Sea Sure Competition Spec Trapeze Hook
by Daniel Henderson, Sea Sure 30 Jan 2021 20:00 AEDT
Sea Sure 19.39 Standard (left) and Competition (right) Spec Trapeze Hook © Sea Sure
Based on feedback from Olympic athletes and coaches, our competition spec equipment is a range built up of new and existing products that have had alterations to suit high performance sailing.
The first product added to our competition spec equipment was the "Red Performance" transom range that we looked at last week. Check it out here if you missed it.
The second product that has been updated is the 19.39 lace up trapeze hook. Like our transom range, the lace up trapeze hook has been around for about 30 years and has been used by thousands of sailors to compete in all levels of competition from club sailing to the Olympics.
Key features of our standard trapeze hook
Our standard 19.39 Trapeze Hook is made from 1.5mm 316 Stainless steel plate that is pressed, formed and then welded to the hook. As you can see from the picture below, our standard hook has a triangular stiffener welded to the back which stops the hook from bending backwards under load when trapezing. This feature is unique to the Sea Sure hook and it's certainly an area to look out for when buying your next trapeze harness.
Why offer a competition spec hook?
More classes are introducing rules that allow sailors to pump in a wider variety of conditions which puts much higher loadings on the boat and its equipment. Classes such as the 470 have been doing this for some time but it was only a couple of years ago that boats such as the 29er have been allowed to physically pump in certain wind conditions to propel the boat through the water. The crew are typically the ones that pump the most as they are generally larger and able to use their full body weight and movement. The extra loading of the crew bouncing on the trapeze can double the load through the harness hook. This can lead to the hook bending upwards or the stainless-steel plate failing.
What are the key differences in the new 19.39 Competition?
The 19.39 Competition is made from 2mm stainless plate which is 25% thicker than our standard 19.39, and 50% thicker than some hooks that are on the market. The increase in material thickness has resulted in a 237% increase in stiffness and significantly reduces the chances of failure.
On the rear of the harness hook we have added a 2mm stainless steel washer that the harness hook passes through which is then welded, increasing the material thickness to 4mm in the highest loaded area directly beneath the hook.
For more information on our competition range equipment, please visit www.sea-sure.co.uk or call us on 01489 885 401.