Trampoline Trepidation No More.
by Jake on Feb.22, 2006, under Composite Works
The trampoline came back from E/P tonight and they did a terrific job. The stitching is impeccable. For this modification, they fold back (or cut away) several inches of the side of the trampoline and sandwich in several loops of heavy duty nylon webbing ever 4 inches or so. Then they supply this bolt rope to slide into the slot in the hull with several more nylon webbing loops that will slide up and down the bolt rope to align themselves with the webbing sewn in the trampoline. In addition to the regular front to back tensioning we could do with this trampoline, we can also tension it side to side. Since the rear of the trampoline usually sits closer to the water, there is speculation that this lacing will ventilate the airflow under the trampoline resulting in less drag (hand down technology from the Olympic Tornado class). All I know is that it serves as a terrific hand hold when things get windy and bumpy and a good spot to plant your heel when pushing out on the trapeze. My F18 has a trampoline similar to this and I’ve really grown to like it. That’s our dog, Gunther, in the photo trying to garner a little attention.
I also had a few minutes before it started raining to shape up the repair to the hull this evening (some photos over at flikr – click photo below). I used an angle grinder with a sanding disk to take down the edges of the repair area…it’s a dangerous tool to get close to a hull like that but if you’re careful it can yield quick results. I still have some shaping to do with a straight edge, palm sander, and my long board but it shouldn’t take long. The weather forecast is also significantly different now and they’re calling for 62 degrees tomorrow and upper 50′s throughout the weekend without any rain. I’m planning on going in early tomorrow so I can get home to take some advantage of the warmer conditions and hope to get some of the imperfections on this starboard hull filled in. We’re getting a LOT of photos over there at flikr…I’m going to have to see if I can setup sub-categories to keep them organized.
