1)The wheels that the bungees run over that flip up the rudders are shot and I need to remove the pin that holds them in to replace them. How do I remove the pin?

Not sure... are the ENDS of the sheave pins visible/accessible? If like the Prindle, you may have to remove the sub-assembly from the rudder castings in order to access/change the sheaves (roller wheels). Probably there is no drilling or torching involved, maybe just a centerpunch and small hammer.

2)I have ordered a new tramp from saltydog and would like to know how traps should be set up. Does the tramp need anything special installed at the factory?

Out near the side edges of the tramp, up near the shrouds (side stays), Prindles have grommeted holes for the trapeze shock cords to ride through. One pair of holes (for the skipper) is approx. 6-8 inches behind the shrouds, the other pair (for the crew) is about 6-8 inches in front of shrouds. Do you see something like this on your OLD tramp? If saltydog knows the SolCat, they probably know to do this... but hey, why not call and MAKE SURE!?!? ;')

On the Prindle, just outboard of these grommets, you tie on a small "block" (pulley) for the shock cords to ride through. (Go to www.performancecat.com and download the Prindle 15/16/18 Owner's manual for pics.)

3) Do I need to pull the end caps from the frame to install the new tramp? I cant get whats left of the old tramp out of the track without pulling the caps it seems. If so, do I need to drill out the rivets in the crossbeam and/or pull the mounting bolt?

As stated by the previous poster, I'd be VERY surprised if such major surgery was required to swap out the tramp. As he said, if one end is blocked, check the other end. If BOTH ends appear blocked, then perhaps there's a "feed slot" towards one end or the other, i.e. a short stretch where the curf (groove) gets wider, as on the mast where you feed in the luff of the mainsail...? Also look UNDERNEATH for some feature of the crossbars that leads to tramp removal... removable plate?... can't believe there'd be riveting involved.


4)I will be using a righting bag but have never used one before. Where is the best place to attach it, what size line,blocks,lengths, other particulars.

On Prindles, there's a grommet dead center on the tramp, just aft of the mast. They say to drop the righting line through there, and just tie a figure-8, and let it pull on the tramp. I've never liked putting that much stress on the tramp, so after passing it thru that grommet, I tied it off to the center post of the dolphin striker, which is a strong structural member.

As for line, a length of beefy old mainsheet that's too fuzzy to run through the blocks works great. I wouldn't go smaller than 3/8". That cheap poly ski rope that comes with the Murray's basic bucket ain't worth shyt! It will decay in no time. Length will have to be at least 13-15' to go up, over, and reach the water. In time you will find the magic spot to tie a loop for your hand-hold, and maybe another loop for your trap harness hook.

You take up the slack by hoisting the bag over your shoulder, and running the slack under your harness hook... then just lean back as when trapezing... if bows are into wind, wind will get under sail, and boat will roll back up... slowly at first, until sail clears water, then SCHWING!

Hopefully SaltyDog included a big pocket on the tramp to stash your righting line + rolled bucket... if not, just wrap the whole mess around one of the side V-bars of the dolphin striker, in a way that's secure, but quick to deploy, e.g. half-hitches, bungees, etc.

5)I have set my trailer with a winch set high on the mast dolly. when singlehandedly stepping the mast the side stays are slack so the mast can swing to the side. I experimented a little and ended up using the jib sheet attached to the sidestays to pull them tight and thus keep the mast centered. Is thisn right or is nthere a better way?

Sounds good. Jib sheets and blocks are strong enough to do the job.

6) Foot straps. It seems like a great idea, but I dont want to get them in the wrong positions...

On lakes I've never needed foot straps... ocean, 'nother story... you need to sail the beast a few times before you decide on foot straps... non-skid material from stern to front crossbar is probably more useful. Also, footstraps (boardsailing type) can be DANGEROUS, e.g. if you do a wicked PITCHPOLE, it's better to take a wild ride 'round the forestay and go "SPLASH", than to have your leg ripped off at the knee, eh? You need something like snow-ski bindings, that release before your bones snap.

If you wear some kind of booties/aqua-socks with good traction soles (and you should), then you will probably only need--at most--1 foot strap on each side, and that's way in the back/stern, behind the rear crossbar... and you may want it mounted at a 45-degree angle. That's because that's where you'll be trapezing when you're far off the wind (broad-reaching), and the force-vector of the sail is well forward, and trying to push your bow(s) under. Your bows plowing under is really the only "braking" action that's going to produce negative (forward) G-forces that would pull you off your feet.

When sailing close to the wind, you'll be trapezing up near the front crossbar, trying to hold the bows down, keeping too much wind from getting under the tramp. You'll be even with where the trap wire is strung, no footstraps needed.


7) The daggerboards seem like they will push right through the hulls. Just push them down flush and forget?

NO WAY! If they're down flush, how will you PULL THEM UP? They should at least have holes near the top for thick rope handles, and maybe another hole for rubber stoppers...? Thick rope will prevent over-insertion. There may also be a gasket down in the board slot to keep water from spraying up through gaps...?

8) I liked the rudder/tiller setup on the Hobie 16. Will this, or a similar setup bolt up to my solcat?

Doubt it. At minimum you'd probably have to drill new holes to replace one or both gudgeons on each side. OTOH, there's lots of busted-up Hobies out there, whose owners are parting them out. You're not far from So-Cal, and the ocean breaks up a lot of Hobie hulls... watch the web.