Alternative watch straps for Suunto 7
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@Tom-Wehrle
I guess it’s hard to find larger strap that can be used.
Out of curiosity, isn’t a 24mm strap larger enough ? -
@Tom-Wehrle As far as I can tell, any 24mm watch strap will be compatible. I have used a few third party straps but ended up back with the default as I find it most comfortable whilst running.
If Suunto read this, can we please buy the strap that comes with the limited edition S7 separately? And for a non-eyewatering price as most of your other straps are
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Barton has a decent selection of 24mm watch bands. I’ve not tried any of them with my Suunto 7 yet, but I got one for my Samsung Gear Sport a few years ago which I was quite pleased with.
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@Aleksander-Helgaker
As said several times, check the pins, as they are usually too short and thin for Spartan/Sx
I returned an Archer’s one for the same problem -
My issue has been band length - a lot of them seem to have been made from people with much less round wrists (my width isn’t that wide, but my overall circumference is).
Even the suunto band, despite being quite long, doesn’t have much additional length too it, it has just enough to slip into the band holder. -
@Jamie-BG
What are you ?
A minecraft character ?
… just kidding …
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@sartoric Nope - over 20 years of peforming in dinghy and keelboat sailing at world/national level. Almost went professional - a couple of my fellow competitors/friends did and have since competed in America Cups.
Sailing builds big shoulders, necks, biceps, huge thighs (if dinghy sailing), and strong hands, wrists (while not wide, mine are very thick with very built up muscle) and fingers, and awesome stomache muscles. Sailing gives you muscles in places that you wouldn’t thnk muscles should exist, as well as the more well known spots. Even when resting between races, or coming back or going to a race, your body and muscles are always working.
Left me with some major health issues in regards to knees and back, but don’t regret it. Don’t regret not turning Pro either.Had so much fun and did so much traveling. As they say No Pain, No Gain. -
@Jamie-BG
so much good envy for you. For 5 years I have had a sailing boat and enjoyed it very much. It is a beautiful world, which miss me a lot. But I’m sure it will be my future too, in many, many years.And yes. The widespread opinion is that sailing is like golf. Not really. I have never had arms, abs and back as strong as they were then. Not the legs (I didn’t have a dinghy but a cruising boat)
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@Jamie-BG WOW!! That is awesome!! And great to have some sailors on here!!
I have been involved in Sail Training for young people for the past 20 years, mainly sailing and racing 60’-70’ boats around the UK and Europe.
I have tried dingy sailing, but it was too wet and I kept spilling my cup of tea
I now call anything under 40’ a small boat 
Sadly 2020 is the year since 2002 when I haven’t ben out on the water and I miss it so much it breaks my heart. Here’s hoping for a better 2021
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@olymay Unfortunately I have given it up as my wife doesn’t enjoy it and I love her more. tried to get the kids interested, but couldn’t, they just never got the bug. Maybe in the future I might get back into it, but probably not - too old know for serious racing, though I suppose I could always consider keelers again.
Biggest I ever raced was a 72ft, but most of my serious keeler racing has been in 30-45ft; usually helming, foredeck or running spinnaker. Never really been big enough for grinders, though of course do help out where possible. Also taught me how to sleep anywhere and everywhere at a drop of a hat (worst was sleeping on the side of boat - legs over the edge, blowing 25-30knts with high seas - despite my musto kit was sopping through and through). Will also never forget being in the water prior to 7am under the boat scraping it clean, getting it ready, having slugs of rum to warm up and then haivng that repeat for the whole day while racing…Had some amazing stuff occur over the years like being picked up by a spinnaker and dumped over the side when the spinnaker boom guide ropes pulled out of boat (you learn to hold on tightly), or taking over the helm so the skipper can stand on the end of the bowsprit to try and pull in the spinnaker as it had pulled out the end blocks, while trying to keep the bow out the water while surfing down 20ft swells; or there was the time I had to helm on an inshore tack while the binacle was stripped as the steering mechanism (belts had slipped) had gone and we could only make small movements and not enough to tack across the incoming swells - fortunately we got the belts back on about 50m before we started to get to the first breaker line.
Also loved crusing - done loads of places where few people have ever been to, like tiny little french metrological islands where there are 1 gendarme, 6 metoroligists and 20 parabats to protect the islands sovereignty. Over going swimming, more than a 100m from any land, with 2m of water under us, only to be attacked by crabs (they hole up in inlet and outlet pipes and come out when the boat is stopped - they did this to discover no land so went for nearest objects - us), and to realise no one was on the boat and we forgot to drop the ladder - fortunately despite the high freeboard I was able to get up - was super fit in those days and played waterpolo as one of my sports, so was able to launch myself very high out the water. Was quite funny in that a couple of years later two movies came out about similar situations - the diving one and there was one similar to ours off a boat - really drove home how silly we had been, but we already knew that and had made clear rules about any future swims. Got super lucky on that one.
Had just as much fun dinghy sailing, going across numerous countries, sailing on a variety of different types of water - two major incidents always stand out for me - Racing in a worlds where the wind was light, the tidal current was massive, and the top mark was set in the middle of it - we had to sail a mile past the mark and drift down with the current to get around it - the other was gettting hit by a massive gale +45knts in massive swells +15ft in 18ft dinghies and having to get them out through a 12ft shorebreak (with fixed rudder) and then back in again (there was a lot of damage - including the one day when had to swim three wrecked boats through the whole breakline - had come off some waves very badly with the spinnakers up and on a full plane)
Apart from the cruising (which was hard in its own way) most of my sailing has been very hardcore - I loved it, but not the stuff a married man and family can do.
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@Jamie-BG Oh man that’s a real shame!! As I mostly do cruising, my girlfriend saw the photos of the places I had been and was instantly interested. Once she got over the seasickness she now loves it and is working through her qualifications.
I haven’t done much racing of the type you did, but I did a little and loved it! As I was the newbie on the boat and a rugby player (heavy and strong!) I was either sat on the rail or grinding. I can sympathise with your experience of sat on the rail getting cold and wet, but I still loved it.
Most of the racing I have done has been on a 68’ Ketch (although I did do one race on a 300’ square rigger!) and the typical races last 300-400 miles, starting in one country and finishing in another. With a few thousand crew taking part, the after parties can be pretty wild.
I’ve also done the Round the Island Race a few times and it is one of the most insane and amazing things ever!Like you I have so many amazing memories (and some less good ones!) from being out on the water, from racing around Europe, island hoping in various archipelagos, being becalmed in the middle of the North Sea so going for a swim with no land in sight and hundreds of metres of water below us (not something to do if you have an inferiority complex!), getting caught in a 55kt squall that tossed a 75’ boat around like a toy, gah I could talk for hours!
Sailing has given me some of the biggest highs and lowest lows of my life and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I can’t wait until the pandemic is over and I can get out on the water again (almost all sail training is currently cancelled and without my own boat I can’t even get out for private cruises
)<Sorry for going off topic>
