Child Harness Options

[thinwater]

My daughter started donning her own harness at about 7, and that's when I stopped worrying about it. I don't think there was ever an age when she would have taken it off. The idea never occurred to either of us. She understood that safety rules were for good reason, and they allowed us to do fun things. In this case, it was because I was taking the boat in to the edge of the breakers. By 12 she had her operators license.

Lead by example. She saw me wearing a harness. And BTW, she ignored me on things like cleaning her room. She could tell which requests were important by the way I said it, and I never felt a clean room was worth using the command voice.

(Off Assatague Island ~ 2006. Yup, the harness is home made, since the commercial ones available at the time didn't fit well. She's 11, and we'd been out for about 10 days at the time. She was really little--she's barely 5'1" now at 22!)


She's in grad school now, but she still sails and goes rock climbing with me, when she's in town.

[DavidSaunders]

Hi SouthCoast,
I think it was Uncivilized that was mentioning construction-type harnesses. I second that. They all have an attachment point in the back which might be what you are looking for, for use on land- and they come in women's colours and sizes if you check around.
Of course if she's flexible at all she will be able to reach the attachment point and potentially undo the thing.
Then there are the sideways glances you'll get, and foreign laws and etiquette about child rearing....last I checked leashes are not generally on the go-to list.
This is not a personal attack.
I have a son who is more likely than not to run out from between parked cars-despite regular and repeated reminders of the dangers of that choice, so I probably have some small understanding of your situation. I really considered using one of those kid backpack/leash rigs when he was younger because he would run away in malls and other busy places. Scared the crap out of me more than once....still does sometimes...
But my wife and I have learned to manage his behaviour somewhat, and in particular to keep a very close eye on him.
If your daughter will listen then perhaps insisting that she holds one of your hands while out at night/in busy places might be more socially acceptable. Heck, I don't know what the rest of the world is like for this kind of thing, but a 12 year old on a leash might just land you on the wrong side of a social media frenzy here in North America- or worse- some law.
If you are concerned about her getting lost/kidnapped then you could give her a beacon that would ping a gps that you have.... That would certainly be more discreet.

I have also given significant thought to harnesses and lifejackets. My son, being the "adventurous" kid that he is, is required to wear the lifejacket while above decks and underway. He clips on before coming up from the companionway. The theory is that he can't fall overboard. Hopefully it works- the lanyard is short enough that it should keep him on board.
I couldn't find a lifejacket/harness combo that I liked for him, so I sewed some 1" tubular webbing to the commercial lifejacket that I liked. It has an attachment point on the chest, and an attachment point at the low back so if he wants to lie on his stomach on deck he can do so without the hassle of the clip on the front.
The webbing I sewed on also structurally reinforces the existing life jacket webbing, which is usually sewed on with one bar tack- it just didn't seem strong enough like that. I have a commercial sewing machine and use the expensive sun-proof tenara thread. I haven't pull tested any of my work, but it sounds like a good idea to do so. I don't make gear for other people.
I have also modified our adult lifejackets to have crotch straps and secure attachment points in a similar manner.
The system is not perfect, but it makes me much more comfortable knowing that we should not fall overboard and that if we do, then recovery will be easier because we can haul on shoulder straps that are a continuous loop over one shoulder, and adjusted for fit at navel level, and integral with the crotch strap.
At any rate, good luck with your decisions. Do let us know what you decide.
You mentioned you know someone who could sew for you. If that doesn't work out for you research "master rigger- parachute", and you will find the people who sew parachute harnesses. I'd certainly trust their work.
Cheers,
DavidS

[Pameladz]

Jackline
Life jackets
MOB signalling gear.

[SouthCoast]

Thanks for the comments/ideas and the suggestion of a construction harness. We looked before but most we found looked fairly bulky and we also couldn’t find one small enough for her.

The issue is that even after going over and over it, she still protests wearing any lifejacket or harness. Safety is always first, so until she proves to us she can be mature, listen to safety rules, and not mess about with her harness, we need to know she’s always safe. We’ve tried all the harnesses available, and we’ve decided on a custom safety harness.

You clearly know what you’re talking about but we don’t have those skills or equipment ourselves! We’re having a larger version of the West Marine Child Harness made (that was the design that came the closest to what we were looking for) but which has the buckles and adjusters in the back and wider webbing. And you’re right about her potentially reaching the attachment point – we’re also having a tether made with a triple-locking clip which should stop her undoing it.

On shore, she’ll only wear it when extra safety is needed. We hear your points – we do – and thanks for the suggestions, but she won’t like holding hands and it isn’t really practical. Wearing the harness means she can still have the camera, read the map, etc. – e.g. enjoy herself and have responsibilities. The beacon is a clever idea, but we really want something which will prevent us from getting separated. We’re really grateful for the comments, and we know our situation is unusual, but safety always has to be first. Unfortunately, there will always be some people who will judge others regardless. If she can prove to us she can listen and earn our trust then maybe holding hands will be an option, but until we’re 100% sure of that, she'll wear the harness if the extra safety is necessary.

Thanks very much again.