Technotes

Technical Notes

Harness Use
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Basically, what you are trying to do with harness lines is to find one spot on the boom where you can balance the forces on the sail.

The first step is to decide how far apart you want the lines. There is no fixed rule on this and a lot of it is personal preference. In general you should start with your lines as far apart as the width of your shoulders. Later on you can adjust this width to suit your sailing style. Remember this width and keep it the same for all of the subsequent changes.

Next, adjust the position of your lines so that they are the same on both sides of the boom and about 14-18 inches from the front end of the boom. Then rig a sail.

Stand the sail up and place one hand at the center point between the harness line straps and gently pull the sail into the wind. Your sail will want to fall either toward the mast or toward the rear end of the boom. Move your harness lines toward the direction the sail falls. Move them no more than an inch and keep the distance between the straps the same.

Continue this process until you can hold the sail into the wind with one hand, or nearly so. Check both sides of the boom to make sure they are the same. Then go sailing. If you find you have to pull harder with your front hand or rear hand, move your straps slightly toward the hand that you are having to pull hard. Do this until you feel that the pressure on both hands is the same. As you change sails, you may find that you have to adjust your the position of the harness lines to accomodate the larger or smaller sails which will each have a little different center of pressure.

As for length, this again is personal preference. In general, the new sails and boards are designed so that the rig much closer to you than they used too. That means that harness lines need to be shorter.

The height of your boom also influences the length of lines that you need. In general the boom should be positioned about chest height to give you the best leverage.

You want to adjust the length of your lines so that your arms are almost fully extended when you are sailing.

I hope this answers your questions. It seems like a lot of information, but the process is really very simple. And properly adjusted harness lines will make a huge difference in your sailing.

Ref: Fox Water Sports Online Tech Forum