I am having some difficulty to find groove tracks for the tramps of the Catri 27 I am building.
Maybe the luff tracks from Hobies comptip would serve (?). Anyone with previous experience with those?

All suggestions welcome - thanks!

Don't use the comptip tracks. They are plastic and brittle as they age. They would never be strong enough to hold a tramp in and tight.

Mike Hill
Tiger 1520

Nacra uses a solid Aluminum c-shape extrusion that rivets to the hulls. It has a 1"+ horizontal flange that is tangent with the top of the "C" shape. I would take a picture but my boat is 2 hours away at the moment.

You can buy track from Sunrise Yacht Products in St. Petersberg, FL. Go their website and follow "main, installation, installation producuts." They are good people and will custom anything you need. (Not affiliated...)

http://www.multihullnets.com/attach/attachprod.htm

A couple of suggestions:

1) This product was originally used by trucks:

http://www.c-tech.co.nz/producttrack.htm

2) Most companies that extrude masts also make just track extrusions. Here is an example
http://www.ullrich-aluminium.co.nz/pg31_32.htm

3) Aluminium extrusion companies sometimes have a standard product that will work. Try contacting local firms. I remember a story about someone using an extrusion made for screen doors

Both my examples were New Zealand Companies. I have had good luck dealing with New Zealand firms via internet

Good Luck
It sounds like you are into the hard part of your boat building, finding all the littole parts you thought would be easy

Hello Luiz,
Make sure the track is 6061T-6 aluminum alloy. There is alot of 6063T-5 track on the market and it is soft and will open up and spit the rope out under load. Might be OK for awnings but not for tramp tracks.
Bill

Makes sense.
Thanks!

Very good alternative.
The photo is not necessary - just tell me if the flange is an inverted "L" to fit the deck/hull joing or if it is flat, which would be ideal for me.
Thanks,
Luiz

it looks exactly like the one on the right in this image from the Sunrise website link above:

http://www.multihullnets.com/attach/attachprod.htm

http://www.multihullnets.com/attach/images/track.jpg

I need the other one. I am checking it with Sunrise
Thanks,
Luiz

Seems to be the best source.
I am waiting for their reply.
Thanks!

Carl,

Thanks for the input.

-The sections in the first NZ link are too shallow - I need a rope "luff" to make the first part of the tramp impermeable with vinyl or something similar.

-The plastic section in the second link is perfect, but plastic might not resist for long.

I checked some of the more important nearby aluminum companies, like www.alcoa.com.br (Brazil is an important producer) but this is hardly a standard section. The only real rigger is www.farol.com.br and the available extrusions are only for masts and very limited in choice.
It'd be necessary to find a naval alloy round or oval section and then cut the groove, but this would destroy the anodization, so painting would be necessary. It is feasible but not practical nor beautifull.

I'd rather buy the proper product in the US. It is easier to pay US dollars and to receive the goods through my brother in Naples (Fl) or via mailbox.

I'm lucky: so far this has been the only part that required asking around. The custom SS parts were easy to make in Rio and the standard deck hardware is excellent - take a look at Nautos (click in "English").

The "to do" list now is:
-Rear seat, tramps, sails, SS stringers and mast/boom/bowsprit/standing rigging - which will come complete from Europe.

Cheers,

Bill,
I wonder if the extrusion sold by Sunrise sells is made of 6061T-6. All I can do is ask...
Thanks,
Luiz

Show us pictures!

I do not know if this helps but I have this picture of my N6.0na from inside.

Kris

and this one

There are many images in the shipyard's photo gallery: multicascos.com

Here are some of them:

Your track looks bolted to the deck, so the groove should be lateral. I am looking for a track to bolt to the side of the hull so the groove must be in the center.
Thanks,

The aluminum "tramp" tracks are the same as that used by all caravan manufactureres when the have an "annexe" that attaches to the side of the caravan so any caravan manufacture should have "heaps" of the track in stock. Theirs is also the right alloy for use on catamarans as well, and its cheap.
darryl

Darryl,
Your indication certainly works well in Australia and maybe in the US, but I bet that in Brazil they use a cheap alloy and a section that is too light for our purpose.
Thanks,
Luiz