Just finished my harness modifications and it works really well so I thought I’d share.
My old harness was starting to give up so I was in the market for a new one, but I wanted a sliding bar. Problem was not too many are made any more. Dakine had an adapter for their ones but the rest had a fixed bar. I ended up with a harness that fitted well with a fixed bar. I thought, “I could change the way I sail”, “get use to it using it as a fixed” “it must be better cos that’s all they make and everyone uses one .Right. Wrong, I hated it and it hurt my back so much that I had 2 weeks off the water. SO I’m an old dog that doesn’t like new tricks and I don’t like wasting $150 on a harness that I hate.
Go to your nearest engineer shop and collect some off cut 5mm S Steel, if he’s nice it might be free.
Trace the slot set of the bar onto the SS.
Drill a series of holes along the steel, Go a slow speed with the drill so that you don’t temper the steel and stuff it up the whole job.
Take a chainsaw file and file the holes to form a slot. Again take it slow, it works better.
Smooth the slot and edges with a flat file.
Repeat on the other piece of steel.
Now drill and file the slot to take the webbing that holds the bar
I used a seat belt style of webbing to join these two together and form the new slider. I just doubled it up and made a buckle to hold it all together.
You will need to purchase a small bar like the Dakine 6”
The advantage with this system is I can now adjust how much slide I want with out loosening the harness.
Total cost, bar $30, webbing $5
Saved $150, I now love this harness and my back is much better 
Saved $150? You forgot to count your labour.
Nice work but wouldn't a couple of stainless D rings work or off the shelf diving/climbing buckles?
$3.07 Bar Slide - 2 inch - Stainless Steel
www.scubadoctor.com.au/diveshop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=818
and I,d buy one if one had fitted
Good one Kato, I'm in the same boat, have a new fixed harness I hate because it doesn't slide.
I just don't understand why there isn't more demand for them.
I'll have a look at it tomorrow, see what can be done, thanks.
Hi Kato,
I finally got this sorted with my own sliding bar harness.
The new harness is a Flying Objects Transit with a modified buckle set-up.
This is as close as I could get to the old Dakine Surf/Seat with the running strap over the harness bar for height adjustment.
So far so good, the only problem I found was finding a bar that is small in length to allow it to slide. I had to go back to the Aluminium hook for the Dakine everything else was too long.
I will post a photo when I get time.
The thick harness line through the middle is a Dakine purpose made strap to modify into a sliding bar set-up.
I have tested this set-up in 20-23 knots and I am 100kgs.
I really want one of the Stainless Steel Dakine bars but cannot find one like yours, I am concerned the Aluminium will fatigue and let go when I least want it to 
Interestingly, due to strong demand for a sliding spreader bar, Flying Objects have just released a new lightweight thermo-formed waist harness
with a sliding spreader bar. It's called the Indie.
We recieved the first shipment of these a couple of weeks ago.
Very nice solution Kato. You may find that bar a bit short after a while leading to pressure on the hips.
Graceman, is that adaptor a Da Kine part in their catalogue?
I also use a sliding bar. It only has to move a couple of inches but that is vital, It enables the upper body to be turned towards the direction of travel. Once you get used to it, anything else is extremely awkward.
Isn't the da kine slalom seat with sliding bar still available?
edit. It's called Speed Seat and seems to be the only one that still has a sliding bar: www.dakine.com/
so I could be wrong.
Interesting, I use a sliding 'harness' set up, just requires a rash vest. I find the rash vest is quite smooth and slippery, and I can slip the whole harness around my waist a couple of inches, using the lines, to get the best angle, then twist back at the end of the run. Doesn't work with a seat of course.
Just to conclude,the harness worked very well with no problems. road tested to 361 km,s
hey Kato nice work on the distance yesterday!! glad to hear the harness worked well..
here is a pic of some idiot using a similar sliding hook as well,from memory it was self centering using wide elasti****hink it was a dakine gadget, if i rember right it worked quite well!
