Harness hook.

Should the trap hook opening point up or down. Logic would say down, however, My son(18 y/o) & I were discussing how to
get back onto the boat in a 3 foot chop with out damaging a hull or the tramp. We were out Saturday in 15-20 mph winds,
having a blast & the thought occured how would I get back on in a full wetsuit, Full harness(magic marine) & life jacket without placing the harness hook directly on a hull.
Son says you have to be a contorsonist, jumping up & twisting at the same time while trying to keep the boat from
getting away. Aside from the obvious(don't fall off) is there a proper method. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

This type of damage can and does happen. I switched to the Bethwaite Keyhole trapeze system for this reason and for the added safety of not having a hook to snag on stuff.



Key-Hole Buckle

Well, yes I can honestly say that I have punched a nice hole into a hull while getting back on board. The Bethwaite system is nice, but it was just too expensive for me to convert my traps to that so I rock it old school with the hooks. To answer your question though, the opening faces down, and yes, you may have to adapt to become a bit of a contourist. However on a lazy day, you can just pull yourself up and roll onto your side instead of twisting onto your butt.

After a flip, once righted, I always come aboard over the front beam, near the hull, one hand on the hull, one on the front beam, try to flop onto the tramp.

I have hauled crew on board -backwards- (facing out) over the side so the hook wouldn't scrape the hull.

Use one of the trap handles and swing your legs up on the hull when outside the hulls. I also like to get back on inside the hull at the front beam you can use the hull and the beam to pull yourself up (you can still use the trap too).

How exzactly, forcing the hook down or just forward with respect to your body? I don´t quite see that reverting the hook would make a difference.

The problem isn't so much dinging the hull when getting back onto the boat after you have righted it... it is getting up on the hull when you have just gone over. A friend of mine has all sorts of hack marks on the bottoms of his hulls for that reason. This is a problem with lighter boats because it doesn't just scratch the gelcoat, it dents the outer skin.
I try to be extra careful and roll as I get on the boat.

Actually it dosen't mater if the hook faces up or down regarding dings in the hull. In my experience it is not the end of the hook that causes damage, it is the weight of the sailor forcing the face of the hook through the hull.

Of course the hook should face down, all I am trying to say is that inverting it won't solve the problem.

I weigh around 220 so getting back on board is sometimes challenging, like the other posters I usually get on at the junction of the front crossbar and the hull, kinda of like doing dips in the gym. The trick with the trap handle works really well to.

I had to help get a friend back on board after he became very ill from swallowing seawater. He was exausted, having him hold the trap handle allowed me to swing him back up fairly easily. It was not a pretty ride back to shore. I had to sell the boat! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Mainly what I was concerned about was driving the hook into the hull(hook down) & having my weight(180)rip the side of the hull out. I did once years ago rip the tramp on my Hobie
after jumping on board at the same time a wave lifted the boat. Have yet to flip the Nacra, the Hobie was flipped so many times I lost count. It for some reason appeared easier to get back on. The Nacra just seems more fragile, difference between a quarter horse(Hobie) & a race horse(Nacra). Thanks all for the input.

OK, yes I always keep my hook facing down, and i did actually dig into the hull when i laid down on the forward hull (to answer adinista).

Anyways, if your hook is facing upward, won't you just fall out of your trap handle?