Tail Handles? What do you think?

[Sam Pa'e]

Aloha Everyone,
There's been talk about this "handle" on another thread and struck me as a surprise. It's interesting to see that zoners/SUPer's has this piece of equipment installed on their boards.

I've seen handles on rescue boards made with tubing and wanted one on the tail of my board.  Hopefully this will help when I get stuck inside, which happens a lot!

That's one reason to flip the board before the wave does,and a good reason to add some kind of handle you can hang on to. It works, I use mine a lot. Of course i weigh 240--that might have something to do with it.

The interesting thing is that I had this handle on my board for 4 years now. It was installed with the intent to help hold on during a wipe out. I love this equipment and find it to be "more" of a benefit then a "risk". OK, I understand that NOT everybody is built like me and not everybody takes this sport to the extreme. I also see how convenient it is to control your board while leaving the water or trying to get away from a shore break. I still have it till this day.



Now with the understanding that not all agree with this concept and find it very interesting that there are others that see's the pros & con to this equipment.

A handle is a good thing if the surf is small but if you are being spun a lot it is not a good idea. If your hand gets stuck in the handle you can do serious damage to your arm or shoulder.

Maybe I'm just weird but anytime I grab the tail of the board it somehow makes the tail flip up and out of  my grip and I've been close to being decapitated by my fins... Scared the $%$% out of me a few times...

Although I never have had any broken finger. I've learned that the best thing to do is flip the board over (fins up), face the board directly to the shore and just before impact (while under water) I would pull down on the handle of the board causing the white wash to roll over me. This allows the board to glide forward and out of harms way.

I'm interested in what other people think........(Good or Bad).

Please give your input and share your Mana'o (knowledge & experience)

Aloha......Sam
 

[Allan Cheateaux]

I did the same thing on 2 boards awhile back Sam...

I went with 2 -1" leash plugs set 8 " apart. High strength cord and some tubing around it to provide a better handle.

While I do enjoy always being able to hang on under adverse conditions, I found the "loose" cord set up to buck and twist while getting tossed.... hurt my fingers a few times, but nobody on the inside got hit, so it was worth it.






Done again, I would go with something a little stiffer, but would worry about pulling inserts. Definitely put em in high density foam, for me, would be the case. I also thought about putting something closer to the nose for something to grab abd turtle, but I figured that was a good way to get an a$$ whoopin...

[southwesterly]

I installed the back footstrap on the Starboard fish. It is too far back to get in the way when I am surfing and it gives me something to hold onto when I am getting worked.

[PonoBill]

I like the idea of a handle where you have it, I think it would keep me from stepping back off the board, which i do a little too often lately. I thought of putting a thick pad back there, but maybe a handle makes more sense. I currently use a long strap that I can grab pretty easily, even when I'm back from the board a bit. I also agree about flipping the board, much easier to control.



alan, I wouldn't care for that little handle, I tried a similar thing on my dual-plug boards and found it too easy to get my fingers injured. The strap can slip through your grasp if the force is too great without any harm and it still gets slowed down enough not to push through the wave. I have knots in the ends of the straps (not shown in the pic), secured by glue

[capobeachboy]

If you're turning turtle a pair of handles on the deck like a sprint racing paddleboard is probably the best set up but you'll have a hard time holding a paddle.  I think a handle off the tail is asking for trouble - if the board twists you could dislocate a joint or lose a digit.  I'd much rather let it go and have a nice swim after.   Even SUP Santa doesn't wear a leash.

[linter]

what do *i* think?  i think i'd break a hand or dislocate a shoulder, that's what i think.  but then again i'm a little bit klutzier than the avg bear.
   i'm now trying out ponobill's flags-off-the-rear setup and so far so good: no broken fingers.  what i might do next is the same thing off the nose.  for whatever reason, no matter what happens in the surf, i often find myself closer to the tip than the tail after a wipe out or similar ...

[PonoBill]

If you're near the nose i don't think you need a handle. Put your chest on the board, give it a bear hug, and put your legs out perpendicular to the board. Easiest way through big whitewater that I've found. Even a head high lip dropping straight on me was no big deal. No idea why this works so well or whether it works in bigger stuff, but so far it's magic. Lenny at Hawaiian Island told me about it.

Doesn't work well at all on the tail

Does anyone else do this? Does it work in bigger surf (over head high)

[DavidJohn]

Is this red thing a tail handle?

DJ

[stoneaxe]

If you're near the nose i don't think you need a handle. Put your chest on the board, give it a bear hug, and put your legs out perpendicular to the board. Easiest way through big whitewater that I've found. Even a head high lip dropping straight on me was no big deal. No idea why this works so well or whether it works in bigger stuff, but so far it's magic. Lenny at Hawaiian Island told me about it.

Doesn't work well at all on the tail

Does anyone else do this? Does it work in bigger surf (over head high)

Funny...I found that by accident myself...and I was in 8-9 ft waves. I had just gotten pounded and grabbed onto the board between nose and midpoint. I wasn't bear hugging it but I reached over and grabbed onto the opposite rail with both hands and pinned my paddle down with my arms. Next wave came and the board rode up onto the whitewater and started sideslipping, dragging me with it, I actually was able to pull myself up onto the board and as I did the fin bit and the board slewed around and I just rode it out until I stood up again. Be cool if I could do that all the time. Fast exit from the zone.

DJ...sure looks like it. Is that the new Starboard 10-5? What else is that on the tail? Blue?...then black n white. Looks like the black n white piece is separated from the board.

[TiltPilot]

i stole this idea from a web site (don't remember which one).  It takes $.20 worth of stuff you have laying around i'd bet.  I've only used it a few times but it can be convenient.

[corran]

I think it fairly key to have handles. The back, you can grab the leash, but in the nose...

We put them both ends on our flatwater/ocean swell board


We offer a nose handle optional on all the wave surfing boards.

There is a lot we can take from kayaks - the similarities to SUP is almost closer than to surfboards. Kayaks (especially whitewater kayaks) use handles like these to hang onto in the most arduous situations (washing over waterfalls etc) and i can tell you that you let go the loop before crunching fingers lol... obviously you have to think!

Corran

[CB1]

If you guys are going to do handles, take a look at the kite board handles that are pre-formed.   Instead of using leash plug inserts you could just use screw inserts for retro fitting.

[1tuberider]

Sorry but no handles for me.

It looks like a good way to injure yourself. 

Your leash is designed to stretch and absorb the shock which your arm and hand and fingers are not designed to stretch without injury.  The bigger the conditions the bigger the chances of getting hurt.

I am going to rely on my surfing skills to avoid accidents and my leashess surfing skills to control my board when I do fall.  My leash has never injured me even in the biggest stuff I surfed. 

When I need to control my loose board, I can do so with my leash by extending my leg behind me and grabbing the board. 

I learned how to surf long before leashes, so I learned how to deal with loose boards in the lineup and also

HOW TO MAKE BETTER WAVE JUDGEMENT AND CONTROL MY BOARD IF I WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF.

Maybe that is why Scott Bass and his no leash commits are so right on. 

Don't hurt yourself making a last minute grab at your board unless someone else is going to be injured by you.  Then ask yourself what did I do wrong to be so close to an accident.  No wave is worth running someone over even if they are in the wrong. 

Leashes used to be called kook cords, I am sure something similar will be applied to the grab handle.

But by all means if you feel this is best for you  GO FOR IT!

I can see someone dragging their board to the beach with those handles.  That is what the handles are for on my kayak.  I treat my boards better than that.

   

[Rick Kane]

I support anything that keeps you and the people around you safe.  Grab handles, leashes, bear hugging your board, they all have their place.  I use a telephone cord style leash that I really like.  It expands when I fall and then (if upright) returns the board to me.  It also stays out of my way while surfing because its coiled up.  As far as handles go, I don't like the rope between two leash plugs.  I think that would hurt.  I do like the idea of using a molded handle that is screwed or epoxied to the board.  This seems more solid. 

Keep it safe, in anything you do.  Anyone who thinks having a leash or handle makes you a Kook, is the Kook.  Do whatever it takes to protect yourself and others.
 

[PonoBill]

No question, tube, that's the point i want to get to. I'm making progress. I've done some leashless days off by myself and it went OK. Until I do have perfect control the handle says on so when I screw up I don't involve someone else in my transgressions. I feel embarrassed every time my board hits the end of the leash.