Multihull Nets - Offshore 3/8"

[StarryHorizons]

Hi All,

My wife and I are in the process of buying a Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 that will be our home for a few years as we circumnavigate. We are not fans of the factory trampoline and are looking to upgrade to something more comfortable that will be safe for offshore passages.

There are lots of trampoline threads on here, but I'm especially interested in the Mutlihull Nets Offshore 3/8" open net and was hoping someone who has these trampolines might be able to chime in with how comfortable these nets are. I've already received samples and the Offshore 3/8" feels quite a bit rougher than the Square Mesh, but I've been advised that the Square Mesh isn't "open" enough for offshore sailing and that we may rip or damage the trampolines if we encounter some nasty weather. Dyneema seems to be a popular choice, but I don't think it will provide the comfort level we're looking for.

Thanks for your help!

[Jeannius]

I bought a pair of these nets back in 2007. They've done two years in the Caribbean and a complete circumnavigation and are still in great condition. Very comfortable for walking and laying on as well. Can't begin to tell you just how impressed I've been by these.

Great company to deal with as well.

[Oliver L.]

Hi,

I can second that. The net is very comfortable - a perfect compromise between creature comfort and safety for us. The trampoline is one of the favorite spots on longer passages, and we have not had any issue in rough weather.

And besides: Richard at the factory is very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. A nice company to do business with...

Oliver

[oflo]

Hey Starry Horizons, Can i buy your factory trampoline? what are the dimensions?

[StarryHorizons]

Thanks for the quick replies! We've heard nothing but good things about Multihull Nets and appreciate the first hand observations.

One more question general question though: any recommendations on how to take care of the the trampolines and help them last?

oflo - we just started the buying process and aren't expecting on picking our boat up from the factory until October/November of next year. Not sure yet on the dimensions, but if that matches up with your time frame let me know.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by StarryHorizons

----
One more question general question though: any recommendations on how to take care of the the trampolines and help them last?
----

Turn them over once a year to keep the sun from harming them.

[Blc7]

We just bought and installed these nets about 2-3 months ago for our Lagoon 420. We are very happy. But, they are not as comfortable as the mesh nets we had before. That is fine with us. We like the openness and they are comfortable enough.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by StarryHorizons

Hi All,
My wife and I are in the process of buying a Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 that will be our home for a few years as we circumnavigate. We are not fans of the factory trampoline and are looking to upgrade to something more comfortable that will be safe for offshore passages.

There are lots of trampoline threads on here, but I'm especially interested in the Mutlihull Nets Offshore 3/8" open net and was hoping someone who has these trampolines might be able to chime in with how comfortable these nets are. I've already received samples and the Offshore 3/8" feels quite a bit rougher than the Square Mesh, but I've been advised that the Square Mesh isn't "open" enough for offshore sailing and that we may rip or damage the trampolines if we encounter some nasty weather. Dyneema seems to be a popular choice, but I don't think it will provide the comfort level we're looking for.

Thanks for your help!

You may want to just enjoy the FP factory net as they are very comfortable and they have a good mesh that will allow you to see your anchor as it’s deployed or retrieved. The smaller mesh starts to restrict your view of the anchor. You will not understand that until you start anchoring.

You will get 3 to 5 years from your FP factory tramp. I got 5 out of mine.

I have a new Multihull Net with 1" Dyneema mesh going in next year.

[StarryHorizons]

Originally Posted by Blc7

We just bought and installed these nets about 2-3 months ago for our Lagoon 420. We are very happy. But, they are not as comfortable as the mesh nets we had before. That is fine with us. We like the openness and they are comfortable enough.

Just curious, why did you switch from the mesh? We have a mesh net on our current boat but are worried about that type of net on an offshore passage.

[StarryHorizons]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

You may want to just enjoy the FP factory net as they are very comfortable and they have a good mesh that will allow you to see your anchor as it’s deployed or retrieved. The smaller mesh starts to restrict your view of the anchor. You will not understand that until you start anchoring.

You will get 3 to 5 years from your FP factory tramp. I got 5 out of mine.

I have a new Multihull Net with 1" Dyneema mesh going in next year.

Thanks for the advice Cotemar. We have a mesh net on our current boat, as well as on boats we've chartered and I haven't had too much trouble keeping an eye on the anchor.

As for the factory FP nets, they're too "loose" and my wife doesn't think they're comfortable. Since she's agreed to go on this crazy adventure, I'm okay with changing things to keep her happy.

[tamicatana]

If you don't mind doing your own installation, you can save a lot of money by getting Dyneema netting from these folks:

NET Systems, Inc. | Predator X | Trawl Nets | Trawl Doors | Codends & Brailers | Ultra Cross Netting | Catamaran Netting

The knotless Dyneema they have is quite comfortable and will last quite a long time.

Best care for any netting is to coat it from time to time with net paint. Sunrise has a 'net paint' but there is a thread here at CF that suggest that latex exterior house paint will also work

[Blc7]

Just curious, why did you switch from the mesh? We have a mesh net on our current boat but are worried about that type of net on an offshore passage.

We do plan on offshore passages and that was a consideration. Primarily, however, I just liked the athestics, the openness.

[Sid at SailAway]

I've had the Offshore 3/8 open mesh on the boat for a year now. The boat is a Lagoon 410. We have found that it is comfortable to walk or lay on. The times we've had green water come over the bows the mesh has shed the water fine. Sunrise is the place to order from. I installed mine by myself when the boat was in the water. Took four days working 3-4 hours a day. Not terribly hard, just a little tedious. Mine is white and still looks brand new...

[StarryHorizons]

Lots of great advice, thanks! It sounds like these Offshore 3/8" nets will provide the right mix of comfort/safety we're looking for.

I've done some work on the trampoline on our current boat so I'm thinking I could install the new nets myself. May take a bit longer than having a pro do it, but nothing like the satisfaction of completing a project yourself!

[Kiwikat]

Hi SH,

We installed a Multihull Net 1" Dynema on our FP Bahia earlier this year. Very safe and comfortable and great to walk on IMO. Company great to deal with and the tramp fits like a glove from their measurements.

Cheers
Lisa