Laser hiking bench

Sailing is better generally, but we can't all go sailing every day.
I'm thinking of knocking up a hiking bench for a couple of reasons:
1) we can go for weeks with not much hiking, then have a 2 mile beat in F5.
2) It would allow me and crew to play around with toestrap settings in a constant environment, and check the settings we come up with are the most useful for constant hiking. Normally, I race thinking about other things than 'are the toestraps right' until it becomes really obvious they are badly wrong.
When I'm trying to hike out extra hard in a gust, I usually have a lot else to do than think about  whether the crew's straps should be longer or just moved outboard a bit. I guess on a Laser there is only one variable though.

Originally posted by ASok Why not just do quad excercises? The easiest one is cycling or you could do squads? My concern with hiking benches other than the insane boredom is that they could accentuate bad habits and accelerate knee damage. You'd need to be pretty committed to ensure you were always hiking in the correct way otherwise you are going to the damage quicker. For example long distance running on a treadmill could emphasise any bad habits that you may have in your running technique. Just pounding away for hours could just keep repeating an action that is doing damage. This might not be so noticeable out in the real world as the ground is not perfectly flat and your action will be adjusting to your environment. Notice the lots of 'shoulds' and 'coulds' in what I am saying. Its just my opinion. I am not a personal trainer or doctor, just a slightly overweight guy that takes an interest in trying to keep fit and shed weight.   I'm a big advocate in avoiding gyms and getting outside for fitness. I also think that the best way of getting better at something is actually going to do it. The hiking bench doesn't simulate the fact that the object you are hiking off is not laid out flat in your front room and is actually moving up/down/left/right and pitching...all at the same time.

I made a hiking bench for a finn and ok dinghy mixed a couple of months back using the deadrock design but just changed the height and deck width and shape to be like the finn and ok sidedecks. Works really well and has helped my hiking style and in-durance alot, you would need to use it for about an hour a week at least to get the best from it, also a good thing is to implicate your wave technique where you move your weight onto your back leg and hike harder up the wave and at the crest and move it back to both legs on the way down. Also a good thing to do is to rig up a rope with resistance similar to a loaded up main and replicate sheeting in and going to the hiking position, i found this really helped with boat handling on the start line and with mark roundings, furthermore it also helped build up the strength in my hands,wrists and arms. Good luck with the build as they are worth it, if you use it enough.