Just a bit of research here.
After forgetting to take my leash on holiday and making a dyneema one out there from dynemma and an elastic core I’m thinking of making some footstraps or a harness.
So feature wise: what do you think are key features?
So far I have
Footstraps: must be light
Must have a shape
Must be squishy so that that are comfortable to stand ON - especially the back strap.
I’m thinking - neoprean, then an eva foam like you use for deck pads, then 1 inch webbing.
Possibly with a thin bit of plastic before the webbing to hold shape (eg a 1inch to 1/2 inch to 1inch bone shaped strip from a Cadburys hero’s box)
Harness:
Has to have a continuous dynema closed loop so that both wing and board can be on the same loop allowing you to bail the whole system.
This would have - 1 small loop near each hips, a big loop at the back - maybe in a plastic core maybe not.
Buckle or Velcro?
Think back support (mini kite harness style)
Or thin
What are people’s thoughts?
I currently use a simple 1/2inch webbing belt with a clip - (in a loop so the wing and board leashes stay together if I unclip)
And a Uni mini kite style harnes.
Both have pros and cons…
So far the only mandatory feature is continuous loop for safety.
I’ve made some straps out of an old 2" tow strap sandwiched between two layers of adhesive backed 2mm eva foam. A soldering iron to melt the mounting holes worked well.
You don’t need the neoprene for extra padding with the the 2" strap. Go wider before you go thicker if you want to be able to stand on the strap. Something to make it stand up would be a good improvement, it can be a pain to get my foot in when its flat on the deck.
i’ve got some straps that are just 1" nylon ratchet strap webbing sandwiched between two piecesof eva foam with holes burned in for screw holes. They’re great to stand on and comfortable in the straps but after a week of being smooshed by other boards in the car or being stood on for a whole session it can be hard to get into them cause they loose shape. i might try a little strip of carbon in their and see how that does.
For Harness I Windsurfed for 35 years where harnesses were mandatory. I tried to use the DaKine harnesses but they were overkill for winging, stiff, heavy, bulky.
I settled on this $9.99 Jayefo Belt for
Low Cost 2) Efficiency.
Just add some paracord for attaching wings and leashes. And buy a $20 NSI hook (I use 2 one in front and one on side). I keep one on the East Coast and one at home and just travel with the hooks. PS: Jeff Clark cut my 1st hook out of a plastic cutting board, I bought the second one.
I really like the straps from Tarifa Foil boards but cannot bring myself to pay the crazy shipping fees to the US. Might try my hand at making some this winter.
