Today was the test gusty wind choppy mixed up water 1st proper test of a waist harness on what I call a big sail 7.0 V8, and the winner for me is waist over seat. Might put the seat harness in the Sandy Point bag.


The only problem is seat wins the google fight

99% of speed and slalom sailors can't be wrong can they?

For blasting the lower purchase point plus being able to put your weight into it makes the seat the winner. For waves or playing around waist or chest harnesses are best. I haven't used a waist harness but I reckon with my body shape it would soon be around my chest and then crushing my ribs.

Google fight is rarely wrong too.

dism said...

I was thinking of trying that out too Jman.
Have only tried seat so far.
Whats the difference?
Any back pain?
Does it alter your style much? (this is probably a goog thing for me anyways!)
Do they move around much?

Any other pointers? Such as best harness makes and styles (the back bits seem different for each manufacturer)

Searched 'waist harness' and didn't find anything on those questions.

A few years ago I tried the waist and hated it because my stance was all wrong I was used to sitting in the seat harness the waist harness was always riding up and I was making the ropes shorter and shorter hence went back to a seat. After watching the Peter Hart dvd called Faster I corrected my stance and now the harness just stays their. I have a bit of a dodge back like most blokes over 40 and it seems good on the back as for brands I have a Dekine T1 but the Neil Pryde and Prolimit also look very good. The main thing is to lean back without sinking your butt.

Mobydisc said...

There is a recent Peter Hart article in the UK Windsurf magazine where he bags out the waist harness and basically blames it for the decline in windsurfing's popularity.

Maybe he only wears the waist harness in his video's because Dave White has to wear a seat

Many PWA sailors use both types of harnesses for racing - depending on the conditions - i have heard of racers going for the seat in flatter seas or lighter winds (for lift , drive and efficiency)- and then switching to a waist set up for choppy / windy stuff - the waist configuration allows better shock absorbtion through the legs.

Waist harnesses are much better for wave sailing where out of the harness freedom is super important (a seat harness is quite restrictive mid aerial move) - same for freestyle. Personally i find the waist much nicer in the top 60% of any rigs wind range.

And yes seat harnesses do look awful from a fashion perspective. Really awful..

However seats do give better low end crispness and lift in the light stuff - i think they actually allow the rider to go higher and hang longer in a standard hooked in jump too!

Seats can also cause back problems as you get direct shock loading straight through the spine - whereas waist harnesses tend to open up the vertebrea and spread the load over a much larger area. Waists also allow some rotation on the body to "autocentre " - very handy when going upwind - seats will tend to torque load your spine as they can rotate against your body.

Choose your discipline, conditions and sailing style and the choice should be fairly easy.

And if you cant - Flying Objects make a really nice waist / seat combo that gives the benefits of both types of harness.

google fight - pfft.

I sail from 7.5m race sails down to 4.5m waves sais all on a waist harness. Love it and wouldn't have anything else.

I use a kitesurfing waist as I found it was actually a little better for support than others I tried when I bought mine. It also has a few features that were yet to hit windsurfing harnesses like locking the hook in position. The handle on the back is handy for carrying it around as well

We are all individuals and have different backs. My lower back is a bit dodgy lately, getting old, however it always feels better after exercise including windsurfing. For me, the seat harnesses major plus is being able to sit back and relax when planing. Nothing beats that armchair ride when everything is so easy.

Anyone used one of those vest harnesses? What are they like?

Red5 said...

Mobydisc said...

There is a recent Peter Hart article in the UK Windsurf magazine where he bags out the waist harness and basically blames it for the decline in windsurfing's popularity.

...the 'waist harness', yet another enemy of windsurfing to add to the long list of windsurfings foes, which now includes the wind, the xbox 360, the youth of today, the modern world, marketing etc...enemies everywhere!

and yet ?????