologize if I'm not articulating well.

I'd like to make it to Daytona. Not sure about schedule yet.

KC

_________________
People tell me that I take my sports too seriously. My answer is always the same: Half-assed effort yields little satisfaction for me. On the other hand, performing well is like good sex. I'm in no hurry for it to end. - KC

If you're sailing along and you hit a lull that is severe enough that it causes the windward shroud to go slack, then you should not have been out on the trap in the first place. You should have been watching the water/boats to anticipate that lull and see that it was time to swing in off the trap and/or bear off to power the boat up. Granted in really puffy/shifty breeze, this will happen to even the top sailors occasionally, but if it's something that happens to you numerous times during a race, then it's going to kill your speed. You need to either run your traps higher or sit in the boat and single trap. You may also want to snug up your rig a bit when sailing in these conditions. In any case, to answer your question, you should set your trap height for powered up sailing because that's the only time you should be out on the wire.

sm

Thank you for answering my question. KC

_________________
People tell me that I take my sports too seriously. My answer is always the same: Half-assed effort yields little satisfaction for me. On the other hand, performing well is like good sex. I'm in no hurry for it to end. - KC