I have just bought a used Hobie that has the rear lacing tramp. Two questions: this boat is wider than my old 16. Does not having a center-laced tramp make the boat wider? The second question is related to this...is there any dropoff in performance with a rear-lacing tramp? It seems like a wider boat that does not have the center-laced tramp would not be as rigid.....
Thanks in advance.
Steven

I doubt that the boat is wider if it is a 16, and I didn't know that you could get rear lacing tramps for the 16 unless someone widened a 16 and made a custom tramp...which both would be a waste of time.

For a brief time (along about 1992), Hobie made a one-piece, rear-lacing tramp for the 16. It was based on the tramp design for the Wave and is still used on the Tiger and FX-1.

The problem was that you couldn't get them really tight - and the 16 likes a really tight tramp to help with frame stiffness.

There are no differences in the boat frame between a 3 piece and a 1 piece tramp.

Plus there are after-market bias cut tramps that only lace at the rear. It would seem to me that the bias cut is an upgrade because it kind of cross braces the frame. Any thoughts on this?

Here's my after-market tramp... I love it. It's easy to install, easy to keep tight, and it does a fine job of tightening the tramp frame. I find it gentler on my knees, too, than the original. Cost about $400, though.

Rick