In regards to a post of mine a while ago on tips for larger sailers , which I learned a few things
Im happy to report on my biggest problem of my waist harness riding up.I didn't want to wear a nappy.
Someone here on seabreeze saw a big guy ( gut ) happy with his harness and the told me it was s Mystic Majestic.
Its there top model universal kite / windsurf.
I waited two months on the waiting list for one of these ( yes I paid full new model price ) , could have bought a real cheap car for that.
Anyways , it is great
It does ride up but only a little.
Apart from the main spreader bar strap it has other straps pulling the bar down , so even if the harness rides up a little it's easy to pull the bar down while sailing , brilliant !
One less thing for me to worry about
Anyone want to buy a used NP xl harness ?

I have heard that you can only buy sail pumper harnesses in XL anyway as there is no demand for smaller sizes ???

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lotofwind said..
I have heard that you can only buy sail pumper harnesses in XL anyway as there is no demand for smaller sizes ???

Hey kiddo,
Don't worry , you'll be old soon enough and if your good you'll have the skills of attaching a kite to your Zimmer frame.
Old age an treatchery will win every time

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Imax1 said..
In regards to a post of mine a while ago on tips for larger sailers , which I learned a few things
Im happy to report on my biggest problem of my waist harness riding up.I didn't want to wear a nappy.
Someone here on seabreeze saw a big guy ( gut ) happy with his harness and the told me it was s Mystic Majestic.
Its there top model universal kite / windsurf.
I waited two months on the waiting list for one of these ( yes I paid full new model price ) , could have bought a real cheap car for that.
Anyways , it is great
It does ride up but only a little.
Apart from the main spreader bar strap it has other straps pulling the bar down , so even if the harness rides up a little it's easy to pull the bar down while sailing , brilliant !
One less thing for me to worry about
Anyone want to buy a used NP xl harness ?

I have been using the Mystic Majestic. My old Neil Pryde harness always moved upwards, pushing my buoyancy vest with it. I was sick of being choked so I purchased the MM. No more problems, even when you hang off the boom. Anyone want my old NP harness?

Go with the nappy, they stay in the one place and are not that unconfutable. I had the problem with waist harnesses riding up, never were they should be, seat fixed all that.

i needed a BIG harness due to my XXL size, but also to go over cold winter wear
since i use it in the summer on the water and in the winter on ice n snow
found one used and love it ever since ...
Dakine XT seat harness
fits so snug, sometimes ride it without the crotch straps ...

%2C512

I'm currently hooked on this one (a little humor there), waist harnesses don't work for me, and I'm not a big guy, just wrong body type, and I like to breathe normally. I need a high hook for the waves, DaKine stopped making the surf seat (my all time favorite), then I found this here on this site, saved by Flying Objects.

Nice choice Joe windsurf, I have been using the XT seat harness for sometime and it is an excellent choice. I have never tried any other harness, but maybe I just got lucky with this one.

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Mastbender said..
I'm currently hooked on this one (a little humor there), waist harnesses don't work for me, and I'm not a big guy, just wrong body type, and I like to breathe normally. I need a high hook for the waves, DaKine stopped making the surf seat (my all time favorite), then I found this here on this site, saved by Flying Objects.

I don't like change but this new format may be OK
As to the topic , breathing is important,
For me a waist harness has to be tight , real tight , hard to breath tight , and after one run, turn,return run , things settle and loosen up , I can breath again.
Thats what big guys have to put up with!
I ride in gusty wind and rough water and I think I'd rather my chest pull towards the sail than get lifted off my feet in bumpy rough water.
This is only my thoughts and I've never tried a nappy,
Is a seat good in ****ty conditions ?

Well Imax1, if you consider a seat harness a "nappy", then I guess you consider a helmet a "squid lid".

Works just fine in crap conditions, if you mean overpowered w/ serious chop, but I never put 100% of my weight on the harness lines in those conditions, that's just asking for trouble.

Imax1, im a big guy 110kg 6'2". I use a Mystic Battle Belt xl seat harness. Its about 4yo. Was the only thing available for my six pack at the time. Cost also reflected my big size. Seat harness is the only way for me. Hook point nice n low so i can exert maximum force.

Nice lookin boom grip olskool,
Relaxed lookin knuckles

More downhaul!!!!!!

Man nappy all the way for me as a 100kg kid, maximum down force and doesn't ride up over the guts.

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Imax1 said..
In regards to a post of mine a while ago on tips for larger sailers , which I learned a few things
Im happy to report on my biggest problem of my waist harness riding up.I didn't want to wear a nappy.
Someone here on seabreeze saw a big guy ( gut ) happy with his harness and the told me it was s Mystic Majestic.
Its there top model universal kite / windsurf.
I waited two months on the waiting list for one of these ( yes I paid full new model price ) , could have bought a real cheap car for that.
Anyways , it is great
It does ride up but only a little.
Apart from the main spreader bar strap it has other straps pulling the bar down , so even if the harness rides up a little it's easy to pull the bar down while sailing , brilliant !
One less thing for me to worry about
Anyone want to buy a used NP xl harness ?

I am a smaller guy and purchased the same waist harness. Same result, but no waiting time. Anyone want to buy my old NP harness? Realistically, not even a snake oil salesman could sell it honestly. They only have one point and continually slide up. I wear a vest so at times the vest was pushed up right to my chin. Try breathing in this position. In contrast, the majestic rarely moves out of place. It even has a knob at the back that allows you to tension the harness around your owner back.

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TDG1959 said..
Go with the nappy, they stay in the one place and are not that unconfutable. I had the problem with waist harnesses riding up, never were they should be, seat fixed all that.

If that is so then why do so many of the professionals go for the waist harness? Coaches like Guy Cribb make strong arguments for them also. To me the seat version looks good for long straight runs, while the waist is more versatile in manouvers, learners as well. The Mystic seems to have solved the number one problem with the waist by stopping the upward movement. What I don't understand is how a beer gut is a disadvantage. I would have thought that anything positioned under that layer would not be moving upwards ever

My mystic majestic is almost 3 years old and looks new. I wonder if this longevity extends to other mystic gear...

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Imax1 said..
As to the topic , breathing is important,
For me a waist harness has to be tight , real tight , hard to breath tight , and after one run, turn,return run , things settle and loosen up , I can breath again.
Thats what big guys have to put up with!
I ride in gusty wind and rough water and I think I'd rather my chest pull towards the sail than get lifted off my feet in bumpy rough water.
This is only my thoughts and I've never tried a nappy,
Is a seat good in ****ty conditions ?

So ... lets get this straight. You have never tried a seat-harness, yet you think that waist-harnesses are better than seat-harnesses.

... because you prefer to have your chest crushed and not breath, vs using your strongest muscles to control your gear.

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MarkSSC said..
If that is so then why do so many of the professionals go for the waist harness? Coaches like Guy Cribb make strong arguments for them also. To me the seat version looks good for long straight runs, while the waist is more versatile in manouvers, learners as well. The Mystic seems to have solved the number one problem with the waist by stopping the upward movement. What I don't understand is how a beer gut is a disadvantage. I would have thought that anything positioned under that layer would not be moving upwards ever

... and why do professionals use seat-harnesses ? Dont use an "appeal to authority".

How about actually trying out each type of harness, then choosing whichever you prefer ?

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mathew said..

MarkSSC said..
If that is so then why do so many of the professionals go for the waist harness? Coaches like Guy Cribb make strong arguments for them also. To me the seat version looks good for long straight runs, while the waist is more versatile in manouvers, learners as well. The Mystic seems to have solved the number one problem with the waist by stopping the upward movement. What I don't understand is how a beer gut is a disadvantage. I would have thought that anything positioned under that layer would not be moving upwards ever

... and why do professionals use seat-harnesses ? Dont use an "appeal to authority".

How about actually trying out each type of harness, then choosing whichever you prefer ?

Yep^^^

its a pretty individual thing. What suits one person won't suit another. Ideally try them both if you can.

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mathew said..

MarkSSC said..
If that is so then why do so many of the professionals go for the waist harness? Coaches like Guy Cribb make strong arguments for them also. To me the seat version looks good for long straight runs, while the waist is more versatile in manouvers, learners as well. The Mystic seems to have solved the number one problem with the waist by stopping the upward movement. What I don't understand is how a beer gut is a disadvantage. I would have thought that anything positioned under that layer would not be moving upwards ever

... and why do professionals use seat-harnesses ? Dont use an "appeal to authority".

How about actually trying out each type of harness, then choosing whichever you prefer ?

Some of us don't have the spare cash to buy then try. I respect those who teach the sport and if you are better than they are, then your opinion counts too. When I hear of people criticising the professional coaches it reminds me of tall poppy syndrome.

I started with a chest harness, then the spreader bar was invented, then I turned it upside down and used it as a waist harness, then put the shoulder straps between my legs and used it as a seat harness, then I bough a real seat harness and have been there ever since. I currently have one the same as Mastbender and it seems to be pretty good except that the hook released under pressure a couple of times so I just replaced it with the slightly wider spreader bar from the 80's.

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Agrid said..
I started with a chest harness, then the spreader bar was invented, then I turned it upside down and used it as a waist harness, then put the shoulder straps between my legs and used it as a seat harness, then I bough a real seat harness and have been there ever since. I currently have one the same as Mastbender and it seems to be pretty good except that the hook released under pressure a couple of times so I just replaced it with the slightly wider spreader bar from the 80's.

I also like a sliding hook, so I converted mine using a DaKine sliding hook conversion strap.
The conversion strap is a bit wider than the stock straps that come with the harness, so I'm using an older hook that has taller 'D' rings at each end, works like a charm and I've never had a disconnection, but I've never had that happen anyway.

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Mastbender said..

I also like a sliding hook, so I converted mine using a DaKine sliding hook conversion strap.
The conversion strap is a bit wider than the stock straps that come with the harness, so I'm using an older hook that has taller 'D' rings at each end, works like a charm and I've never had a disconnection, but I've never had that happen anyway.

Can you post a picture to a link to the sliding hook conversion please? I like my bar to slide a couple of inches each way on opposite tacks as well. I can do this with my current North 'bitza' harness and older Da Kine Surfseats.

I use my harness lines wider apart ( like in the old days )
I suppose this is like a sliding hook but not really .
But it does allow sideways movement and still have a balanced sail.
In the middle for cruising , i can slide the sail forward in lulls to keep planing and slide the sail back for cranking along.
Its also good for gusty wind.
Does look a bit gumby though

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sailquik said..

Mastbender said..

I also like a sliding hook, so I converted mine using a DaKine sliding hook conversion strap.
The conversion strap is a bit wider than the stock straps that come with the harness, so I'm using an older hook that has taller 'D' rings at each end, works like a charm and I've never had a disconnection, but I've never had that happen anyway.

Can you post a picture to a link to the sliding hook conversion please? I like my bar to slide a couple of inches each way on opposite tacks as well. I can do this with my current North 'bitza' harness and older Da Kine Surfseats.

For some reason it's not on their website, but it looks very similar to this (which is for kite harnesses), but it has two extra loose 'D' rings on it, one for each side of the harness, it's adjustable with a Velcro closure. They also make a non-adjustable ones w/ one fixed 'D' ring on each end of a straight length of webbing, about 16" (40cm) long, the adjustable ones are obviously better.
Hopefully they still make them, if not they are easy to make, just got to find the right size 'D' rings (which are actually rectangular), or cannibalize them off of some old harness.

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Imax1 said..
I use my harness lines wider apart ( like in the old days )
I suppose this is like a sliding hook but not really .
But it does allow sideways movement and still have a balanced sail.
In the middle for cruising , i can slide the sail forward in lulls to keep planing and slide the sail back for cranking along.
Its also good for gusty wind.
Does look a bit gumby though

The sliding hook is more for hip rotation so that you can face the direction you're going easier, it also gives you more leverage for upwind pinching.

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Mastbender said..

Imax1 said..
I use my harness lines wider apart ( like in the old days )
I suppose this is like a sliding hook but not really .
But it does allow sideways movement and still have a balanced sail.
In the middle for cruising , i can slide the sail forward in lulls to keep planing and slide the sail back for cranking along.
Its also good for gusty wind.
Does look a bit gumby though

The sliding hook is more for hip rotation so that you can face the direction you're going easier, it also gives you more leverage for upwind pinching.

Thanks Mastbender,
That makes good sense , now i want one , any downsides ?

No downsides so far. Here's a couple of pic of my harness showing the conversion. Also here's a pic of the non-adjustable conversion strap that I haven't used.
DaKine cat. # for the adjustable is #37757
DaKine cat. # for the non-adjustable is #4050-630-10

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Mastbender said..
I'm currently hooked on this one (a little humor there), waist harnesses don't work for me, and I'm not a big guy, just wrong body type, and I like to breathe normally. I need a high hook for the waves, DaKine stopped making the surf seat (my all time favorite), then I found this here on this site, saved by Flying Objects.

Nice welding on the bar
I thought my Dakine was bad.

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MarkSSC said..

mathew said..

MarkSSC said..
If that is so then why do so many of the professionals go for the waist harness? Coaches like Guy Cribb make strong arguments for them also. To me the seat version looks good for long straight runs, while the waist is more versatile in manouvers, learners as well. The Mystic seems to have solved the number one problem with the waist by stopping the upward movement. What I don't understand is how a beer gut is a disadvantage. I would have thought that anything positioned under that layer would not be moving upwards ever

... and why do professionals use seat-harnesses ? Dont use an "appeal to authority".

How about actually trying out each type of harness, then choosing whichever you prefer ?

Some of us don't have the spare cash to buy then try. I respect those who teach the sport and if you are better than they are, then your opinion counts too. When I hear of people criticising the professional coaches it reminds me of tall poppy syndrome.

Professionals recommend "whatever you prefer" - they also offer pro's and con's for each harness type. There is no tall poppy here - you are reading into it more than what is written.

There are many purchases that can be made without first trying out the merchandise. However, correct harness fit is like correct wetsuit fit -> the reality is that you need to try out different sizes and models, to determine what works best for you. You can either do this via a shop... or an easy way to do that is to try out your mates gear. Or you can blind-purchasing some random bit of kit.