Borrowed a seat harness today,the hook was low as in crazy low. Hooked in and nearly vomited. I leaned back and had absolutely no back support cause there was no back to the harness. Also felt like i could not unhook from the harness unless i lowered the boom heaps. Also when i got going did it feel slow! Just not use to it i guess. Anyway,my Flying Objects Transit surf seat harness i now value more than ever!
So, given this is in the gear review section, what brand and model was it?
I think you have said in the past to have your boom up high. Maybe, the two are related. If you have a hook where it is set high, or you are letting it sit very loose and its riding high, you can get away with a higher boom.
I just changed my harness lines the other day and found I would accidentally hook in during a gybe. I am sure there can't be any difference between the new lines and the old ones, its just that I haven't got the length right yet.
I think most sailors could get used to just about any boom height, harness line length, and harness setup, which is why you sometimes see setups that look crazy to you, but the person using them has no trouble.
were you on slalom gear?
how long did you spend trying to familiarise yourself with the new equipment?
I have my harness set very loose which tends to turn it into a near chest harness. The leg straps were not tight at all,I checked last night. Still not sure i could get used to a harness with little or no back support. With a higher hook height,certainly easier to sail with a high boom. And to unhook when you hit a big lull.
I bought a Dakine Reflex for myself a few months ago to replace the old speed seat, the hook is quite low and doesn't ride up like the old speed seat, it has zero back support as it doesn't sit any higher up your back than board shorts. I much prefer this type of harness as you can sit deep in it and get your upper body quite outboard.
I could never really sail any distance in the past with my front hand off the boom but recently I joined in some coaching sessions in which one of the foundation exercises was to sail up and down wind on both tacks with your front hand behind your back. That exercise has really helped me to learn to control the power of the sail from my hips and sit deep into the harness which is probably another reason why I like a low hook. On the down side I fell in backwards a couple of times the other day when I fell off the plane in a lull and couldn't unhook.
After having some issues (back related - while hooked in) with my Pat Love tfm waist harness I decided to try and get the best fitting, most comfortable harness for myself. I went to a couple of local shops and tried out the following waist harnesses: This is my opinion
All harnesses were tried for several minutes at the shop and loaded as per hooked in when sailing.
Prolimit Type T:
Likes: Low price, compact fit, many people rave about this harness.
Dislikes: Inadequate all round support for me.
Mystic Majestic 2013:
Likes: Top of the range harness with memory foam back support; good fit and double strap system prevents riding up; Nice looking design and colours; Clickerbar release system.
Dislikes: Inadequate back support for me.
Dakine T6:
Likes: Sliding spreader bar, good fit prevents riding up, Cool design and colours.
Dislikes: Double buckle system makes it fiddly to fit and remove harness, inadequate back support for me.
Mystic Code 02 (with BOA system): - This is the harness that I bought.
Likes: On special (RRP same as top of the range harnesses); Double strap system prevents harness riding up; adjustable BOA system provides excellent (adjustable) fit and support. Compact and not bulky; Clickerbar release system.
Dislikes: None
I had the Dakine Reflex seat harness for a couple of years with 28 inch harness lines. Found the Dakine very good. Then a year ago I changed to a FO Transit harness with 26 inch lines.
It has a totally different feel to the other harness and took a bit of getting used to. I do prefer the Transit better and it has great back support.
Just got a new gaastra race harness of Reg. Best thing I've done , I haven't had a lower back issue after sailing since . I used the Neil pryde race harness for about 2 years and always had back issues the day after. Gaastra is super soft and light. You know there comfy when you go to climb in your car to drive home and your still wearing it. Not just once !
