DIY Wing Harness/Leash 2N1—jump and jibe hooked in

[Foilfun]

Hi,
I wanted to share a new idea for a harness/leash that has worked really well for me. My friend made a video explaining how to make it, and he posted it on YouTube. I think some of you might enjoy tinkering with this DIY leash/harness. I call it the Lazy Winger.

Enjoy!



Daniel 

[JohnnyTsunami]

Neat! How fast can you unhook? I unhook all the time when gusts come or I see seaweed and I need to do it in under a second. I took a couple whippers where I was hooked in and don't want to do that again!

[Foilfun]

Hi Johnny,

Thanks!

Hooking in is the tricky part when first starting. I can unhook fairly quickly, but not as fast as just whipping a typical harness down. I've found it works great in the gusts (and I tend to ride big to jump), but I haven't had to deal with a lot of weeds. Being hooked in is always riskier. But so far, I haven't had any damage to me or the wing. At first, I was nervous, but after having experienced different types of crashes, I'm not too concerned anymore. I still don't ride the bigger breakers hooked in, though.

Hope you give it a try. 

[PonoBill]

Very clever, I like the design choice of integrating it into the wing leash. I use a conventional windsurfing sort of approach, but I like the looks of this, and the no-hook idea is attractive. I've always liked single-line harnesses for balancing sails. The old ring and hook method always felt best to me because it gave a consistent balance point that I could tune. I don't jump--my knee would pack up in a heartbeat if I did, but I'd like to jibe while hooked in, and I can't with my current setup. I'll give this a try.

[Solent Foiler]

Having just started jumping while hooked in, I can confirm that doing so really boosts air time, and also opens the door for rail grabs...

It's the landings where I need a bit more flexibility and being able to unhook quickly to get the wing where I need it to stop falling is the main reason why this system doesn't appeal to me but I do like it. I'm still convinced wing harnesses will become more and more common...

[Dontsink]

I wore a harness from really early on, coming from windsurfing i felt silly manhandling the wing on long tacks.
Nowadays i only hook in on longish upwinds, with a relaxed grip i can wing +2hrs easily without hooking in once if i am learning maneuvers,DW or riding waves.

I use a DIY waistbelt with a plastic hook that collapses if i lay on my belly,the harness line is just 3mm paracord tied on the handles...it is pretty minimalistic and lightweight.

But i like this idea a lot because it is even more minimalistic,removes the possibility of accidental hook-ins or hook/leash tangles and the line attached to the boom is very short so no face slapping when pumping.
Very elegant solution,will make my own to give it a try.