Hiking Strap

laser98706

New Member
I need to get a new hiking strap for my laser, but I don't know what kind of thing to look for... i mean, there's a lot of different ones out there, but I need advice on what to choose. Suggestions?

Also, there is a large gap between my centerboard gasket and the deck attachment for the mainsheet block. I figure since I am going to replace both, is there a single piece that I can buy, which will also cover up the gap?

Any ideas welcomed. thanks a bunch.

Lasers. Any other boats are just practice.
 
Hiking straps are like tiller extensions - there are a number of different ones out there, they all do the same job and it's a matter of personal preference.

First decision is padded or not, next is length (somewhere between 30" and 36" seems to be the range)

Padded are comfortable to hike in bare feet, saving a few lbs of clothing wt if that is important to you.

Padded on just one side seems to keep the strap from twisting during a tack (as does a strong shock cord)

Short straps allow more adjustability if you use an adjustable tie up system.

I had a 36" padded that worked well, I didn't have an adjustable hiking strap tie up with it as it didn't allow enough room between the strap and the cockpit eyes. I just replaced it with a 30" padded and an adjustable tie up. It's nice, not 100% sure if it's nec since I sail with a reasonably tight strap anyway....

If you are interested, I have another brand new 30" padded (see it here http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d9000/e7429.asp ), if you interested, I'll make you a good deal - shoot me a priv message


The diagram is here:
http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=2125&highlight=adjustable+hiking+strap

There is no plate or anything that bridges the gap between the daggboard brake and the hiking strap/mainsheet eye
 
I have sailed with a few different straps, my first was a fogh marine padded strap, i destroyed it after a half of a year from jsut racing with it. I next got a Glenmore Sailboats yellow strap that looks like it is made out of a fire hose. it was supposed to be clone to the seitech strap that i would later use but it had no padding in it. Next i got a new boat and with that new boat came a new seitech strap which was the wide yellow and padded. very nice. This strap seems to be the new standard on lasers. My coach recently allowed me to try her "Zhik" hiking strap which looked like a normal strap, but it actually had a rubber strip along the underside that literailly gripped your booties, alowing awesome transfer of force from your legs to your boat, perfect for big waves and such, if you can get your hands on a zhik one it would be prime, but the seitech ones are solid.
 
Mullet Time! said:
but it actually had a rubber strip along the underside that literailly gripped your booties, alowing awesome transfer of force from your legs to your boat, perfect for big waves and such, if you can get your hands on a zhik one it would be prime.

Absolutely right!!! The rubber strip is the key to good kinetics in Lasersailing. As "Mullet Time" already pointed out, especially for pushing the boat through big waves.
 
I have a 98' boat that had the original 2" Laser strap on it w/minimum padding on the under side. I just replaced it w/the Vanguard padded strap that is 3" wide. I like it a lot. The only down side is the edges of the strap are rough/sharp and actually cut my shins right at the top of my ankle with a nasty type of rope burn. This is only a problem if I quickly slide my legs past the strap w/out actually putting my feet under the strap. If I wear booties this is not a problem, but it's hot now and I like using aqua socks. I noticed some straps come in 5" widths, but the coskpit is so narrow I can't imagine using anything over 3" width.
 
Zhik equipment looks fantastic and must have taken a ridiculously good looking guy to have suggested it. I've had a chance to review the Zhik strap and it seems great except I'm wondering how the rubber stip will work with booties that aren't also Zhik, seeing as how the rubber on the strap is suppost to mate with the rubber on the tops of the Zhik hiking boots.
 
laser98706 said:
also forgot to mention...

wheres a good diagram for rigging an adjustable strap?

I can't figure it out..

The problem with that adjustable straps is, that they better have to be "symetric". If they are not bound in a real symetric way, you probably can feel the difference in the behaviour of this strap-adjustion on each side of the boat during the hinking-out.

For the hiking strap: Nohting against the others but the one from roostersailing is my prefered one. I guess you also can get it in NA, f.e. the laser distr-sec of NA Laserdistict 5 offers them or also Lasertores at the eastcoast of the USA(f.e.: http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d9000/e7424.asp ).

For the "large gap between" your "centerboard gasket" that you mentioned. Is it possible for you, to make a little photo and upload it here? Then we can see better what the problem is that there is, thanks.
Good sailing
LooserLu
 

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