Harness Line length difference for Port/Starboard Tack

cgoudie1 · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:12 am Post subject:

Not sure about different lengths, but 32" is pretty long, even for a wave
sailor or a formula guy. At 6'3" I use 28s.

-Craig

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1549

Lots of info here on harness lines. For me i use a seat with 22" lines on my smaller boards and 24 on my wider boards. 32" lines seem extreme to me. Your issue could be any number of things. All mention above. When heading out we often times just go for the ride without a visual reference as to out VMG. Heading in we aim to or above our launch site. This makes things feel different than blasting out. Proper length and adjusted lines should over come the slight differences in stance and heading...

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3550

We would have to see your stance to help more. At Sherman Island on an ebb tide with the chop not parallel to the wind many intermediates & beginners run into the same problem. On a port tack you are sailing over the back of the swells so it is easier because when you point up wind you are sailing parallel to the chop. When coming back on starboard you are hitting the front of the swells at an angle & when you point upwind you are hitting them head on. Many beginners & intermediates tend to get defensive & want to sit down thus having their butts hit by swells.

Having shorter lines on one side could be a temporary fix to your problem but eventually you want to learn how to sail without needing different lengths. As others have said adjustable will help until you find your comfort zone . As for line length it is purely personal preference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4pJNLrzyY8
There is no hard line on what the correct length should be, you just have to find what works for your style, setup & stance.

Coachg

bred2shred · Joined: 02 May 2000 Posts: 989 Location: Jersey Shore

Sorry but IMO this is not a “beginner or intermediate” issue. Many advanced sailors use adjustable lines. Sometimes the conditions lend themselves to favor a slightly different line length from one side to the other. Sometimes your stance just needs to be slightly different because you’re on a different heading from one tack versus the other. Adjustable lines, by their very nature, let you set the lines for the exact length you need at the moment. If you run adjustable lines, you won’t even think “gee I wish my lines were 2” shorter on port tack”, you’ll just set them where you need them and life will be good. Certainly not a “beginner’s only” piece of equipment.

sm

mrgybe · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 5180

Most people are stronger on one side and that can certainly contribute to sailing somewhat differently on each tack. I know I do.

grantmac017 · Joined: 04 Aug 2016 Posts: 946

https://chinooksailing.com/collections/harness-lines/products/in-flight-adjustable-harness-lines

Up to 32", but not super easy to adjust. The Race Chinooks are very easy to adjust but flexible.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 5:44 pm Post subject:

IS IT common to NEED different lengths ?
NO.

The question at hand

U2U2U2 · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 5:45 pm Post subject:

akrausz · Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 158 Location: FL

I'm not sure the OP intended to discuss whether his harness lines were too long. But he did ask about the commonality of asymmetrical lengths. Some responses indicate it's ok, but no one has actually said "sure I've used asymmetrical lengths as needed."

Personally, introducing asymmetrical harness line lengths into my tuning regimen would drive me to be even more nuts (than I already am), but that's just me.

alap · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 156

i agree with coach. Few years back I revised my settings. I followed Guy Cribb's advice and went with a longer lines and higher booms. It had a very positive results for me, among other things allowed me to sail smaller sails in the same wind. Much easier handling, more comfort, didn't notice loss of speed or upwind ability (and honestly dont care about the crumbs)

All my lines are adjustable, but not necessarily on the fly. In fact too much adjustment is a nuisance for me (another thing to remember). Once I determined the preferred position I never mess with it (even with adjustable lines) - and yes I understand that at any given moment it is not optimal, but I dont care; and this strategy is optimal for me overall, on average if you will. All my lines are set very narrow (as narrow as possible, next step is mono) and for each sail in complete balance.

It is the same length on every boom. (And each sail has a dedicated boom - the last thing I want is to adjust lines back and forth after rigging the sail - it will take at least 10 minutes, and during those 10 min my hands will get tired; I rather sail extra 10 minutes effortlessly)

And yes it is the same length on every port and tack side of the boom (and on all booms)
And the setting back and forth is identical on port and tack side on each individual boom (and of course different between the booms).