Hello, i know there are a lot of harness line length topics but i have come to conclusion that i need longer harness lines. But i'm asking from the pros here how long should i go?
My height is 168 cm (66"). Current Harness line length is 24" (60 cm). Using a seat harness. When planing in straps i feel that i pull the rig too much over to my side and also i can't really stretch my arms out.
I'd just like to avoid the the thing where i go to the shop and buy for example 30" lines then take the boom apart only to discover that it doesn't fit at all and maybe could have gone for 26" or 28". I dunno guys...any short sailors here with seat harness?
Select to expand quote...any short sailors here with seat harness?
Yeah me. I'm about your height, not long in the arms, and I find 24" or 26" about right. That's measured to the underside of the boom not the centreline. That's what suits me for both seat and waist. I tried 28" and they were a bit too long. I don't stick my bum out like Cribby though and I don't have long arms.
You could get adjustable ones and play around with them til you get it right.
But how does it suit for both seat and waist for you? i don't get it. the hook for the seat is so much lower than i imagine for waist harness would be. Maybe it could work with different conditions/boom height. But if going for same condtitions are you saying that harness line length doesn't have to be different while using different type harnesses?
I found a nice video demonstration i was searching before making this topic with different length harness lines.
Get adjustables and play. I use c 30" and am 5'6"..I use a seat harness and when I get my act together sail like Cribby suggests ..
24" sounds too short for a seat...? I generally sail GPS in flat water or lake chop.
Boy the guy in the video has a high boom..
and his waist harness rides up too.I dDon't know if he didn't have it on tight enough for the video.?.
Ps - I wouldn't call myself a pro..
intermediate
am not that tall but do use long lines last I checked not that I do most of the time is around 27 28'' long .. find it easier not to "tip-toe" in so much when hooking in and out especially in chop .. when I hike out it seems comfy enough on all angles and that I think is key to this depending on what type of sailing you do
if your 6.6' I would go for 32's , the best lines have a pice of Velcro on the inside of the webbing so they don't slip , I use the Ion and chinnock
I did the crib course last year and he suggested 30's, I use 28's but often think I could go 30's sailing off the wind on huge gust's
I use 24" lines for my waist harness and 28" lines for my seat harness and I am 175 cm tall.
24" lines for a seat harness are too small. Go adjustable or just bigger.
Have a read of Guy Cribb's guide to harness line length.
I'm 5'6 and use 26's with a seat harness, however I do have my boom low compared to others usually about neck to chin height usually because I hate tip-toeing to get out of the harness when the wind drops off, so maybe I should go longer, about to try out adj lines with the raceboard as 26 seems to short in light winds, but is ok when powered up. I freeride sail on flat water and bay chop, like to think I do GPS
(as an aside: When we used to make our own harness lines out of sail rope in the 80's we used the trick described in Cribb's guide where you hold the boom and the harness line should go around your elbow to get the right length).
I'm about 5'9" and have recently gone from 28" to 30's. But, I have raised my boom slightly higher than I have been used to as the higher position better suits gusty or lighter conditions. I might lower the boom if it fills in and becomes overpowering but find the 30's much more comfortable.
I'm 5' 8", use a seat harness and recently increased the length of my harnes ropes to 30". This keeps my arms straight and reduces repetative strain on my tendon connecting my bicep to the top of the lower arm
Select to expand quoteJohn340 said..
I'm 5' 8", use a seat harness and recently increased the length of my harnes ropes to 30". This keeps my arms straight and reduces repetative strain on my tendon connecting my bicep to the top of the lower arm
Golfers' elbow is the worst! I've got a small tear in that tendon and had a cortisone shot in it a few weeks ago, which made it feel great for about a month. The last couple of weeks though and it's as bad as it ever was. Having harness lines set correctly is really important to how long I can sail for.
Ummm, I'm 5'10 and use 30" lines and seat harness. I'm NOT and expert.
In the original post I wrote 66 inches as my height, I should probably have written 5'6" to avoid confusion.
Well it seems like 28" is the sweet spot for 5'6" guys with seat harness. I'm probably going for the 28" from 24" so if it feels too short or long then i know exactly where to go from there and buy either 30" or 26" and sell the 28"
But I'm pretty sure the 28" will hit the mark perfectly and I can blast handsfree :D
By the way how can you edit posts in this forum?
I too am a short sailor...
I am 173 cm (roughly 5'8") and I use a seat harness with 26" harness lines. I do have my boom lower than most (generally just below the second pointer from the bottom of the mast cutout - Neil Pryde sails).
I feel this is a pretty good setup and comfortable for any freeride or bump and jump/swell/wave sailing.
P.S. Just letting you know that I have long arms for my height - no comments please!
Re: editing - there is an "edit" button on the top line of your post - in line with the thumb symbols.
1.72, seat harness, 30 or 32 (for bigger sails) lines, boom in the middle or just above. It allows me to keep arms straight, which is less tiring, and body hiked out. It is important when you switch to longer lines that you change your stance to maintain tension on the lines, otherwise they will slip out if it's choppy. You can sort of push your bum out.
Get the type where the length can be adjusted by untying the knot rather than the adjustable on the fly type which could eventually slip and tend to flop around too much as the entire line is not covered by the plastic tubing, start really long and shorten till your arms are reaching correctly and comfortably. Is your seat harness the really low hook type or the type that is really just a waist harness with leg straps?
It's a low hook type. Just above the crotch where the hip bones are bulging out. :D
OK, a racing harness, lines can be really long. Basically you need to get some really long lines and shorten them until it's workable then perhaps slowly make them longer over time until your arms just extend too much and it's not comfortable trying to reach and hang from the boom, it's a process. When you find your perfect length then you can get some fixed length lines.
FWIW I think people are better off with a waist harness as it promotes better technique IMO, a waist harness requires more involvement of the legs and pushing thru the feet and toes and you can rotate your torso around while hooked in to sail upwind better for instance. With a seat harness you can just sit down to leverage the sail.
