Tips for using longer harness lines

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baywavebill said...

ginger pom said...
Have your boom higher and then try to get the clamp in front of the mast foot...
So by this do you mean lean the mast forward?
This will make the lines feel shorter. It will also make you plane much much earlier so do it on a day when you're not over powered.

There's two types of things people are talking about here...

One is using long lines with the mast upright in front back plane (rig leant forward)

The other is using long lines with a low boom, which is seven poo stance etc.

The former avoids over loading a wave board and encourages early planing by getting a lot out the rig...your body hangs down through the boom like a drunk girl being supported by a sober boyfriend. It's essential for being able to sail with small kit in light winds. See barn picture for perfect illustration. In this situation, the high boom and upright rig make the lines feel short and they hang downwards from the boom.

The latter is for driving off the fin with big kit where the rig is leaned back....In this situation, the lines feel long and they go outwards from the boom.

Just yesterday I switched from dakine 28" to some no name 26" (they seem more like dakine 24").
I'm 174cm short

I found out that I have a better stance with shorter lines and the harness doesn't go up anymore, yet the arms cannot be straightened as before and I hold the boom with a wider position. I also noticed I don't lean back so much anymore and don't hit the waves with my bum which is really nice.

Hi All,

I have a question on a related topic, but this may be the place to ask it. Sorry for bending the topic a little.

I think I have something wrong with my stance, and I can't quite work it out. I seem to be Ok in my sailing. I get planing before most people. I get some good speed on the GPS, and maintain good control in difficult conditions, but I find that I can feel a bit out of balance particularly when using larger sails.

I have an iSonic 97 which I like a lot, and I have used it with several sails, but lets use the example of an RS Slalom Mk2 6.7. I am 175cm tall and about 70kg and use a seat harness. I have tried to run longer harness lines as I have been a shorter harness line sailor for many years. To do this, I put my boom up higher (I have previously run a fairly low boom) to keep my butt out of the water. I find when I do this in typical square reach sailing, that I pull my weight onto my back foot and actually have trouble keeping my front foot in the strap. The only way I can find to rectify this is to put the mast foot forward, and when I am about an inch in front of the recommended position (i97 has a marked position as recommended), it comes OK, but then can feel like I am engaging too much of the board in the water for going fast (I feel I hit the chop more than fly over the top of it). Also, I can find I often drag the foot of the sail in the water although this really only happens with this sail, and I think is has a low cut foot.

It seems I naturally rake the sail back pretty far, and not sure why. I prefer lower boom also for some reason, and this gives me a tendency to shorter lines. I find higher boom tends to pull my weight off the front foot unless I start running really forward mast foot position. Maybe that is OK? I have not tried moving front strap back (all straps in middle position). I also have similar issues with my old FSW board, so it is me and not the board. With smaller sails (around 6m on the i97) everything feels much better and balanced, but 6.7 should not be large for an i97. I can always achieve a comfortable setup, but that normally means moving mast base forward, and boom down and/or harness shorter.

Any advice appreciated!!

Cheers,

Adrian

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vosadrian said..

I am 175cm tall and about 70kg and use a seat harness.

I have not tried moving front strap back (all straps in middle position). I also have similar issues with my old FSW board, so it is me and not the board. With smaller sails (around 6m on the i97) everything feels much better and balanced, but 6.7 should not be large for an i97. I can always achieve a comfortable setup, but that normally means moving mast base forward, and boom down and/or harness shorter.

At 70kg, you are one the lighter side of average - assuming you have an average board, it is quite likely that the footstrap positions are set for someone slightly heavier. If nothing else, moving the strap back will make the board more lively / faster. To offset this, you may need to put the mast track a bit further forward (say 1cm).

Sailing with longer lines takes practise... it feels different to what you are used to. The biggest issue is people thinking that they cannot reach the boom -> yet to look at them, you can see their elbows bent at 90 deg.

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Windxtasy said..

sboardcrazy said..

To me the classic 7 stance has the upper body at the same angle as the legs.?. His upper body is more upright..You can see he's sitting into the harness.
Compare to Sean Obrien's stance in earlier photo..
Probably doesn't matter . They're both great sailors. As a lightweight weakling I just find Cribby's style suits me better. Not that I'm perfect at it but I notice how much better it is when I get it right!

I agree. Cribby above in his "arrse" position. Classic 7 position is for light wind.
Upper body is angled toward the boom otherwise his arms wouldn't be long enough for the 30 inch lines.
This season, after doing Cribby's course I have changed to 30" lines - I am 167 cm tall. I am sailing better than ever, handling high wind and chop better and having more fun than ever.
To stop your behind slapping the chop you need to keep the board trimmed flat by pointing the toes. Your relationship to the board stays the same, but everything rotates around the long axis of the board, lifting your behind.

Mm that might be the missing bit of info I need.