How to keep your harness from riding up

skipownow · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 7

Hi,

I recently got a new Dakine NRG harness and can not keep it from riding up on me. It's really effecting the amount of MBP I can generate and I feel it's significantly restricting my sailing. On land it seems to fit perfect, and I cinch everything down as tight as I can, but as soon as I get hooked in it's up around my upper abdomen. I've only ever used a seat harness before, so it wasn't an issue. I wear a medium and it seems like the right size. I have a 32-33" waist, and can't imagine wearing a small. Is there anything I can do, or is this harness perhaps just not a good fit for my body. Thanks for any help.

Cheers

wmike · Joined: 20 Jan 2001 Posts: 207 Location: Maui

This is a frequent problem with people moving from a seat to waist harness. Before you were sitting to load the boom. Now you are doing the same thing and the harness works it way up. You need to lean out more now. I am 5"9" and use 24 inch harness lines and lean out more to load the boom. If your lines are too short you will simply be pulling down on the boom. I assume you are now wanting to wave sail more than slalom speed sailing. Smile

skipownow · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 7

Thanks for the help. I'm about 5'7", and my lines are adjustable, but are set at about 28". Shortening them helps a little with MBP, but seemed to rake the mast to much and surely did not help keep the harness down. I'm trying to keep the mast as upright as possible for more power. I wish I was doing more B&J and wave sailing, but I primarily sail on Lake Tahoe and am usually using a 7.5. That could be part of my problem there, but I know plenty of people who rip on big sails with waist harnesses. I'm beginning to think that the harness I have just doesn't fit me very well. I think I need to try some other harnesses and see what happens.

rlemmens · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 206

Arms straight out, legs straight and hips in. Think about your body making a number 7. It'll keep the harness down.

jingebritsen · Joined: 21 Aug 2002 Posts: 3371

go back to a seat harness.

some folks i've tested with have never been able to get the most out of some gusty days. the FAQ has been, "where does your extra speed come in the gusts?" better MFP in the most lit up part of the sail's range. seat harnesses allow for a more power oriented sailing style since one uses the leg muscles more directly.

i use seat my harness all the time, flats or waves. does not hurt my wave performance one iota.

cmurman · Joined: 06 Jul 2011 Posts: 6

I can't help with the original question but while we're on the topic of harnesses, I have a couple of my own. I am a beginner and just learning to use the harness. The one I have is a seat harness. First, is there any reason I should use a different type? And furthermore, how do I determine where to set the straps and how long to make them? I feel like I am always contorting my body oddly in order to keep my weight in the harness and trim the sail the way I want.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

I'm still experimenting with harness line length after >30 years of essentially full-time WSing, as there's always room for improvement, no two sailors are built or sail the same, and advice from champions is all over the map. Experiment; maybe you'll get it nailed before you succumb to Alzheimer's or prostate cancer.

As for location on the boom ... move them towards the hand/arm that's doing more work than the other. When you can maintain a beam reach with no hands on the boom, you're close.

Back to the OP ... why switch from a seat harness?

Mike \m/

techno900 · Joined: 28 Mar 2001 Posts: 4161

I have never used a waist harness, since I have been a racer (mostly upwind/downwind) for 24 years. I believe that the only way to manage the larger boards and sails in powered conditions is to use your body weight, via the seat harness to keep downward pressure on the boom and mast foot. Relax and or sheet out and you lose control. A waist harness won't help in this situation.

I think there are practical situations where a waist harness is best, but you have to evaluate your type of sailing to know if you made the right move or not.

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

For quite a few years now, the majority of sailors have gone over to waist harnesses. I think that there's a certain amount coolness in using a waist harness, so folks feel they've got to use one or come off as less than cool.

I switched from a chest harness to a seat harness in probably 1987, and it was a great move. The chest harness just killed my lower back, and that all disappeared immediately with the change to a seat harness. I know folks say that waist harnesses are comfortable, but I'm thinking that my back would probably say no, so I've stuck with my trusty seat harnesses. I really have no reason to change. Also, one has to look at the outrageous prices for waist harnesses. They're better than twice the price of a seat harness.

skipownow, I'd give some thought to switching back to the seat harness.

Wind_Boarder · Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 12:54 pm Post subject:

Take all the other advice about changing your technique. Arms together, push the boom away from you. Pull on the lines by flexing your abs. Do NOT sit down to get MFP. That is the biggest problem with people transitioning from a seat harness.

Now with that out of the way, go buy yourself a spreader bar pad. That really helps to keep the spreader bar from riding up by really increasing the friction between the spreader bar and the harness.

Have fun,
Alak.