Laser hiking bench
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9421
Printed Date: 13 Jul 25 at 4:12am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Laser hiking bench
Posted By: Ginge
Subject: Laser hiking bench
Date Posted: 25 May 12 at 10:56pm
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I'll finish my exams soon so will have a lot of time on my hands so I was planning on making a hiking bench. Has anybody made one, is it really worth the effort? ------------- Laser |
Replies:
Posted By: radixon
Date Posted: 25 May 12 at 11:12pm
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Why bother making one, why not go sailing?
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Posted By: JRW1019
Date Posted: 25 May 12 at 11:41pm
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I made one for my A2 D&T project a couple of years back, currently have it at uni and when I can be bothered it's pretty useful (I haven't found time to go sailing in the past 5 weeks so it does something to keep me the relevant muscle groups working, albeit not an awful lot with only 10 or 15 minutes a week). Depends on why you're making it to be honest, it you're doing it just as something to do, go sailing instead, make the most of the glorious weather and save it for a rainy, windless day. If you want to do it so you've got something to keep your quads burning when you can't go sailing then the same thing applies, go sailing instead and think about it when it's chucking it down with rain and generally miserable. With regards to the design, if you solely want it for laser replication then the design shouldn't be too tricky, mine was adjustable to a number of different deck widths, toe strap heights etc etc so took some careful planning to make sure everything worked properly and lined up when I made it. ------------- RS200 1019/1154 Firefly 3082 Ajax 14 |
Posted By: Neptune
Date Posted: 26 May 12 at 1:01pm
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You could of course just buy one.....they are often advertised in Y&Y! ------------- Musto Skiff and Solo sailor |
Posted By: Ginge
Date Posted: 26 May 12 at 5:57pm
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But where is the fun in that?
I won't be able to sail on weekdays , can't get there, so it's more convenient with one, I think.. ------------- Laser |
Posted By: Andymac
Date Posted: 26 May 12 at 7:26pm
You could of course 'liberate' an old Laser hull (asking first), no doubt to be found abandoned in the corner of 90% of sailing club boat parks, and cut down to size; Also to be found regularly on ebay for 99p. Unsuprisingly this will replicate the exact hiking position of a Laser.
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 26 May 12 at 9:22pm
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Jusr find an overly wide piece of wood with sharp corners, and you'll have the right shape. Why would you want to do that for more when not sailing?
------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: ASok
Date Posted: 27 May 12 at 6:16pm
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I can't think of anything worse than a hiking bench. Boring boring boring. Even the most committed must use it a few times then cast it aside. I think you' be much better of focussed on improving general fitness - running, cycling, kicking a ball? ------------- |
Posted By: bustinben
Date Posted: 27 May 12 at 8:19pm
Boring - yes. Effective - yes. If you can't sail every day then there's nothing better for your hiking fitness. You need to do general fitness as well, but general fitness on its own is not effective for hiking endurance in my experience.
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Posted By: ASok
Date Posted: 27 May 12 at 9:11pm
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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. ------------- |
Posted By: Cameron Winton
Date Posted: 28 May 12 at 11:49am
| I would advocate getting out and sailing. I am back to sailing after 25 years, reasonably fit (Long term runner, 5-a-sides, cycling to work) and at the start of the season found my thighs suffering seriously for a few days after each decent length sail. Now finding the legs a lot better although yesterday's light airs found me scrunched up at the centreboard and my right knee locked up twice! |
Posted By: RS400atC
Date Posted: 28 May 12 at 12:58pm
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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. |
Posted By: deadrock
Date Posted: 28 May 12 at 2:21pm
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Try: http://www.deadrock.co.uk/laser/bench01.htm - http://www.deadrock.co.uk/laser/bench01.htm
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Posted By: bustinben
Date Posted: 28 May 12 at 8:16pm
I do quite an extreme amount of cycling, and it just doesn't translate. If you had no leg fitness at all, then it probably would help, but if you're already fit and you want to be able to hike hard for 20 minutes at a time, you need to train the kind of static/hold strength that hiking requires. Cycling is dynamic. You also need to work your abs. Hiking bench is exactly what you need! If you have bad posture or technique, then you'll injure yourself. Same as you will if you have bad posture on the bike, or when you're doing weights. If I could sail for three hours a day then I would, but I can't, so rather than losing both technique AND fitness, the bench allows me to just lose technique :P |
Posted By: Ginge
Date Posted: 28 May 12 at 8:45pm
That's what I'm planning on using. I just want one as hiking is the only way of replicating hiking, as you can't always be sailing ------------- Laser |
Posted By: winner
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 2:39pm
| 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. |
Posted By: I luv Wight
Date Posted: 30 May 12 at 10:08am
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