I put my harness lines on my booms almost twenty years ago and they're starting to fall apart. Never needed to think about what size I needed to replace them until now. How do I precisely go about measuring them to make sure I get the right size?
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I put my harness lines on my booms almost twenty years ago and they're starting to fall apart. Never needed to think about what size I needed to replace them until now. How do I precisely go about measuring them to make sure I get the right size?
Not sure we understand the question - how to measure your current lines or what length you should be using?
The comparable measurements for replacement depend upon brand. In other words, Dakine and Neil Pryde measure differently. This is an older post but from what I can gather, the situation is much the same:
http://forums.boards.mpora.com/showthread.php/39925-Dakine-harness-lines?p=547840&viewfull=1#post547840
As to what length you should be running, here's some current thinking:
http://pritchardwindsurfing.com/harness-line-lengths-for-you/
http://forums.boards.mpora.com/showthread.php/70317-Harness-line-length
http://www.guycribb.com/userfiles/documents/Tuning-%20long%20lines.pdf
Of course, you may find it useful just to get a set of adjustable lines so you can sort it out on the water. As has been mentioned in a recent front page article, modern sails allow the lines to be placed much closer together than in the past. Are your sails the same vintage as your lines? (Not judging, just asking)
Adjustable harness lines offer the benefit of letting you choose or change the length, but there are two reasons I will never use adjustable harness lines (again).
1. they always seemed to slip on me and after few runs they would be at the longest setting.
2. more impotently, I had a close call in the Gorge where the "handle" part of the lines wedged in between the rod that makes up the harness hook. When I fell in the water under the sail, it took about 15 seconds to figure out what was keeping me pinned down an how to free myself...but these were probably the 15 longest seconds of my life.....from that time on I do not use adjustable harness lines.
I find that 24" work best for me (I'm 5'11"), I used to use much shorter lines few years ago, and by the same token a lot of really good guys use lines in the 28" to 30" range. At the end it's all a personal preference, but also to note is that if you get something mid range, you will probably learn to like it after a few sessions.
Marek
Marek: That same thing happened to Gene at the lake. Pretty scary.
Take the little plastic piece in the loop and cut it out so that just the fabric loop is left. Hopefully, that will solve that problem.
PeelSkid
Your body dimensions and the height of your hook matter a lot, but high booms and low hook (seat harness) give you the best mechanical advantage on the sail. Long lines make it easier to unhook, a big safety issue. Like Marek, I was once stuck, hooked in, under my sail and it was complicated by wearing a life jacket... not a good feeling. (There was a brief time when they reinstated the PFD law for windsurfing a few years ago).
I tried adjustable for longbored sailing and it really is a good idea– going upwind with the mast forward and centerboard down, the sail is more vertical so long lines help. Planing on a reach, the boom is way closer to you, so shorter is more better. I found the strap/buckle gets stiff & hard to work easily and I didn't like monkeying with it all the time, so I bagged it and went back to fixed, 32" lines. I have the single point attachment kind. I like them a lot. On my small booms I have shorter lines because you are always (you hope) planing with the sail back and closer to you.
I found it too difficult to adjust while sailing also so I'm not really sold on adjustable lines either.
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
I just check my lines. I have Dekine adjustable but I use a roller on my harness and not a hook. I put the roller in the hole on the pull line of the harness and really does not seem to be a problem with the roller bar. The hook bar is another matter.
I like adjustable because lots of times we start off in low winds and getting hooked in with short lines is more difficult when the sail is more vertical. It is not until I get on a plane that the mast gets raked back far enough to hook in easily.
I mean after all he might as well know how everybody feels about adjustable lines. I like them.
PeelSkid
I like and use adjustable lines. I use Dakine Reactive lines and their Race lines, both of which you can actually adjust under pressure. The adjustable lines with the plastic buckles pretty much can only be adjusted when there's no pressure on them, while in the water or on the beach. As David W mentioned, adjustable lines help when slogging (when the mast is more upright, dont have to unhook or stand on your toes.) Also they help when trying to go upwind (lengthen them and swing forward and look around the front of the mast.)
The one time I had a problem with the handle and my harness hook I was using the Chinook Race lines which are real long for racing and I had them as short as they go and the handle was hanging way down and hooked the hook during a jibe. If you're worried about this, you can put tape on the harness hook to clsose up the open area but not affect it's use.
Gene
Gene Mathis
btw, should be said - not a dumb ass question.