NSW
4521 posts
I started doing some little jumps on the bay chop on Thursday, just one or two feet. I was very surprised how soft the landings were (tail first). I was leaving my harness hooked in, and am wondering if this is a stupid thing to do. I seem to remember seeing some photos of people doing pretty high jumps in the surf with their harnesses still in.
WA
12884 posts
G'Day Harrow,
Hooked in can give you higher jumps, lets you put more weight on the sail.
But the recomendation is not to learn to jump that way, as a bad landing will put a lot more strain on the gear, and result in nasty catapults.
Especially if you're not on a well reinforced wave board, a flat landing in the harness increases the load on the bottom of the board, could crease it.
On the mast box, if you're not using a wide base that distributes mast pressure, you can drive the box down into the board.
On the bottom of the mast and boom as well as your harness. I've bent booms and torn my harness apart on bad landings.
While you're only chop hopping and landing tail first it's probably OK, but practise unhooking just before you land.
You'll need this reflex when you try in the waves and get out of control in mid air.
