OK, its a dumb one,,,

Tramps are tied tight to make the hobie frame more stable or stiff. Why doesn't the hobies and others have a solid piece instead of a tramp ? I know something else would be heavier, A $200-$400+ tramp compared to $20.00 piece of marine grade plywood ? OK, as I said,,it is a dumb one,,,

Cuz the womens don't like to lay on a piece of plywood...

duh!

Drainage as well...

_________________
Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

OK, I guess everyone is scratching their heads, cats have had tramps since the beginning. The old P cats were solid & the bravo is too,,

The bravo is not a cat. Anyone who thinks so can kiss my transom...

And we all know how many of those P-cats are running around...

_________________
Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!

Sharks are also solid (a huge 20ft x 10ft plywood cat that is hinged in the middle so you can trailer it).

Also, it's only the 16 and 14 that depend heavily on tramp tightness for frame stiffness because they are on small pylons; the 17/18/tiger, even Wave and Getaways have attachment points for the crossbeams on the outsides and insides of the hull instead, and this provides most of the stiffness.

Why no wood or solid tramps on a 16?

(1) Hard and uncomfortable.
(2) Heavier than comparable strength fabric under tension.
(3) Catches wind underneath the boat - this is bad enough with the solid-vinyl tramps (remember to move forward when tacking in high winds with solid tramp or go over backwards!)

_________________
Tim
Unofficial Fleet 72 Communications Officer and Div 4 Webmaster
http://www.hobiefleet72.org
http://www.div4.hobieclass.com/

Easy NCSUtrey,,, I am just curious, last time I saw a Bravo, it has 2 hulls,

It is also much easier to tighten the boat if a tramp is used versus a deck. It would be difficult, heavy, and expensive to have a rigid deck able to tension the boat frame like the tramp.

Even the H18/Tiger/Getaway/Wave etc. still rely on the tramp to stiffen the boat. The tramp acts as a brace. You need to create a triangle (a very stable shape) to get a truly stiff structure. Look at roof trusses as an example.

The reason why triangles are stable shapes is you have to change the length of a side or break a joint between members for it to change shape.

_________________
Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

I can think of a few reasons. Weight is likely #1, Comfort and a folded up trampoline is certainly easier for us to ship... and I hate splinters!

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I guess if someone was broke they could cut a few pieces of plywood and tighten them like a tramp. But....it would be bad!!! I have gone over backwards many times on the 14 because air got under the tramp and blew me over backwards. Can you imagine how bad it would be with boards.

It is nice to have the soft tramp to fall onto or to lay on.

_________________
Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

The Bravo is a faux multihull,
or a pseudo-catamaran,
or an inverse monohull,

But it’s still family.

_________________
2003 Tiger - Don Atchley

The Bravo is definitely family:

See the resemblance?

If the Bravo is not a cat... then neither is a P Cat, Shark or any other hull of similar design, with a solid deck. That would mean those big "Cats" that cruise the Caribbean aren't either.

I'd say it is a cat. Two hull contact points in the water. The deck is irrelevant.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)