Ion Vario harness line

For windsurfing my 32" harness lines worked for all sails (7.2-9.0) and wind speeds (12-22 knots), but for foiling I found I needed to pull the boom closer to me in-flight on a regular basis with different sails/wind speeds, and that gets tiring on multiple long runs. So got the Ion Vario harness lines (pic 1). To extend the line is it easy, just press the buckle's black lever and put tension on the line, can do in-flight (pic 2). However, I was shown how to shorten the line by pulling on the strap, and that took a lot of effort since the strap runs through the spring tensioned buckle and I could not do it in-flight (pic 3). Then I realized the way to shorten the line in-flight (when I only needed to shorten by 1-2") was to press the buckle black lever with my thumb "while" pulling on the strap, could get 1-2" easy with no effort (pic 4). Now it was easy to shorten the line in the range where I had used it for one session, but harder if I tried to shorten the line in a range I had not used it in. So strap needs to get broken in first, in the range you need, for shortening this way but then it can be shortened in-flight! And you can put lines on boom without removing the tail. At $34 US these are a good option for windfoiling and windsurfing too.

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AUS4 said..
Plus if your buckle ever corrodes you can replace the buckle without having to throw the whole harness line away.

Buckle is stainless steel, will keep an eye on it, but for now will just rinse and shake/wipe off water drops.

i had several of these from ion, 2x they broke , the tube was ok, then i cut 3 sets open from other booms and the rope was 70% cut through. I guess due to sliding/rubbing the harness hook over the tube. no black tubing for me anymore!

And while they worked for foiling with my 8.0 sail at 28-29 inch., they were too long for my 7.2 sail. Otherwise no complaints, but now looking for an adjustable line that covers 30-26 inches.

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vando said..
The new Ion adj have plastic buckles after my last pair corroded up.
Just got a pair of the new ones so il see how they go :).

Thanks, good to know, have been rinsing them after each session and so far look good. But because they are a little too long now, after the break in, I took them off and put 28" Dakine fixed lines on. Will use line end spacing, seat harness hook position, and boom mast position, to fine tune rig so that the lines are tight in my hook when in flight.

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Sandman1221 said..

Sandman1221 said..

AUS4 said..
Plus if your buckle ever corrodes you can replace the buckle without having to throw the whole harness line away.

Buckle is stainless steel, will keep an eye on it, but for now will just rinse and shake/wipe off water drops.

Yeah, just unscrew a crossbar and buckle comes out, wonder if Ion sells the replacement buckles. I also press the release button and spray fresh water in between the spiked crossbar and strap.

Yes they sell the replacement buckles, this is why they designed it this way.

Yeah, my local shop only had the longer Ion Vario lines, now I know why.