Safety harness on a dinghy?

[themadscientist]

When I take my little 14 footer out I will more often than not be sailing alone. For that reason among others I am very cognizant of addressing safety. I have a new live vest on order and I will be protected from the sun head to toe. Under my hat I plan to rock a bike helmet in case the boom cracks me in the noggin and plenty of drinking water, and snacks will be on board along with tools, spare parts, and extra line.
Waterproofing and securing this stuff will be easy but one of the other safety measures I would like to have will not. I see people wearing trapeze harnesses on those high speed low drag racing dinghys but mine is sort of a Ford Escort dinghy. I don't have a place to clip on and I don't think the mast and its step would be willing to play along. The intention I have is to make a harness connection somewhere on the boat so it will be virtually impossible for me to get separated from the boat should it flip or I fall out. Watching my boat sail away without me is a sobering nightmare scenario.
I am thinking my best option is to mount an eye under the main sheet block on the centerboard trunk. That's obviously a beefy part of the hull and I would not have to drill any new holes in the hull. A bungee cord sort of material or a coiled line that compresses when slack to keep the cockpit uncluttered, but can stretch to give me freedom to move if the boat flips and I have to climb up on the centerboard to right it would be ideal.
Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[PotomacDaysailer]

If your boat has a slight weather helm (tendency to turn up into the wind if you let go of the tiller), as most do, it won't sail away without you. You could trail a floating poly line in the water for something to grab on to.

I usually go solo as well, but don't wear a helmet or harness. I do wear a comfortable life vest. I keep the risk of an accidental jibe low by sailing broad reaches rather than a dead run (you actually get more speed made good this way, even though you sail further, since you get the benefit of the aerodynamic lift of the sails instead of just being pushed along).

 

[PotomacDaysailer]

... mine is sort of a Ford Escort dinghy...

LOL!

(I think mine is more like the Ford Edsel dinghy.)

 

[Brian Schwerdt]

I may be a bad person to ask, because I often sail my sunfish with the life vest in the boat. I do think that wearing it is a good idea, but maybe I just like to live on the edge. Most 14 footers will not sail away from you. In fact, most will end up on their sides without you. I think a harness is unnecessary. Wear a good life vest, and if you know how to swim a little, you'll be fine. Go out and have fun!

 

[BobM]

You can probably swim and catch up to a 14 footer if it isn't a planning hull as it will only be doing 2.5 knots or so. Plus I agree that it will round up in any kind of wind.

The most important thing about a life vest is to get one that you will wear. The second most important thing is to get one that will keep you alive if you are unconscious. My first purchase after buying the boat was a Sospenders automatic life vest.

 

[OldCat]

Mostly, people stay safe in small boats by not going too far out, but I've gone 'too far out', like the around Anacapa race, so...

I once had my catamaran sail about 100 yards without me before it flipped over, thus I have sympathy for the idea of clipping on to the boat. I am not sure we could guarantee that we could always swim back to it. Capsize or pitch pole hard in wind heavier than you anticipated or was forecast and you might not be able to swim as fast as the boat drifts.

I would not use an inflatable PFD on a small boat because the the small boat may be flipped often and the cost of new inflators is going to bite you. I'd wear a standard PFD and a separate harness under it.

If you decide to clip on to the boat, then do it right. You MUST have a quick release at your chest. If you got trapped under water by lines or shrouds with your tether tangled, it is imperative that you be able to release yourself. Good professional tethers have a quick release snap shackle at the chest end for this purpose.

While you have a small boat, the forces in a worst case incident like a pitch pole can be large. Cheap bungees, shackles or attachments may break when you most need them. The better professionally made tethers have high strength webbing and bungee in them so that they are both strong and not so easily fouled on your lines and boat's hardware.

I am not sure that you really need to do tie yourself to the boat, but if I were to do it here is what I'd get:
1. Harness: http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?group=975
2. Tether: http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|135|88189&id=524739 The style on the SBO store did not seem to have the best chest release like this defender SOSP one does. At a minimum, if you go cheap, you should still use a chest snap shackle like the one on this harness and some good strong line.
3. Attachment: The Defender page above also links to pad eyes that will have the proper strength if mounted with a good backing plate to the boat.

The other option is a modern trapeze system that is easy to get out of if you have to.

I am in the process of mounting a pad eye on my C22 - but that is a different type boat than your 14. I would not bother with any of this for a 14 foot boat on our small local lakes, or for sailing most places a 14 foot boat would go. But, it depends on where you sail, how far out you go, ability to swim to shore and your comfort level. Consider having a wet or dry suits for hypothermia if your local water is cool or cold.

OC
tich tor ang tesmur

 

[Joe]

1. Never cleat the mainsheet... then, if you fall out, the boat will round up and stop. That said...... you stand very little possibility of falling out of a dingy because you don't move around in it like you do on the deck of a larger boat. You stand a very stronger liklihood of CAPSIZING though. For that reason, you need to PRACTICE intentionally capsizing your dinghy so you know how to get it upright again.

2. I took my formal small boat sailing instruction at San Diego State. Their fleet includes sabots, lasers, Holder 14's and Hobie 16's. Being able to recover from a capsize is a prerequisite for completion of each boat's course.

3. Whenever I took my Nacra (catamaran) out in the ocean I would loop the mainsheet through my PFD and trapeeze harness and tie it to the traveller with a sheet bend. Then.... if I fell off I would have the mainsheet in hand... intentionally pulling it would capsize the cat so I could recover the boat. If I were just harnessed to it, and the wind was strong the damn thing would drag me through the water.... dangerous.

 

[themadscientist]

I definitely will not be ghetto-rigging anything. Those are good tips, I will address those for sure. If I tether it will be a high quality setup. No point in having a quality idea sabotaged by poor execution.
I am getting a good Stearns SARS vest, not an inflatable. I plan to spend most of the next couple of months flipping the boat, righting it, practicing tacking and jibing, dropping and raising sail, anchoring, coming in and leaving a fixed point using sail (bouy not a hard dock) etc. All those unglamorous things that you need to know how to do.
I will be out on the ocean as close to shore as possible that still ensures plenty of draft while I work on my chops. It could be quite a while before I am confident enough to take my wife or anyone else out with me.
My parts are in the mail, hurry up! :cry:

 

[PotomacDaysailer]

Mad Scientist, I am pretty sure you must have been (are) an Eagle Scout - you've certainly taken the motto Be Prepared to heart! Kudos.

 

[OldCat]

Excellent!

I definitely will not be ghetto-rigging anything. Those are good tips, I will address those for sure. If I tether it will be a high quality setup. No point in having a quality idea sabotaged by poor execution.
I am getting a good Stearns SARS vest, not an inflatable. I plan to spend most of the next couple of months flipping the boat, righting it, practicing tacking and jibing, dropping and raising sail, anchoring, coming in and leaving a fixed point using sail (bouy not a hard dock) etc. All those unglamorous things that you need to know how to do.
I will be out on the ocean as close to shore as possible that still ensures plenty of draft while I work on my chops. It could be quite a while before I am confident enough to take my wife or anyone else out with me.
My parts are in the mail, hurry up! :cry:

Good stuff. I am sure that you will have a long and enjoyable sailing career.:dance:

OC
tich tor ang tesmur

 

[themadscientist]

No, never was a scout but I have learned a lot of lessons in my life, most with a scar to remind me. I tend to over prepare in all things because I always push my limits. I am very adventurous and don't scare easy. As a result I put myself in danger quite a bit. I beleive the differences between daring and stupid is not necessarily what you are doing but whether you have covered every variable you can and set yourself up for success.

I have survived several epic crashes because I use my belts. I have walked away from lowsiding my bike with nothing more than a bruised ego because I invested as much in my gear as I did in the bike and I wear it.

As excited as I am to get out on the water, and as confident as I am that I am preparing well, the fact that it's a big bad ocean out there that doesn't care about me is sobering. I want to enjoy myself and knowing I have prepped for anything I can imagine gives me peace of mind.

Unlike bikes or cars, two of other my loves, I have yet to encounter a boater with a devil may care attitude. I see a lot of carelessness from others in my other pursuits and it's really unfortunate. One guy who rode in my car scoffed at the racing harness slung over the seat. After the first mile he was reaching frantically for it.

Safety is very cool in my book.

Or I might like being prepared because of that witch's curse.:stirthepot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nJOY0P84v4&feature=related

 

[Phil V25]

This is a dingy not a micro cruiser

I've sailed (and still do) a Flying Junior (FJ) and it is very similar to your boat. I goofed up last weekend and capsized it for the first time in 20 years. The last thing I'd want is to be clipped into the boat, just get a good life jacket and wear it all the time. The main sheet is not cleated (get a pair of sailing gloves), so if I was to fall out the boat would round up and more than likely tip over.
Helmet? I've been bonked on the head a couple times and unless you have some previous head injury a helmet is wayyyyy over kill (even on my V25).
Spare parts? And where are you planning on sailing? I've never carried any extra parts on the boat!
Not very many small dingy's have trapezes and those have them engineered into the design.
Enjoy your boat, go sailing.

When I take my little 14 footer out I will more often than not be sailing alone. For that reason among others I am very cognizant of addressing safety. I have a new live vest on order and I will be protected from the sun head to toe. Under my hat I plan to rock a bike helmet in case the boom cracks me in the noggin and plenty of drinking water, and snacks will be on board along with tools, spare parts, and extra line.
Waterproofing and securing this stuff will be easy but one of the other safety measures I would like to have will not. I see people wearing trapeze harnesses on those high speed low drag racing dinghys but mine is sort of a Ford Escort dinghy. I don't have a place to clip on and I don't think the mast and its step would be willing to play along. The intention I have is to make a harness connection somewhere on the boat so it will be virtually impossible for me to get separated from the boat should it flip or I fall out. Watching my boat sail away without me is a sobering nightmare scenario.
I am thinking my best option is to mount an eye under the main sheet block on the centerboard trunk. That's obviously a beefy part of the hull and I would not have to drill any new holes in the hull. A bungee cord sort of material or a coiled line that compresses when slack to keep the cockpit uncluttered, but can stretch to give me freedom to move if the boat flips and I have to climb up on the centerboard to right it would be ideal.
Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[themadscientist]

"parts" consist only of an extra set of standing rigging and enough line to replace at least one failed line of running rigging; maybe an extra block. as you correctly deduced, this boat doesn't have many parts.

 

[jimmyb]

Having extra part can never hurt you. I have an odds and ends kit in a bag aboard the boat with tools used for rigging each time I go out. Would be a real bummer driving all the way to go sailing and end up being denied by a 25 cent clip. I keep it in the boat along with everything else I need to sail so that when the wind is up and the sun is out all I do is hook up to the truck and Im gone. You will probably never need the parts out on the water but you may need them at the lauch when you are naturally inspecting your rig as you step your mast ect.

jimmy b

 

[PotomacDaysailer]

Having extra part can never hurt you. I have an odds and ends kit in a bag aboard the boat with tools used for rigging each time I go out. Would be a real bummer driving all the way to go sailing and end up being denied by a 25 cent clip. I keep it in the boat along with everything else I need to sail so that when the wind is up and the sun is out all I do is hook up to the truck and Im gone. You will probably never need the parts out on the water but you may need them at the lauch when you are naturally inspecting your rig as you step your mast ect.

jimmy b

I'd like to see what people think should go into a "spare parts and tools" or "emergency repairs" sailing kit for a small dinghy.

Building on what's been mentioned:
- Standing rigging parts - maybe ss wire, shroud adjusters, specialized fittings? (Maybe in a shore kit; if standing rigging fails on the water, I would guess you'd be dismasted and unable to set up new rigging)
- Extra line
- Spare blocks
- Spare shackles and clevis pins
- Pliers
- Sharp clasp knife
- Electric tape

Any ideas/suggestions?

 

[jimmyb]

I carry....
A few extra clevis pins and retainers for same.
A couple of rudder retainer clips.
A few nuts and bolts. Extra line and some shackels.
A spare drain hole plug.
An extra spark plug and line to crank the Honda 2hp.
A few extra sail ties. Mine are snap buckle type I found at Walmart for a couple dollars each. They are great for quickly securing my dry bag and tool bag to a cleat.
An extra spreader (came with the boat, stays in the truck)
Thats about it for parts. If I found signs of wear on my standing rigging or spars as I step each time it would promptly be replaced at home. I dont think drilling and replacing rivets and such would be boat ramp repairs and certainly Im not gonna replace a shroud ect on the water.

As for tools
Plug wrench for the engine along with tool kit from honda
Extra sheer and cotter pins for the engine
2 flavors of screwdrivers
Plyers - standard and needle nose
Adjustable wrench
Sharp searated knife attached to my PFD at all times.

Hopefully with close inspection of my rig I will not have too many problems but if I ever have an on the water spar or rigging failure Im gonna gather whats left of my nerves, lash whats still attached to the boat and giddy up the hell off the water.
Oh ya, then change my shorts.

God Bless, jimmyb

 

[Joe]

I'd like to see what people think should go into a "spare parts and tools" or "emergency repairs" sailing kit for a small dinghy.

Building on what's been mentioned:
- Standing rigging parts - maybe ss wire, shroud adjusters, specialized fittings? (Maybe in a shore kit; if standing rigging fails on the water, I would guess you'd be dismasted and unable to set up new rigging)
- Extra line
- Spare blocks
- Spare shackles and clevis pins
- Pliers
- Sharp clasp knife
- Electric tape

Any ideas/suggestions?

The most important spare part is a PADDLE.

 

[OldCat]

Use Line Instead?

"parts" consist only of an extra set of standing rigging and enough line to replace at least one failed line of running rigging; maybe an extra block. as you correctly deduced, this boat doesn't have many parts.

:stirthepot:On a 14' monohull, I believe that most of this stuff can be handled simply by high strength line and some knots - especially a trucker's hitch. The TH is essentially a block and tackle made from line. In a small boat in waves, it seems easier to work with line rather than shackles (at least the kind where you can lose the pin). At the least, knowing how to tie a TH can give you another option. If jury rigged, consider reducing sail area to keep stress down.

I am not sure what, if any, approach would work for a dismasting, especially in choppy waves where it seems most likely. The one time it happened to me, I was in VERY choppy water on a resort catamaran. I suffered the indignity of being towed in by a - ah - er - I almost choke to say it - jet ski.

OC
tich tor ang tesmur

 

[OldCat]

Smoke Bombs

The most important spare part is a PADDLE.

I'd want some orange smoke bombs as well - even where they are not required. If you need help and anyone can see it - they can help to bring help.

OC
tich tor ang tesmur

 

[themadscientist]

The most important spare part is a PADDLE.

so true
I need a bag of extra clevis pins too. Those lil SOBs are just waiting to jump overboard. :cussing: