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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:52 am 
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Location: Virginia Beach VA
The carpet on my side rails needs replacing. I noticed a lot of boats have rubber though. Any pros or cons for either choice? On a friend's boat the trapeze shock cord seems to bind on his rubber rails. If I go with carpet can I just pick up some indoor/outdoor product at Home Depot or do I need something special?


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:48 am 
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I prefer carpet. Trap lines do catch somewhat on the rubber rail covers. The rubber ones also eventually seem to tear etc and need replaced plus our cat likes to claw on them! Carpet is easy on the feet and easier on the rear end! Just my opinion fwiw.


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:32 am 
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Sunvista I have used both the carpet and rubber for the side rails and like the rubber best. It is true the trap shockcord will tear is up abit. If you decide on rubber, trim it enough to that it does not go under the rail at all and make sure the connection with the rope stays above the rail it will wear pretty well. The carpet wears a bit better but is always wet. My boat lives covered on a beach all summer and I had mildew trouble with the carpet. The rubber does have better traction as well.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:49 pm 
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Discussed here .


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:58 pm 
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I use rubber as well and it can be destroyed by your trap return system, This is one of the reason I created this monstrosity below. Looks complicated but once it's set up, it makes everything a lot simpler.

Image

This might be a bit much for some but I've found it provides many other benefits. Makes rigging a lot easier, allows you (or your crew) to go further astern on a reach without the return system pulling you forward, e.t.c. There's been some question as to whether it's class legal or not but I'll wait til that comes up. Hobie has a similar version that attaches to the tramp but I didn't like that one.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:49 am 
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DavidBell47 wrote:
I use rubber as well and it can be destroyed by your trap return system, This is one of the reason I created this monstrosity below. Looks complicated but once it's set up, it makes everything a lot simpler.
I saw that config in one of your other posts. Looks sweet but a little overkill. I don't really want to spend 100 bucks on blocks. I'm curious as to why you just didn't go block to block rather than back to cheek blocks on the underside of the side rails?


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:51 am 
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I like the waffle pattern stuff too. On my last 16 I swapped all the trap return bungees into the tramp.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:27 am 
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Karl Brogger wrote:
I like the waffle pattern stuff too. On my last 16 I swapped all the trap return bungees into the tramp.


And I can confirm everything still looks good. Because of that setup there is no more damage. I don't know if I ever need to replace them. Those flakes of neoprene add character. 8)

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:57 pm 
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Hey Localizer,

Nice setup. Looks like it may resemble the setup I saw in the Hobie catalogue.

You're right, Sunvista. It is overkill. I'm 61 years old and this is only my fifth year sailing and I sail solo most of the time, so "OVERKILL" works good for me. :D The micro blocks are the results of an upgrade to my trap wires so most of the expense was bungee and 4 cheek blocks. Also, I didn't go block to block instead of going to the cheek blocks under the side-bars because I wanted more bungee length. With the regular length bungee, I always felt like I was being pulled forward whenever I found the need to go aft while on the wire. The long bungee gives me more freedom while still having some tension. I've seen other boats with the bungee going from block-to-block but through an "O" ring mounted on the aft end (bottom side) of the tramp lacing to give them a little extra bungee lenght. I thought about it for a while but then (you know me), I went for the overkiil. Nothing would've been more frustrating than to set it up the other way only to find out that it still wasn't enough. I've found out in this sailing venue that cutting corners (on most issues) is the worse thing you can do. Cutting corners is the reason I had a hand full of extra micro blocks. I always said, "I have enough mistakes in my garage (trying to cut corners) to build another boat. :roll:

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:03 am 
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Karl Brogger wrote:
On my last 16 I swapped all the trap return bungees into the tramp.
I have a grommet kit so I might try something like this next summer. How did you decide where to locate the grommets? The aft one looks pretty far back. My primary concern with the aft location is that the dogbone not be whacking me in the face when I'm not trapped out.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:36 am 
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DavidBell47 wrote:
Hey Localizer,

Nice setup. Looks like it may resemble the setup I saw in the Hobie catalogue.



David,
Kudos goes to Karl Brogger - he did this.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:40 am 
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sunvista wrote:
My primary concern with the aft location is that the dogbone not be whacking me in the face when I'm not trapped out.


Sunvista, I have never had this problem - nothing hits my face if I'm not trapped. Sometimes I can even sort of lean on it to relax my back.

Also, we do not have really heavy winds here, so I sail with only one trap. Sometimes, when it is light, I just hook it to the front, by the shroud. That way it is completely out of the way.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:07 am 
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Thanks Localizer,

Sorry about that Karl. That's what happens when you're sitting at a computer at 1 o'clock in the morning. Everything starts to look the same. Anyway, it "IS" a nice setup. Clean!!! On another subject, my dogbone use to hit me in the face from time-to-time until I raked my mast. Raking my mast allowed me to sit more forward placing my trap system more behind me than beside me when on the tramp. Nevertheless, I haven't gotten up the courage to lean against it. :roll:

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 29, 2016 6:51 am 
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Guys I think we need some babysitting... we are pretty far off topic haha. But, to add to the off topic-ness, why wouldn't just installing grommets in the tramp and running the shock chords through it work? Is that just class illegal? That way, the shock chords run above the rail grip instead of below them.

Now back to on topic, I prefer rubber. Many guys have expressed concerns about mildew/mold growing on carpet grips and that they retain water, making your boat slightly heavier and therefore slightly slower for racing (if you race the boat).

If you do decide to go rubber, I currently have this on my boat, but I wouldn't recommend it: http://www.murrays.com/30-210.html The reason I wouldn't recommend it is because the width of the grip they provide you with is okay, but in sufficient to cover your entire side rail. So, when the shock chord runs past it it slowly chips away at the outermost edge of the side rail grip.

Instead, I would recommend purchasing this: http://hydroturf.com/products/Sheets_of ... urf?page=1
Other people I compete against purchase it "by the sheet" and cut it to size for their Hobie 16s and their F18s. The girl I sail against who goes to Hobie North Americans every year says this stuff puts up with the shock chords rubbing against it very well. I've only heard one bad thing from one F18 sailor who bought the camo pattern. He said that the black/white camo pattern can oxidize at different rates among the colors, so the surface eventually becomes uneven. To prevent this just purchase a solid color.

When installing, be sure to have an ample amount of C-clamps and some spare pieces of wood to hold the sheets in place while you wait for the contact cement to dry. I would also recommend a roller (like a kitchen roller used for baking) of some sort to help roll the bubbles out from underneath. This will make for a better stick.

-Evan


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 5:46 am 
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BboySlug wrote:
Why wouldn't just installing grommets in the tramp and running the shock chords through it work? Is that just class illegal? That way, the shock chords run above the rail grip instead of below them.
It "works" and it's permitted by the class rules (new Hobie tramps have come with the trap shock cord grommets since about 2008). However, the location of the grommets forces the traps to be in one place all the time. I stopped using the rear grommet because the tiller would be on the bungee when sitting forward on the boat. It was just annoying. So the crew's trap runs through the forward grommet and the skipper's runs around the sidebar.

Hydroturf seems to be choice of racers these days. It's lightweight, doesn't absorb water and more durable than Neoprene.

BTW, if you have to clamp when using contact cement, you're doing it wrong (or not using real contact cement). Contact cement works like this - apply to both surfaces and wait for it to dry. Maybe put another coat on if the surface is a bit rough or absorbs the first coat. Then carefully position the carpet/rubber/whatever (I like to roll up the piece with the glue on the outside (it's dry)) Start at one corner and make sure it's aligned properly (you don't get a second chance - that's why it's called "contact" cement) and slowly unroll the piece while keeping the edge straight. Then smooth the piece down and around the sidebar, working from the center to the ends.


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