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Repairing that Torn Tramp Grommet

By Kim Miller

If it happened to me it can happen to you, especially if you have an old, well worn, tramp. In the middle of a tack in the middle of a race, my knee suddenly went through the tramp lacing. I had torn a grommet out of the tramp fabric. That hole seemed many times its real size for the rest of the afternoon, and then I had to find a way to fix the tramp. There was not enough fabric left to just replace the grommet in the same position, and I didn't really want to take the tramp off the boat.

So I just got a six inch length of a broken fibreglass fishing rod, passed it into the seam of the tramp, and re-laced the rope. The tapered fibreglass portion was about a quarter inch diameter at the wide end and it has proved strong enough to remain as a permanent "temporary" repair.

The picture shows the torn grommet on the right. The fabric has been torn completey away. In the seam you can see the impression of the length of fishing rod which now holds the lacing.

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Torn Hobie Tramp Grommet