New Tail Handle

[surfafrica]

That is essentially the same design I was thinking of for the Pull Starter Handle.
Just bought one..only $15.00

Cool.  Let us know how it works.

[Sup-position]

That is essentially the same design I was thinking of for the Pull Starter Handle.
Just bought one..only $15.00

Cool.  Let us know how it works.

Ships from Florida

Hope to have it next week

[jpeter]

I have been reading this thread for a while,  trying to figure out what might work for my fish shaped board.  Maybe try this next week when the temps come out of the 30's.   

I used a piece of 3/4" abs plastic and some surgical tubing stuffed inside to keep the rope in place.  The rope has overhand knots at the ends of the pipe and bowlines at the oval SS clevis ring.  I weaved the excess rope around the ring to keep it from dinging the board.   

One of my stipulations on this handle is easy removal,  as I sail the board more than paddling it. Would like to refine it by replacing all the weaved rope with a neoprene collar and re-doing the 3" line that attaches the leash.   

Work in progress.

JP

[Sup-position]

Review of SLH (Safety Leash Handle)

Price : $15.00 free  shipping in the US

Attaches to leashes that have removable (set screw) rail guard.
Easy to install with a fin key.
Adds 2’ to the leash length.
Thickness rating of the SLH  is regular, I usually use big wave leashes, thick.
So if it is going to break it will be at the SLH.

The negative drawbacks are:
Lighter than my normal leash.
Plastic handle does not float, hard to locate without pulling the leash to find it.
T Handle is 2 pieces (plastic), comes apart and holds sand. I pull tied it together.

Benefits:
You can grab the Tee and drag the board.
Works good for smaller boards in shore break waves 2-3’.
Harder to hold with bigger boards and stronger waves..
I see it as a real benefit in crowded line ups where control of the board is necessary.
Overall I Recommend the SLH..

Website:  http://slh4sup.com/

[surfafrica]

Review of SLH (Safety Leash Handle)...

Great....thanks.

Do you notice any extra drag with the handle in the water when paddling or surfing?

[Wetstuff]

Ralph,  Another issue I see besides - "Where is it?!" - when you are about to get swallowed, ..you cannot depress the tail from 2' away for a reverse Duck Dive.  A clean duck dive also means your odds of not having a 'fins up' board improve a lot.

One other ..where I am, I lift the tail of the board when I am a board length from dry'ish sand and allow a the next wave to rotate and wash the nose of the board board up high enough to escape before the next sand-pounder loads up and fires. 

Jim

[Sup-position]

Review of SLH (Safety Leash Handle)...

Great....thanks.

Do you notice any extra drag with the handle in the water when paddling or surfing?

No extra Drag...

[Sup-position]

Ralph,  Another issue I see besides - "Where is it?!" - when you are about to get swallowed, ..you cannot depress the tail from 2' away for a reverse Duck Dive.  A clean duck dive also means your odds of not having a 'fins up' board improve a lot.

One other ..where I am, I lift the tail of the board when I am a board length from dry'ish sand and allow a the next wave to rotate and wash the nose of the board board up high enough to escape before the next sand-pounder loads up and fires. 

Jim

I was in the shallows with 5-6 Second Shore Pound..some head high.

No Way to Mount in that interval..
I just held the handle and ducked under the waves..
Mostly the board followed..
No pinching issue as we have seen with some designs...

I showed it to Strand Leper (Lost the tip of his finger with the leash) he liked it..

I am sure there are more techniques to apply but I just wanted to put the review out for others
that might be interested..

Cheap enough...worth a try...

[PonoBill]

I did a video on how to make these, i'll get it posted soon. Lot's better than a rope handle. If someone wants to produce this for sale please be my guest.

[supsurf-tw]

Nice looking for sure. One thing I'm wondering though is my handle extends past the tail allowing leverage in getting the tail down and with your hand up on the board like that can you get the tail down?

[PonoBill]

Actually you have too much leverage. When the offshores were blowing recently I was having trouble with my board blowing over my head. I have to take it easy on the lean.

[eastbound]

slh a non-starter for me:

i cant imagine dragging that thing around--much as I wont wear a coiled calf leash, and accept normal leash drag, i cant get past the idea of this thing flipping/dragging around behind me.

that slh compromises leash strength subverts my #1  priority in a leash--that it be strong and not break--so I am not put at risk of drowning, and so others are not put at risk of being hit by my lost board

also--slh adds 2 feet to existing leash. i like a short leash (8 or 9 ft)--It's safer for those around me, and makes for quicker board retrieval in the work zone. and as I say above, I like a strong leash. so even if slh was bomb proof strong, i would be limited to combining it with a 6 or 7 foot leash--there are no seriously strong 6 or 7 foot leashes out there.

[eastbound]

stomphandle

grabpad

what will the name of pono's open source product be?

i want one, but important to me is that the tops of my knuckles are cushioned from the board surface--so the hndle shd be essentially a slot for finger tips to wrap into with cushion all around---damned arthritis

[The Kernel]

"...but important to me is that the tops of my knuckles are cushioned from the board surface--so the hndle shd be essentially a slot for finger tips to wrap into with cushion all around---damned arthritis...

eastbound:

You made some good points in your earlier post about the issues with the SLH as they related to leash strength and length.  Perhaps a manufacturer out there could make shorter, stronger leashes, which would work in concert with the SLH.  I think it's a very interesting idea in smaller conditions, but I'd also be concerned about introducing another failure point to a good leash, as well as the drag in the water from the handle.

In regard to your comment about the slot for wrapping the finger tips and cushioning the knuckles:  PonoBill and I talked about his design idea in person here in SocCal and I agree with his thinking after having experimented with my own tail handles.  This integrated handle/tail pad design is intended to PREVENT one from wrapping their fingers in any kind of closed slot, with the point being to reduce chances for broken fingers or a broken wrist.  Think of climbing a rock wall, and you grab one of those hand holds that just barely allows you to get your fingertips in; THAT's the amount of finger tip we're thinking should be applied to control a board. 

Basically, it's designed to keep it simple and safe (aka "idiotproof") when we're dealing with challenging conditions in the surf zone.

Q:  What happens in double overhead pitching surf with waves that apply much more force to the board? 

A:  Well then, all bets are off amigo, and we'd better hope that the leash is strong, cause there ain't no holdin' on.  The board will indeed get pulled away and hopefully with less force on the leash due to the initial slowdown by having held the tailpad handle; at that point there is presumably nothing that one could hold onto that wouldn't put digits or a limb in danger of dislocation, degloving, or breaking.  The thinking is that in something THAT big, there is simply no holding on.

Like you, I'm a big fan of devices which allow safe, effective control of the board.  I have tail handles on my own boards, but having just acquired a 9'2" AND 10'2" T Patterson (screaming deals at Riviera's recent warehouse "Motherload" sale) I'm mulling over options other than the Surfco glue on handles that I've been using with good success (main problem though is that even tightly tied down, the Surfco handles still invite wrapping of the fingers by friends who aren't aware of that danger).  My plan is to try something similar to Bill's design so that it is indeed "idiotproof" for the occasional guest who I trust enough to use one of my boards. 

[surfafrica]

Let's get Bill's idea up on KickStarter. Anyone up for a project?  I'll be the first in line (I guess online) to buy.