WO1988005396A1

WO1988005396A1 - Sailboard harness

Info

Publication number: WO1988005396A1
Application number: PCT/AU1988/000012
Authority: WO
Inventors: Duncan Place
Original assignee: Duncan Place
Priority date: 1987-01-21
Filing date: 1988-01-21
Publication date: 1988-07-28

Abstract

A sailboard harness (10) which reduces the wear on a cooperating rope attached to the boom of the sailboard. The harness comprises a chest, waist or sit belt (11), a spreader bar (12) and a hook portion (13). The hook portion (13) is provided with a roller (27) adapted to rotate about an axis transversely to the line of contact of the sheave with the rod. The hook portion (13) may be pivotably attached to the spreader bar (12).

Description

SAILBOARD HARNESS Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sailboard harness and more particularly to a sailboard harness which will cause less wear to a rope engaged by the harness. Background Art

Sailboard riders utilise a harness to transfer the weight of their body onto the rig of their craft to thereby reduce the strain in their arms. The harness is strapped around the chest, waist or buttocks of the rider and has a spreader bar carrying a hook on the front which hook engages with one of a pair of loops of rope one of which is connected at each end to a respective one side of the boom of the sailboard. When sailing the sailboard rider steers his craft by tilting the mast forwardly or backwardly which causes relative movement between the rope and the hook, similarly as the rider transfers his weight or changes the sheeting angle of the sail there is movement between the hook and the rope. Much of this movement will take place while there is substantial strain on the rope and hook leading to substantial wear on the rope.

Attempts have been made to overcome this wear problem by providing a protective or sacrificial sleeve over the rope. This is not satisfactory as the cover itself requires frequent replacement. There is also the problem that the sleeve might wear out while the sailboard is in use and this could cause difficulties for the rider. Disclosure of the Invention The present invention consists in a sailboard harness comprising a body engaging member, a spreader bar attached to the body engaging member, and a rope engaging means projecting from the spreader bar away from the body engaging member, the rope engaging means including a roller, sheave or like member rotatable about an axis which will, in use, be transverse to the axis of a rope engaged by the harness^" at its point of contact with the roller sheave or like member.

The body engaging member may comprise a jacket like garment which passes over the wearer's shoulders and around his back; it may comprise a belt-like garment extending around the wearers waist; or it may comprise a seat-like garment extending around the wearer's buttocks and between his legs. All of these types of body engagement are well known in the art. The body engagement member will normally be formed of a foam plastic or rubber having a fabric cover and suitable buckles or the like for attaching it around a wearer's body.

The spreader bar normally comprises a bar or web of metal or another suitable material attached to the body engaging member by straps, buckles or the like. The spreader bar normally extends across the front of the wearer's body at the level of the chest, the stomach or the pelvis depending upon the type of body engaging member used. The spreader bar serves to spread the load of the wearer's body across the body engaging member and to maintain the rope engaging means projecting outwardly from the spreader bar so that it may be easily engaged with the rope. In preferred embodiments of the invention the rope engaging means is pivotably attached to the spreader bar. The degree of pivotal movement between the rope engaging means and the spreader bar is preferably limited by stop means such that it may be readily engaged with the rope but may move sufficiently that in use the axis of rotation of the roller, sheave or like member will be maintained normal to the axis of the rope as it passes around the roller, sleeve or like member.

The rope engaging means preferably comprises a hook-like arm having a first portion extending outwardly from the spreader bar with an end portion extending substantially normal thereto and carrying the roller, sheave or like member. In preferred embodiments of the invention the end portion of the hook-like arm will include a spindle on which the roller, sheave or like member will rotate. If desired a bearing or bush may be disposed between the roller and the spindle. In other embodiments the end portion may include a recess in which the roller, sheave or like member sits and is supported while it rotates.

It is preferred that the roller, sheave or like member is closely juxtaposed with the end portion of the hook-like arm at each of its ends so that there is no space into which the rope may jam or otherwise become entangled. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the end portion of the hook-like member includes a flange overlapping and closely surrounding each end of the roller, sheave or like member.

In preferred embodiments of the invention the roller, sheave or like member reduces in diameter towards the mid-point of its length such that the rope will tend to be biased into the middle of the roller. Brief Description of the Prayings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sailboard waist harness according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through II-II of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 2 through a second embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is an underneath plan view of a part of the sailboard harness of Fig. 3. Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention

Hereinafter given by way of example only are preferred embodiments of the present invention described _,

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with reference to the aforesaid drawings.

The sailboard waist harness 10 of Fig. 1 comprises a waist belt 11, a spreader bar 12 and a rope hook 13. The waist belt 11 is adapted to extend about the waist of a sailboard rider and to be connected tightly in place by a buckle (not shown) joining the ends of the belt 11. The spreader bar 12 and the hook 13 are formed integrally from cast aluminium.

The waist belt 11 is of conventional construction comprising a foam plastic strap 14 surrounded by a woven nylon fabric 15 sewn in place.

The spreader bar 12 comprises a pair of parallel rods 16 and 17 joined at their ends by orthogonally extending rods 18 and 19 and by intermediate rods 21 and 22. The spreader bar is held in place on the front of the waist belt 11 by a pair of nylon straps 23 and 24 extending respectively around rods 18 and 19 and sewn to the waist belt 11.

The rope hook 13 comprises a rod 23 joined to the rod 16 and extends horizontally in portion 24 away from the waist belt and then downwardly in portion 25 to terminate in a free end. The downwardly extending portion 25 of the rod 23 is formed with a recess 26 accommodating a sheave 27 rotatable about a pin 28 which extends through an aperture 29 in the free end of portion 25 through a bore 31 in the sheave 27 and into a threaded hole 32 in the portion 25. The recess 26 has a pair of inwardly directed lips 33 which overhang the ends of the sheave 27. In use the harness 10 is used in the conventional manner and the hook 13 engaged over a rope loop (not shown) connected at its ends at spaced apart locations along a sailboard boom. The rope engages with the sheave 27 which rotates as the harness is moved relative to the rope thereby avoiding wear on the rope. The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is similar in some respect to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the same members are used to identify similar components. The spreader bar 12 is welded from stainless steel rod and comprises a top rod 16, a bottom rod 17, end bar rods 18 and 19 and single intermediate rod 20. The spreader bar 12 is connected to the waist belt 11 by straps 23 and 24 extending about end rods 18 and 19 respectively.

The hook member 13 is pivotably connected to the spreader bar 12 and comprises a sheet of stainless steel which is at one end 35 wrapped around the rod 16. A cut out portion 3 surrounds intermediate rod 20 to limit the amount of pivotal movement of the hook member 13. The hook member 13 can pivot between the horizontal positions and a raised position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The sheet of stainless steel is at its end distal to the spreader bar 12 bent to accommodate the sheave 23 which is held in place by pin 28.

The harness of Figs. 3 and 4 works in the same manner as that described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, however, it has the substantial advantage that due to the ability of the hook member 13 to pivot relative to the spreader bar 12 it is possible to maintain the force applied by the rope to the sheave 27 substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the sheave 27. This prevents the rope from riding up or down on the sheave 27 and binding against the hook member 13.

Claims

CLAIMS : -

1. A sailboard harness comprising a body engaging member, a spreader bar attached to the body engaging member, and a rope engaging means projecting from the spreader bar away from the body engaging member, the rope engaging means including a roller, sheave or like member rotatable about an axis which will, in use, be transverse to the axis of a rope engaged by the harness at its point of contact with the roller sheave or like member.

2. A sailboard harness as claimed in claim 1 in which the rope engaging means is pivotably connected to the spreader bar.

3. A sailboard harness as claimed in claim 2 in which the degree of pivotal movement between the rope engaging means and the spreader bar is limited by stop means such that the rope engaging means may be readily engaged with the rope but may move sufficiently that in use the arms of rotation of the roller, sheave or like member will be maintained substantially normal to the axis of the rope as its passes around the roller, sheave or like member.

4. A sailboard harness as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the rope engaging means comprises a hook-like member having a first portion extending outwardly from the spreader bar with an end portion extending substantially normal thereto and carrying the roller, sheave or like member.

5. A sailboard harness as claimed in claim 4 in which the end portion includes a spindle about which the roller, sheave or like member can rotate.

6. A .sailboard harness as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the ends of the roller, sheave or like member are closely juxtaposed with portions of the rope engaging means.

7. A sailboard harness as claimed in claim 6 in which the rope engaging means includes a flange overlapping and closely surrounding each end of the roller, sheave or like member.

8. A spreader bar for a sailboard harness having rope engaging means projecting therefrom, the rope engaging means including a roller, sheave or like member rotatable about an axis which will, in use, be transverse to the axis of a rope engaged by the harness at its point of contact with the roller, sheave or like-member.

9. A sailboard harness or a spreader bar therefore substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.