Here's a list of a few companies in the U.S. that can supply polypropolene mesh fabric. Might be a good starting point. I also recommend trying a local boat cover manufacturer - they can get quite an assortment of specialty fabrics.

Thomas Registry - search Polypropolene fabrics

Sailrite is a company in the US known for kits to make sails and other boat-related projects. They sell trampoline mesh -- in black only I think.

Sail Rite Mesh

Not sure what kind of PVC-coated material you would use for edging, as I haven't researched that much yet. Was thinking about making a mesh tramp for one of my boats. I have a home-use machine, but it's a high-end one (Bernina if you're interested), and I've done all kinds of canvas work, tramp repair, etc. I just made a snorkel so I could leave the jib on my Hobie 18 up on the boat. I don't expect to have any problems when I go to make the trampoline. I already have a grommet kit, and it's very easy to use.

If you were looking for a first-time project, I can't think of anything much easier than a tramp -- basically two squares of material (3 if you want to do old-style), with edging sewn all around. Then you add the grommets, and any pockets, and you're done.

Go for it!
Shambie

well - I've got experience working on a mesh trampoline now and it didn't go as well as expected. We were trying to restore the trampoline on my N6.0NA because a lot of the stitching had come loose. However, upon further investigation we found a lot of frayed areas and more cigarette burn holes than should ever be on a trampoline (previous owner) and I figured I would have to replace it soon anyway. We also discovered the limits of my friends industrial sewing machine (industrial in the fabric sense with a 1.5hp motor, slip clutch, cast iron head & housing, etc.). It was unable to penetrate the corners of the trampoline where there were more than one layer of vinyl around the mesh. It was also unable to get through double layers of edging on the pockets in the corners (where it was probably about 3/4" thick). We later found that it might have helped to spray the areas to be stitched with "Amour All" to help lubricate the needle and thread. We got the trampoline back together enough in order to sail the boat but regretfully it's time for a new one!

We did sew on a pocket at the rear of the trampoline like was seen in the other post "trampoline modifications" and that's is an AWESOME storage spot. It spanned the area between the hiking straps, forward about 24" and opened forward like Mary suggested. I also put a stitch halfway through the opening to divide the opening in two. Not only does it work great for storing stuff on the water, it makes a great pouch in which to roll up the mast rigging when the boat is on the trailer.

PS - be sure that you use a wide stitch when sewing the mesh material. On one run of the new storage pouch, we used a small straight stitch and it has torn a small hole in the mesh material.

I'm currently making a tramp as well. I went to our local sailmakers and picked up 2 metres of material for $50, (AUS), or thereabouts. The sewing machine I'm using is an old 40's electric Singer. It does only the one stitch, but it does it well. A few things I've found:

Thread matters. I've chosen a strong nylon thread, as I figured it would cope better than cotton with the conditions. I was looking for a fine fishing line, but this is pretty much the same thing. I even found one in "smokey", so it is almost invisible on the tramp material.

The Singer is perfectly adequate to the task, but I did have some trouble getting the tension right. Once it was ok, I found that it has no problems, even through four layers of tramp material. The stitch is very strong, but I am triple-stitching everything for added strength.

I'm not using an edging material. This was traditional, but the edging seems to deteriorate faster than the tramp material itself, so I decided not to bother. I'm not sure yet if this is wise or not. As a result the edges won't be as strong as on some tramps, but I am making up for this with extra care in the stitching.

I spent some time with a soldering iron melting back the edges where I cut them, to prevent fraying. As a result I figured I can get away with just folding one edge over, rather than the two I would normally do with material. This keeps the overall thickness down, which helps with the sewing.

I still have two problems - I think it will be a tad thick where the rope is to slip into the holder on the hulls, but I will see about that later. Anyway, hard to fit is better than too thin. And I haven't found any eyes yet that I'm happy with for the rope to run through - I found some brass plated ones, but I'm hoping for something better.

Overall, it seems to be working ok, but it's a fair bit of work. The good bit is the $400+ I'm saving on the tramp can go into other equipment. btw, a while back I was a professional Teddy Bear Artist. I would be more comfortable making the tramp if I could make it out of fur.

Have fun!

Nylon thread? Keep her covered up! Nylon is lousy in the sun- you really need good UV resistant thread. See the suggestion above- Dabond 2000 for resewing!

Sunbrella also makes a thread used for...well...Sunbrella fabric. It's black or blue or white, readily available, and UV resistant.

My Venture Cat 15 tramp was badly sun-damaged through neglect by the previous owner. About the third trip out on the lake, the material split along the seam line.

My first attempt at repair was to take it to a local upholstery shop. He resewed the split seam, adding a reinforcement patch. It cost $20.

This worked for one trip out on the lake and then the material split along the fold in which the crossbar fits...this time the split was not near a seam...the material itself was too badly degraded.

Not wanting to spend another $20, I decided to fold over the remaining material on itself and put grommets in rather than trying to resew it. Thus, instead of a fold in which the crossbar slides, I now had a row of grommets that allowed me to lace it with 1/4" line to the crossbar. It has not shown any sign of ripping.

I'm so impressed by the ease of simply grommeting the edges that I'm thinking about making a new tramp with no sewing at all. I should be able to triple fold each edge, hiding the edge inside the hem, and then putting in grommets every three inches.