Appendix I
Summary of Product Data
Standard Harnesses

Captain Al’s Harness
This harness is identical to the Holland Yacht Equipment harness. See comments under that product.

Gill (Crewsaver) Model 594 Harness

This harness was bought through Gill for one of their foul weather jackets, but it had a Crewsaver label on it. It was one of two that had a crotch strap. It was rated easy to don while in the jacket, but needs some sort of keeper for the shoulder straps as they had a tendency to slide down into the armholes. This harness could be used as a stand alone item, however it takes about 20 minutes to get it installed in the jacket correctly, pretty much precluding a single harness being used both with the coat and without. It is easy to adjust, although once in the jacket the adjustments are hidden, making that difficult. There is no whistle or reflective tape. While the crotch strap should take some of the load off the ribs, in practice the jacket somewhat prevents the harness from riding up under the armpits, and puts more of a strain on the back. Without the crotch strap it is just as uncomfortable as the rest. It weighed 14 ounces. There was no apparent damage to the harness after dynamic testing. There was no apparent damage to the coat after testing.

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed harness, and one of the few remaining jackets on the market that can be used integrally with a harness.

This harness was rated for moderate comfort while worn, and fair for ease of donning. It weighed 16 ounces. It was rated as uncomfortable under load, and of special note was the metal plate that routed all the harness straps in front would be at about tooth level when under load. There was no reflective tape or whistle. The shoulder did have an adjustment. There was no apparent damage to the harness after the dynamic load test.

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed, moderately comfortable basic harness. When under load, the metal plate in front is cause to worry about your teeth. The tether that came with the harness failed the dynamic load test.

Holland Yacht Equipment Model 1278T

This harness was rated for moderate comfort while worn, mostly due to its weight of 25 ounces. This harness was one of the more difficult to don, with straps getting twisted either while wearing foul weather gear or not, and in one instance it took someone 37 seconds to put on. Hopefully practice would reduce that number. Having the shoulder straps being red (left) and green (right) is helpful to remember the correct colors for running lights. It had adjustments both for the rib strap as well as the shoulder straps, so it should allow a good range of sizes. It rated as fair comfort under load. There is reflective tape on each shoulder strap. It did not have an attached whistle. There was no apparent damage to the harness after the dynamic load test.

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed, moderately comfortable basic harness.

Failed webbing on the Jim Buoy harness

This is an economy model harness that includes a tether. The rib webbing is wide, but is somewhat stiff. It is fairly easy to don, but the stiff webbing could become uncomfortable after a time. It is quite lightweight at 7 ounces, and was just as comfortable (or uncomfortable) as the others when under load. There is no reflective tape or a whistle. This was the only harness to fail the magnetic test (if close to a compass it may cause deviation). We noted before the dynamic test that there were burrs on some of the metal components that might cause premature failure of the straps. This rang true during the dynamic testing, as this was the only harness to fail completely. We noted also that the D-ring weld was cold, and the weld joint had started to open.

The D-ring most likely would have failed had not the webbing given way first.

Recommendation: We cannot recommend this harness.

This harness comes packaged with a tether. It has no rib strap, instead relying on straps that cross like an X across the back. The D-rings are held together by a loop in the tether, and there is no shackle at the inboard end. It was rated moderately easy to don, taking about 15-20 seconds when you include having to weave the tether through the D-rings with each use. There is no adjustment, nor is there a whistle or reflective tape. It was uncomfortable under load. It weighed 15 ounces. There was no apparent damage to the harness after dynamic testing.

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed harness, which would be improved with the inclusion of some reflective tape. When wearing a tether without a quick release, the crew should always have a knife within easy reach in case they get trapped and need to release themselves.

This harness was one of two that had a crotch strap. It was rated not easy to don, taking about 20 – 40 seconds when you include the crotch strap. Some wearers thought it might be easier to don if there was some contrasting color in some of the webbing. As it is now, the unit is a high visibility yellow, which made it confusing to figure out which straps were for the ribs or shoulders. It is easy to adjust, but there is no whistle or reflective tape. It is among the most comfortable under load when the crotch strap is in place. Without the crotch strap it is just as uncomfortable as the rest. It weighed 19 ounces. There was no apparent damage to the harness after dynamic testing. The crotch strap came undone during the dynamic test, but this may have been because the strap was too tight (they’re supposed to be worn somewhat loose).

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed harness, which would be improved with the inclusion of some reflective tape.

This harness is manufactured by a sailmaker in Canada, and is an interesting design. The harness is sewn inside a canvas vest making it much easier to put on than a more normal harness without a vest. The harness does not include a clasp for closing the harness. Instead it relies on the tether shackle to hold the D-rings together. There is a large chest pocket for holding extra gear like a strobe light, and a small loop that would work nicely to hold a whistle. This harness is also among the most comfortable under load; there is just more surface area to the vest to distribute the load. Most of the women who tested this harness found it to be the most comfortable, especially under load. It is a little heavier than the other standard harnesses at 24 ounces. The canvas is an orange material, which should help make the crew more visible. The main drawback to the design is the canvas may make it too hot for tropical cruising. During the dynamic load test the harness rode up over the dummy’s shoulder, but this may have been due to the fact that we had a size XL harness on a size medium dummy. Note that the harness still held the dummy. Average time to don the harness was approximately 5 seconds.

Recommendation: This is a well built, easy to wear harness. The only improvement would be to add some reflective SOLAS tape to the shoulders.

Survival Technologies Deck Pro

This harness, primarily marketed to women, is similar in design to the Raudaschl harness in that it incorporates a vest with the harness. Unlike the Raudaschl harness it was uncomfortable under load when worn by women. It is a little heavier than the other standard harnesses at 22 ounces. The vest is a padded dark blue material, which would not help locate a crew that has fallen overboard. The harness is easy to put on and take off, and includes a zippered front to keep the vest closed. Average time to don the harness was approximately 5-8 seconds.

Recommendation: This is a well built, easy to wear harness. Despite being marketed toward women, it was found to be uncomfortable for them under load. Adding some reflective SOLAS tape to the shoulders would improve the product.

Survival Technologies Pelican 2 Harness

This harness was rated low to moderate for comfort. The stiffer material makes is somewhat easier to don, but the price is chafing of the skin. It did rate relatively well for donning, and does have SOLAS reflective tape built in.

Recommendation: This is a well-built harness that is a little stiff for long-term wear.

West Marine Basic Harness

This harness was rated for high comfort while worn. This was a fairly easy harness to don due to its simplicity, and it took approximately 20 seconds. It was easy to adjust. It weighed 10 ounces. It rated as not very comfortable under load. There is reflective tape on each shoulder strap. The single metal D-ring was deformed during the dynamic load test, although it did not break. One wearer commented that it was as good as the West Marine "Ultimate" harness, although it should be noted that the ultimate harness double D-rings did not deform under load.

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed harness, easy to wear and comfortable. While this harness passed the dynamic load test, we feel the D-rings should be strengthened.

West Marine Securite’ Harness

Photo showing the deformed D-rings on the West Marine Basic and Securite' Harnesses

This harness is marketed toward women, although one male tester found it to be the most comfortable harness while being towed through the water. The design is somewhat different in that the shoulder straps, instead of coming down vertically from  the shoulder, come together near the solar plexus in kind of an Y configuration. This may be an advantage for people with narrow shoulders. This harness was rated for high comfort while worn. Like most standard harnesses it can be difficult to don once the webbing gets tangled in the wet locker, and it took approximately 30 seconds to don the harness. It was easy to adjust. It weighed 20 ounces. It rated as not very comfortable under load, even for women. There is no reflective tape. The single metal D-ring was deformed during the dynamic load test, although it did not break. We noted during our metrics testing that the rib webbing had a tendency to come loose from the keeper, and indeed when doing our static load test the rib strap came loose and slipped. This was due to the lazy end of the webbing coming out of the keeper. We have been informed that a new design of keeper is being used for this harness now. The old keeper had a "finger" of plastic to hold the webbing in place, while the new design makes you thread the webbing through a closed slot.

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed harness, easy to wear and comfortable. It could stand some reflective SOLAS tape on the shoulders, and it is advisable to get the newer design with the improved keeper. While this harness passed the dynamic load test, we feel the D-rings should be strengthened.

West Marine Ultimate Harness

This harness was rated for high comfort while worn. This was not a terribly easy harness to don, and it took approximately 30-40 seconds. It was easy to adjust. It weighed 19 ounces. It rated as not very comfortable under load. There is reflective tape on each shoulder strap. It had an attached whistle. There was no apparent damage to the harness from the dynamic testing. In fact, one of these harnesses was subjected to nine drops without failure during the tether dynamic testing.

Recommendation: This is a well-constructed harness, easy to wear and comfortable. This was one of the harnesses that came closest to our ideal harness.

Continue to Appendix I Part 3
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