About how long do most people have their harness lines? I'm 5'8" (172cm) and I have a waist harness. I'm a beginner and just about to try getting into a harness. Methinks that what I have now are too short. I have a pair of Neil Pryde adjustable lines - 20" to 26". With the boom set at about shoulder height (maybe somewhere between nipple and shoulder height) and the lines adjusted to their max length there's still along way between my hook and the harness line. Any suggestions for a place to start would be muchly appreciated. If I need longer lines, does anyone out there in Seabreeze land have an old set they'd care to donate to worthy ol' vet?
Tia
Dinsdale
You and I are about the same height, booms about the same, if anything my boom is a little higher, we even use the same lines.... I on the other hand use a seat harness so my hook is lower.
When it's howling I have my lines at shortest - 20 inch , when it's not windy marginal planning I have my lines about 25inches towards longest.
It always looks like the lines are a long way from hook, don't worry to much when you are powered up and heaving back on the boom you will be surprised how close they actually gets, certainly if you are new to harness have those lines as long as possible, maybe even move them closer together , this makes them a little longer. As the wind picks up and you talent improves make them shorter inch or two at a time.
Barn has very strong fixed opinions about harness line length, so interpret what he says in that light. He's also young, so is still seeing the world in black and white. Those of us with more grey hair see everything with more grey.
DrJ clearly does what works for him.
The old way to select your harness line length was simple and effective.
When attached to the boom, you should be just able to tuck you elbow into the loop with your wrist on the boom.
I tried some longer lines on the weekend, 28", and while they worked, and I could use them, I found it a constant uncomfortable stretch to the boom, and I had to put the boom up to an uncomfortable level to make them work. I'm going back to 24" lines. I'm 170cm, so unless you have gorilla arms, you won't need anything much longer.
Your boom is too low to start with, get it up higher. Shoulder to nose high is good...you will catapult more to begin with but it will be worth it in the end. Harness lines are an individual thing, just try different ones until you find what you like, but they should be hard to get into in sub planning conditions if they are not they will be too long when you get powered up. I've tried them all but have settled on Dakine 28's they are good for me, how far apart do you have them set? They should be no more then a fist apart even less on small sails, just play around and you'll find what's sweet for you.
Cheers.
I think ken's reaction is typical of many people who dismiss longer lines without ever giving them a proper shot. Going to longer lines in my opinion won't be an instant revelation, it's something that you stick with for a few weeks and then when you somehow end up on short lines again you wonder how on earth you ever sailed in such a cramp position with such short lines.
I was using 22-24" lines for 2 years when I started sailing (i'm 172cm, average build), and when I moved to 26" lines I thought no way these are way too long, but after using them for about a month they just felt natural, plus they have a lot of benefits, biggest one for me was improved early planning, and it really helps get weight in your harness. Now I sail on 30” lines, 28”s are okay but 26” is too short.
I went to WA with a mate over summer, he broke his boom and so I lent him my spare boom with 28” lines, he didn't like it at first but after being forced to use it a few sessions he was sold.
Adjustable lines are great, and for a waist harness the lines you have will be adequate. Be aware the stated lengths of NP harness lines are not what they actually measure! I think mine (supposedly 22 - 28) actually go to 30". You will not need the longer set.
Agree your boom height needs to be higher - shoulder to chin height.
For learning to use harness lines have them adjusted long - easier to get into without luffing.
Lines need to be longer in light wind to allow you to stay hooked in but have the rig more upright to prevent luffing, and shorter in stronger wind to keep plenty of force in the harness and keep your butt above the water when you're hiked out. I used the forearm rule initially but variable according to conditions works better for me.
I use the full range of my 22 - 28" lines depending on conditions. I am 167 cm but use a seat harness.
Having your lines in the right spot on the boom is critical. The back line one third of the distance along the boom is a good rule of thumb, but I always stand up my sail on the beach and hold it by the harness line. The lines are balanced when the sail does not twist away from you in either direction. A little tweaking after a test sail on the water so you have equal pull in both arms and you're off.
Hope that's useful for you.
And when you think of it the difference between 26" and 30" lines is not that much. The line hangs in a loop so the apex is not four inches further down, It's only a maximum of two. And the attachment points are some distance apart (just a few inches for some but six - eight for others) this also reduces the drop of the apex point. It's probably only a little over a single inch difference.
Oh and you'd have to measure your lines to find out the actual length. The manufacturers don't really know themselves.
Funny how everything in windsurfing is metric except harness lines.
A heap of good constructive info, and plenty, I'm sure, to get me going. Barn, I've copied and saved your diagrams for future reference. Many thanx one and all.
Dinsdale
See, I did not dismiss anything. I just gave my OPINION that I didn't like the feel of them. As I said, I could use them, and they worked, but I didn't enjoy them.
I've been sailing a while, and I do OK, so while I'm not a qualified anything, I'm not a total idiot either and I have a good enough feel for my gear. It's not the first time I've used longer lines either.
I don't really like absolute statements about what gear people should use.
If you like longer lines, that's totally cool for you.
It may well be that my JP lines are longer than the stated length too, which may be confounding the issue.
Statements like "you are doing it totally wrong" are not helpful.
i'm pretty sure all our harness lines at the windforce school are 28" even the beginner lines
if your too close to the rig you have two problems, 1 as a beginner getting stuck in the lines and 2 when you get hit by a gust not being far enough away from the rig best case scenario here you get lifted and made quite uncomfortable worst case scenario you catapult
so 28" is a good mid range size
26" for lighter wind
30" if you want to put your boom up higher or in strong wind
Dinsdale go with young Barnsy, in my opinion he is 100% right
Me, I'm a worn out old bugger, 6'1", seat haness with 28" lines but going to try 30"s, I have my lines 3 fingers apart. I only sail up wind down wind in the ocean with the occasional half *rse chop hop.
I know people who sail short lines and go alright but I believe they should go longer. As for me I got talked into going from 26 to 22 once, all it did was give me golfers elbow as my elbows were always bent, went straight to 28's and my elbow slowly came good and my sailing improved.
Barnsy I don't think Ken meant to sound dismissive but agree with you, I can't see the relevance your age has to do with it. I have a young mate whose advise I always take, sometimes with a little friendly argument, but since he was 19 he has always been right
My attitude, bucko, is one of open-minded inclusiveness and listening to people.
Your opinions are nearly always very polarised, which I kindly attribute to our age.
If I was being unkind, I might attribute it to other causes.
It took me a long time to grow out of the black/white tendency of youth.
I have often voiced my pro-instruction attitude in many posts here. I often pay for instruction when I can get it, and make the most of my money by listening to the instructor, so painting me as a know-it-all ignoramus might be a little off base.
Good instructors listen to their students and modify their approach according to the visual and verbal feedback they get, acceoting that there will always be some individual variation.
Poor ones are like the boot fitter that threw my wife out for not being able to force her foot into the boot he insisted on for her, as he was blinded by his pre-conceptions to the evidence before his eyes.
But whatever, I'm sure you are right. No-one should ever use a harness line shorter than 30". I'm surprised they are even allowed to sell them.