Good question. If you have a wetsuit, do you need a PFD? How would you manage a wetsuit, PFD, and a harness? Will the experienced cat sailors enlighten us newbies on what gear or setup they use?
Thanks
Yes indeed! A wetsuit is used when the water temperature is cold and protects your body from hypothermia. The neoprene in the wetsuit traps a layer of water between it and your body and your body heat raises the temperature of the trapped water and slows the rate at which your body cools. Without a wetsuit in cold water your body would have a much higher chance of going into shock after getting wet. (and trust me, you will get wet on your catamaran)
A PFD is a necessity when sailing, on a catamaran or a monohull. Always wear your PFD and make sure you buy one that you can be comfortable in for extended periods of time. I recently bought a new PFD from Hobie made by Stohlquist. It is a side entry PFD and is very comfortable and low profile while sailing. It also has a zippered mesh pouch attached on the side where I store a Leatherman tool and a whistle.
Regarding the harness, there are many options you have when purchasing a harness. In my honest opinion I feel that the safety and comfort of the harness are more important than the price. I use a Magic Marine Hydro half harness because I am a skipper and do not spend as much time on the trapeze wire as my crew, but if you crew, I would recommend a full harness with shoulder straps. Hobie makes very comfortable harnesses, and I love my Magic Marine. Other companies, such as Gill, Gul, and Aquata also make harnesses as well. I would recommend finding a dealer nearby and going there to try on different harnesses or as around at your local club to try on other harnesses before you buy one.
In addition to comfort I would also recommend investing in the new quick release systems available. The quick release systems prevent your trapeze hook from snagging any lines while you capsize. I was skeptical when I first heard this too, until it happened to me. After we capsized on a windy day, my trap hook got caught up in the jib traveler line and hooked onto the shroud, and as the boat started to turtle, I realized I could not untangle the jib traveler line from the hook. Luckily I had my knife with me and immediately cut the without any hesitation. After that I immediately spent time investigating the quick release system. I am not sure of the details, but the last I heard, ISAF was going to make it mandatory that all trapeze harnesses are equipped with a quick release system by 2009.
Ok, so, to the best of my knowledge, there are basically four options you have when purchasing this system. I use the Magic Marine Quick Release Spreader Bar (because it came with my new harness). this one is a padded spreader bar with a velcro attachment on the side. To release the hook from the bar you simply pull on the velcro line and the hook shoots out of the bar. I have never tried it but have heard from my dealer that there are no problems with it.
The second option is the Gill RWO Spreader Bar. This quick release system had a red button on the top and bottom of the hook that you press to release the hook. I have never seen one in person, but it is comparable to the Magic Marine system.
The third option is offered from Gul. I believe that their system involves two quick release clips on both ends of the spreader bar that you pull to release the entire spreader rather than just the hook.
The fourth option is the Bethwaite Keyhole system. Again I have never actually seen one, but I have heard from many people who say that love it. I believe it is a bit more expensive than the other options but that is because you have to buy the little balls along with the keyhole. In this system you replace your spreader bar and hook with a carbon fiber keyhole and instead of trapeze dogbones, you use a small plastic ball. To trap out, you just insert the ball into the keyhole and to disengage, you just pull the ball right out of the hole. Since this system does not have a spreader bar with a hook, there is no possibility of becoming "hooked" onto a shroud or stray lines.
Honestly I was very seriously considering purchasing this system instead of the Magic Marine System, but, because I often do not sail with the same crew, it did not seem practical for me to use the Keyhole System while the crew who I am sailing with to use their harness with the hook.
I hope I covered most of your questions and sorry about the length of the responce. Please don't hesitate to bring up other questions on the forum, the people here are more than willing to help you out. We were all newbies once in our lives.
