DRAGONFLY Trimarans User Forum

This post was inspired by the comments about slippery nets in another thread: The round bolt heads on top of the beam bases, and the aluminum strips that secure the nets to the main hull are VERY slippery.

Years ago I had a serious fall due to slipping on the bolts. Since then I have used "3M Safety Walk tape" in a 1-inch width along the entire length of the strips and have placed strips of the same material over the rows of beam bolts (I also cover the smooth fiberglass between them). It is very durable and has held up well over time.

It is available in white, and here in the US you can buy a roll or by the foot in most hardware stores. It's also easy to find sources online.

The following link shows a photo of my forward crossbeam base. Notice I also put the 3M tape on the trailing edge where there is no non-skid. That's where you need it.



This photo shows the non-skid on the aluminum strip that attaches the net. The zig-zag sewing is Gore-Rex thread (Tenara) overstiching, which is resistent to UV:

I'm going to add some to mine like you did.
I've already added a strip just outside the cockpit slightly forward of the primary winch, and a strip all the way across the top edge of the aft cockpit behind the traveler.
I stand there after dropping the main when tossing the reefing lines on top of the flaked sail.

Df 35 already has a factory anti-skid where aluminum strips are on the picture. Now, if only this tape would stick to the tramp.

Steve, if you ever decide to replace the tramp mesh with a more open one like on the Catanas, I would love to piggy back on this, we could save some money by ordering 2.

Ivan,

Don't hold your breath, my tramps are still in pretty good shape and I've resewn the edges with new bolt rope material and GoreTex thread.

They're still good for quite awhile.

Oh well, then on to plan B to thread a 5mm line through the trampoline holes about 3-4 inches away from the hull. 3-5 strands should make an anti-skid strip right where it's needed.

FYI I updated the image links in the post above