Jackline & Harness for me and my 4 y/o

[Mutany]

In the process of buying my first boat since my daughter was born... first sailboat actually.

I'll be sailing single handed sometimes, and other times I'll have my wife and 4 y/o daughter aboard.

Can I get recommendations on specific products I should consider? ( harness, tether, & jackline) I'm especially interested in the kid setup that you may have experience with... any other kid safety gear I should consider would be great too!

The boat is a C30 MKI.

 

[JRT]

Congrats, my kids are older but with us we did the following. Now my daughter, 12, can pretty much handle the boat by herself.

My rules are,
1) while underway small kids and 1 adult always in cockpit or cabin.
2) practice heave to, I found it very helpful
3) add life line netting for your age kids, I considered this but mine are bigger and this didn't really offer any advantage for me.

Also always a life vest for the kid, get a good one with float collar to keep head above water.

 

[marty9876]

I went through this at the beginning of the year for basically the same situation. For my self I did the West Marine jack lines and West Marine double teather. Expensive but quality stuff with all the right features.

My daughter is 4 and this year we started doing longer/offshore work, the teather aspect was a challenge. No children PDF has a built on teather. Last year I did a children harness and PDF but that as a mess and not practical nor likely very safe. Putting them both on was a nightmare. This year I got the Spinlock Children PDF as it’s the only Children's PDF with a teather point. It’s not USCG approved, and designed for 8 yrs or older but by weight my daughter qualifies. Much more practical, my boat came with a straight non elastic teather which works well for this.

It’s tough, I many ways a teather only for where I sail (Lake Superior) is likely a better option than PDF. We have a Mustang kids PDF which is solid and a traditional PDF for dock side, just make sure they have a crotch strap and you use it.

 

[dlochner]

Practical Sailor has done a lot of research on jack lines and tethers. Some of the info is available to non-subscribers. Check there: http://boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.htm

PS suggested that tethers produced by Kong are among the best because of the clip that attaches to the jack line. Kong is an Italian supplier of mountain climbing equipment. https://shop.hamiltonmarine.com/products/kong-single-retractable-safety-tether-20512.html

I have both Wichard and Kong tethers. To my eye they are of equal quality with the Kong being much less expensive. The big difference is the clip the Kong clip is less likely to inadvertently release.

 

[capta]

My first was born in Hawaii a day before she moved aboard. At 3 months or so, we set off for Tahiti from Hawaii, a 3k mile sail.
First and foremost rule aboard the boat, she was not allowed outside the cockpit unless she was holding an adult's hand. Period, end of sentence, no exceptions! Underway or at anchor or at the dock.
As she grew older maybe 2.5 to 3 this was relaxed at anchor or dockside, but NEVER when underway. When the weather was rough underway, she remained below, period, unless she was in an adult's arms.
If you are taking a small child sailing on a boat it is your responsibility to ensure its safety and IMO, relying on harnesses and jacklines to do that for you is just not safe. A lifejacket is a legal necessity I would imagine where you live, but many professional sailors are questioning the use of harnesses in anything but the most extreme circumstances for themselves, never mind a child.
We even went so far as to not teach our daughter to swim until she was old enough to know WHEN to swim. When becalmed at sea, it might seem the perfect time for a quick, cooling dip in the ocean, when in fact the boat may actually be ghosting along faster than one can swim. A small child does not have the ability to understand this, especially if at other times you do go swimming.
Anyway, she spent her first 12 years sailing on boats all over the world and I believe she turned out to be a pretty cool person. So, don't hesitate to take the wee one along, just remember that it is your responsibility to keep him/her safe, not some fancy gear.

 

[Mutany]

Tried to delete my post after thinking I just need to spend more time searching. Sure glad I wasn't able to! Your first hand experiences are invaluable to me at this point. Thanks!

 

[jssailem]

@Mutany Check out the info about tethers and jacklines developed by John at Morganscloud.com. Attainable Adventure Cruising.

 

[thinwater]

We occasionally relaxed the PFD rule (subject to an adult right there) when it was hot enough and no wind, but the harness rule was constant. The crotch strap is integral and we had to adjust the shoulder straps tighter in the back with a metal slider. It was nearly 100F in this picture, hence the bucket.

[A cheap harness, but that is all there was for little kids 20 years ago. Strong enough, when you consider what they weigh.]

By 5 the two of us would go out (daughter and I) for overnights. Harness all the time. By 8 we would go out for weeks, just the two of us, and the rules had relaxed a lot. But by that age, if I needed her to wear a harness, I would ALWAYS put mine on too. By that time, wearing a harness made her a "real sailor" in her mind, so it was accepted with zeal. By 12 she stood supervised watches, and by 14 she could handle fair weather and simple entrances on her own.

The clipping points can be different for small children. Start with a short tether attached to a hardpoint inside the cockpit; they don't need to go to the bow. Figure it out from there.

BTW, under about 6, the clip in point is on the back where they can't reach it. Use locking hooks, not because they could come off accidentally or for massive strength, but so that little fingers don't get curious.