Yvette, a 105-pound sailor easily uphauls a 6.2 meter race sail.
1. Stretch the Easy-Uphaul and put it on your harness hook.
2. Lean back and let your weight do the hard lifting.
3. Finish by hand. Note that the Easy-Uphaul self-detaches.
Sail away, the Easy-Uphaul shrinks up against the mast.
FEATURES
Simple, reliable top loop made of 5mm marine rope.
Constructed of heavy-duty nylon webbing to endure years of hard use.
Length is easy to adjust in seconds, right on the rig.
New Super-strength Velcro closure assures the adjusted length stays secure...nothing can slip or break.
Elastic bottom section and bungee loop make the EASY-UPHAUL hug the mast when not in use.
Heavy-duty tubing harness-hook loop as found on the finest harness lines.
US Patents US05896824, US05823129 and International Patents Pending.
Reviews
"The top sailors of the US Olympic Team are happy users of the EASY-UPHAUL. Why? Because it works so well. I personally know that US Team members Mike Gebhardt, Cara Reid, Randy Somnitz, Beth Powell, Laura Chambers, Peter Wells, Doug Stryker, Jean Raas and Kim Birkenfeld use the EASY-UPHAUL, as does coach Skip White.
I use the EASY-UPHAUL, and when you come to Banana River Windsurfing Resort you will too, because there is one on every sail."
-Greg Winkler, USA40.
"The advantage for beginners is they don’t get tired uphauling. It won’t alter the number of times they have to uphaul, but they get more time on the water and have more fun. For ladies struggling with bigger rigs the EASY-UPHAUL has clear advantages, while junior sailors should be able to start younger as rig weight is the deciding factor."
-The UK magazine BOARDS
Uphauling! No one likes to do it. Everyone tries to avoid it. It’s a necessary evil. However, while it will never be less necessary, it has recently become considerably less evil. How?... By using a new product called the EASY-UPHAUL. This clever device lets you just hook in, lean back, and watch the sail breech the waves as effortlessly as Flipper... uphauling couldn’t be easier!
-Ken Winner, Equipment Editor WINDSURFING magazine
"This is great. I can’t believe I’m getting excited about an uphaul!"
-Clay Feeter, Founder WIND TRACKS magazine
The EASY-UPHAUL may look like just an uphaul with a loop in the middle, but it is much more than that. It is actually a precision instrument designed to eliminate the strain of uphauling. It is a simple device to solve a monumental problem, and it works. The loop hooks to your harness hook, and you lift the sail out of the water by leaning back. When you grab the uphaul, the loop falls off and you finish the easy part of uphauling. An adjustable buckle lets you set the balance point for your rig and height.
-NEW ENGLAND WINDSURFING JOURNAL
Mike Gebhart is the winner of silver and bronze Olympic windsurfing medals.
"When I first heard about the Easy-Uphaul I thought that it was another unnecessary gimmick. After all, a lot of inventions have come and gone in this sport. I mean how hard is uphauling anyway? After playing with the Easy-Uphaul for a few weeks while training on my Olympic equipment, I soon came to realize that I had developed very refined technique and muscles to resist the uphauling of the sail. But the average windsurfer is more worried about nailing jibes than how to uphaul. In fact most of my pulled muscles and strained backs can be linked to uphauling. After all uphauling, especially in stronger winds requires a lot of strength and technique.
In this photo, the EASY-UPHAUL is orange and stretches horizontally from the front of the boom to My harness hook. Also, the yellow elastic stretches vertically from the mast base and stows the EASY-UPHAUL tight against the mast when it is not in use. All these features are designed into your EASY-UPHAUL to give you a tool that is a joy to use.
After training in twenty knots for a couple of hours and then resting on my board, uphauling is usually the last thing I look forward to. With the Easy-Uphaul you just hook in and lean back against the sail, resting as the rig drains of it's inert water and weight with no stress
on the body.
At first the girls and senior windsurfers saw the ease and benefit, (showing their superior intelligence and lack of obstinate pride) but as I stuck to using the Easy-Uphaul in competitions, soon fellow competitors starting to ask if I would "sponsor" them with their own Easy-Uphaul.
After all, anything that makes the sport easier, conserves energy and is an asset on the race course.
Like the inventions of the adjustable boom, adjustable mast track, and the advent of the harness, the Easy-Uphaul is an innovation to stay.
From the perspective of learning to windsurf, uphauling the sail can wear you out pretty quickly. As it gets windier, this becomes more of an issue. Most beginners quit trying to learn because they get exhausted uphauling the sail. Their backs, arms and hands cannot stand up to the strain, of continuously pulling up the sail, sapping them of their energy and desire to continue on.
With the Easy-Uphaul this becomes a non issue as you use your body weight and your harness to take load off of the arms, back and hands.
As an Olympic and professional windsurfer, I have enjoyed turning people on to the Easy-Uphaul.
For BEGINNERS, the best thing about the Easy-Uphaul is it's ability to make the hardest part of the sport effortless, as it teaches you to start using a harness and how to trust levering against the forces of the sail. Because of this, I have been recommending people teach others to windsurf with the Easy-Uphaul from the very beginning. A lot of schools are switching over to this innovation.
My OLYMPIC competitors love using the Easy-Uphaul to save vital strength and energy while training and competing. When it's windy you can exert a lot of energy uphauling. This is a moot point when equipped with the Easy-Uphaul.
As a PROFESSIONAL SAILOR we use very large fully cambered sails. These 10.0's and 9.3's generate a lot of power and can be a bear to get out of the water. The Easy-Uphaul is so easy to use, that I even use it uphauling Sails on my shortboards. Once you try one, you will never go back to the old style uphaul.
I envision the Easy-Uphaul becoming standard issue uphaul of the future. In 10 years it will be hard to find old style uphauls being in the industry. Once you lean back.... there's no going back!"
--Gebi
Beginners
Beginner windsurfers waste a huge amount of their time and energy struggling with an old-fashioned uphaul. With the Easy-Uphaul you just lean back and watch the sail rise effortlessly. It saves your energy for sailing, so you'll learn faster. Children, seniors, and women love it because they do not need strength to lift the sail.
Advanced
With the new wide boards, sail sizes are getting bigger. The EASY-UPHAUL allows you to sail even the biggest rig. With the EASY-UPHAUL you just lean back and watch the sail rise effortlessly. It saves your energy for sailing, so you can concentrate on perfecting your jibes and other moves.
Now that you're going farther offshore and sailing in higher winds, the EASY-UPHAUL provides an additional measure of safety, because you can
"rescue sail" with it.
"The Squall"
One windsurfer reported that he and a pal were windsurfing offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, when a squall came and slammed their sails into the water. Because he had an EASY-UPHAUL, this windsurfer was able to raise his sail and could have returned to shore. But his buddy could not uphaul in the storm because he only had a manual uphaul. So our windsurfer used the EASY-UPHAUL to "rescue sail" closer to him then spent the storm floating alongside. Needless to say, the second windsurfer was enlightened that day.
FAQs
Does it work with all harnesses?
Yes. The EASY-UPHAUL connects to the sailor's harness and works with all types of harnesses.
How do I get it off my harness?
The EASY-UPHAUL falls off the harness hook by gravity when the mast comes up. Also, the elastic in the EASY-UPHAUL makes it shrink tight against the mast, out of the way while you are sailing.
I don't believe that anything could be easier or faster than a waterstart?
"The energy saved by NOT having to waterstart will extend your practice time by hours."-Peter Hart
The EASY-UPHAUL saves all the energy and most of the time required for a waterstart.
Can you use the EASY-UPHAUL in high winds?
Yes. The EASY-UPHAUL saves even more energy in high winds. You can still raise your sail without exertion. One high wind technique that helps if your sail is not lying downwind is to lean back and raise the sail about one foot using the EASY-UPHAUL. Then just stand there relaxed while the wind turns your board and rig around. When the rig is lying downwind,
finish uphauling with your EASY-UPHAUL.
Rescue sailing
If you become overpowered by high winds, or you can not control your board heading downwind ("Sailing downwind is the most difficult point of sail."-Peter Hart), then you can use the EASY-UPHAUL to sail. With the sail lying on the water, attach the EASY-UPHAUL to your harness, and lean back raising the top of the sail about one or two feet off the water, with the clew dragging in the water. Now by moving the mast forward or backwards you can sail effortlessly. This is similar to sailing with a reefed sail. A good sailor is prepared to rescue someone else.
Advantages:
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Advanced
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Sail bigger sail sizes
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Waste no energy raising the sail
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Save your back and arms from strain
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Spend more time perfecting moves
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Progress faster
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Be safer
Instructors
"Getting Back"
An instructor in NJ was told by his doctor that one of the vertebra in his back had totally disintegrated. Distressed at the medical report, he began using the EASY-UPHAUL. Now, he has been able to keep windsurfing. In addition, he began to teach his beginner students using the EASY-UPHAUL, and he reports that they learn to windsurf faster using the EASY-UPHAUL than via his traditional teaching methods.
Advantages:
Instructors
YOUR STUDENTS WILL:
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Waste no energy raising the sail
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Spend more time sailing
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Learn faster
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Gain confidence
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Learn to "lean back" sooner
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Have more fun!
Beginners report that they feel “more confident” when using the Easy-Uphaul. Instructors say that the beginner learns to use body weight to oppose the force of the sail from the start, this speeds their learning progression.