How often do people update they're harnesses? I tend to wait until something breaks but that's probably not a good idea if sailing off shore a lot. Is there a use by date for helmets? Again I keep mine until it falls apart but maybe that's not a good idea either.
I bought a new seat harness two days ago to replace my mid 1990s dakine. Nothing wrong with the old one but I wanted to try something new. I am still using a helmet I bought 5 years ago (Gath). As long as you are not dropping it on the concrete, it should be good for a long time? I know plastics deteriorate over time and the interior styrofoam breaks down but I am honestly not concerned. Unlike motorcycle, helmets my helmet does not have an expiration date on it.
from Gath:
The use by date of your Gath is dependent upon the frequency of use, exposure to the elements, proper care and maintenance. Like all plastic products, it has a usable life span. However, if your Gath is subject to more sever impact and there is visual damage, we recommend you to replace it. If your Gath helmet components are showing any sign of damage or weakness, we recommend you to replace the components through your local distributor/dealer. if this is not possible, please contact us direct.
My current harness i've had for over 4yrs. It's started to go a little shabby round the edges, but its the most comfortable harness i've owned. I cant see it getting replaced anytime soon.
I've never really counted the harness as a dire item that would strand me in a bad situation, nor a helmet (unless its suffered from some structural damage). Im yet to find myself that far a distance away from shore that i couldn't get in without a harness, so i'm willing to sail it till destruction.
I have sailed a few harnesses until they fell apart. It's a slow death, never had a problem with harness failure on the water. However, I have had plenty of harness hooks break while sailing - sometimes in a crash, but more often while just sailing along. Sometimes, but not always, the hooks would show signs of corrosion, and/or be old. But I remember at least one case where the hook on broke after less than a year. That was one of the newer ones where the store charges about as much for a replacement as they charged for a harness in the past.
For women i would always keep a spare womens dedicated harness in the kit , there very hard to come by , Maree has the dakine womens harness and a spare in the car plus i have bought some extra womens mystic harness for stock but i had to pre order
Select to expand quoteaussieboats said..
For women i would always keep a spare womens dedicated harness in the kit , there very hard to come by , Maree has the dakine womens harness and a spare in the car plus i have bought some extra womens mystic harness for stock but i had to pre order
Yes I suppose if you find a womens harness you love it's probably a good idea to buy 2.
I had a Naish harness that I loved but the leg straps were looking a bit dodgy and it had been repaired a few times.When I went to buy another you couldn't get them anymore.
I remember I had to try on about 15 to find it in the first place.
They aren't really an item you can buy online.
My first Gath helmet had disintegrating rubber by the time I decided to upgrade. 
Been sailing regularly for the last 26 years. My second harness is now seriously tatty, I have broken the hook off more times than I can remember. I retired my Gath helmet after 20 years use. When I started speed sailing I bought a new one. I used the old one just to keep the sun off in summer and keep me warm in winter, but finally the rubber rotted away.
I simply keep an eye on straps. On the Dakine sliding bar, I used to flip it around, move it to the side, to even out the wear until I feel like it's time to change the strap. On non-sliding harnesses, straps still tend to tear a little, you may went to vary tightening to spread the wear or just go with the rule that once you have 1/2 past the original thickness of the strap, change it. Similar to harness lines.
Hooks may crack which gets larger little by little, or the hood just breaks in half leaving enough strength to head back anyway.
Helmets? I used to run a plastic pro-tec, it was too large, too much slap from the water, headaches.
Maybe some soft padded helmet such as this one:
What type of protection are you looking for? (against foils? other riders? your own gear? natural obstacles?) I got bumps on my head and cuts to my face, ice and superglue or steril-strips are still cheaper and more convenient than helmets :D !
Select to expand quoteManuel7 said..
What type of protection are you looking for? (against foils? other riders? your own gear? natural obstacles?) I got bumps on my head and cuts to my face, ice and superglue or steril-strips are still cheaper and more convenient than helmets :D !
I'm not looking for a helmet just wondering how long is too long to have the same helmet. With bike helmets I change every 3-4 yrs or after a heavy crash which involved the helmet.
I noticed rust in the joins of my harness and just wondered if people regularly changed their harnesses. Nothing more frustrating then heading for a big day on the water and a short time through the harness hook decides it time to fall apart. I carry waist & seat harness with me all the time anyway so I have back up.
Select to expand quoteKazza said..Manuel7 said..
What type of protection are you looking for? (against foils? other riders? your own gear? natural obstacles?) I got bumps on my head and cuts to my face, ice and superglue or steril-strips are still cheaper and more convenient than helmets :D !
I'm not looking for a helmet just wondering how long is too long to have the same helmet. With bike helmets I change every 3-4 yrs or after a heavy crash which involved the helmet.
I noticed rust in the joins of my harness and just wondered if people regularly changed their harnesses. Nothing more frustrating then heading for a big day on the water and a short time through the harness hook decides it time to fall apart. I carry waist & seat harness with me all the time anyway so I have back up.
I use my Gath every time, I am bold so I would need sun protection anyway. But I do not see why you would need to change it every few years, even if you hit it it does not have material that collapses on impact. For the harness what makes me nervous is the spreader bar. I broke a Da Kine years ago, and my current one has rather suspect small rusty spots here and there.
