Leashes

[dingfix]

Looking to replace my leash. 

With sups being big boards I go for the strongest I can find.  Currently using a Creatures of Leisure Outer Reef but the ankle strap is a bit short.  Over a 5mm wetsuit and 5mm boots there isn't much overlap on the Velcro.  What works well?  Thanks.

[SUPcheat]

I just snapped my fifth leash in a couple of years last Sunday.  It was an Ocean/Earth, which is supposed to be one of the strong ones.  It broke in the cord part, not the attachment, and it was a coiled leash. It failed when I got creamed by a big ole crashing set on the inside Sunday before last. Also got my hat blasted off and lost another pair of sunglasses (Goodwill cheapos).

Anyway, I am not certain that there can be any leash guarantees with somebody over 200 pounds anyway.

I have another ocean/earth knee leash and a standard Dakine on the other two boards.

I just got a Crow Hayley in the mail, a waist leash, and it looks pretty snazzy, but I guess I will find out.  If I know things will be "big", I will probably start double leashing so I don't have to do the bobbing bozo swim back again, but who knows.  I don't know if I have a leash curse, or if they all just break eventually.

[PonoBill]

Don't use a coiled leash in the surf. If it breaks in the railsaver swivel under tension you'll have a 22 caliber bullet aimed at your body.  No, the coil isn't that springy, but pulling the leash tight stores a lot of energy in the twists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUrsktN6-cg

You're going to love waist leashes. They take a little getting used to, but once you learn to ignore them while you're getting up on the board, they're the bestest.

[SUPcheat]

That was my last coiled leash.  The broken ones make nice board hangers.

I have migrated to straight leashes, now, though I never had any problems with the coiled ones.  The coiled ones are easier to "wrap" also.

All of the ones that I have broken are the coiled ones, knock on wood.

I have suposition's waist leash solution, which is actually fine, you just attach a standard leash to the loop.  However, the velcro wasn't long enough for my large body and it didn't stay on that well at force because of my size.  It would be fine for a smaller surfer, but it left me bobbing with swim back a few times, so I went back to standard.

[SUP Sports ®]

Looking to replace my leash. 

With sups being big boards I go for the strongest I can find.  Currently using a Creatures of Leisure Outer Reef but the ankle strap is a bit short.  Over a 5mm wetsuit and 5mm boots there isn't much overlap on the Velcro.  What works well?  Thanks.

Crow Haley waist leash...hand tied in the USA...

http://supsports.com/shop/sup-schwag/gear/crow-haley-waist-leash/

[Tom]

On someones advice  I  quit  winding  my lease  around  the  tail  and  now  just  take  it  off  every  time .  They  last  a  lot  longer  now .

[spirit4earth]

Does it make sense to use a waist leash for every kind of paddling?

[dns]

It kind of does. I get SO annoyed when my stupid ankle leash winds up under my foot or in front of my legs when climbing back on my board. This never happens with a waist leash.

A waist leash also stays mostly out of the water when I'm paddling, reducing drag. It's really noticeable on a 14ft DW board. Having said that I still mostly use a coiled calf leash when DWing, but always switch to waist when surfing. 

[Board Stiff]

Crow Haley waist leash...hand tied in the USA...
http://supsports.com/shop/sup-schwag/gear/crow-haley-waist-leash/

SUPsports - I've had one of those Crow Haley leashes for about a year and just noticed that one of the strings attaching the leash to the cuffs is starting to fray. It looks like I'll need to remove that dark plastic sheath covering the end of the leash and whatever the string loops through underneath it in order to attach the new string. Is that sheath something I can easily obtain and replace along with the string?

[FRP]

Yes it looks like regular heat activated shrink wrap tubing. Home Depot or most big hardware/home supply stores should have it. Get the right diameter, cut a piece off, thread on, retie the leash pull it over the knot, heat with a hair dryer and done.

Bob

[PonoBill]

Crow Haley waist leash...hand tied in the USA...
http://supsports.com/shop/sup-schwag/gear/crow-haley-waist-leash/

SUPsports - I've had one of those Crow Haley leashes for about a year and just noticed that one of the strings attaching the leash to the cuffs is starting to fray. It looks like I'll need to remove that dark plastic sheath covering the end of the leash and whatever the string loops through underneath it in order to attach the new string. Is that sheath something I can easily obtain and replace along with the string?

One year = end of life. If you're surfing with the leash in any kind of size, get a new one.

But yeah, the sheath is just shrink tubing.

[Board Stiff]

Yes it looks like regular heat activated shrink wrap tubing. Home Depot or most big hardware/home supply stores should have it. Get the right diameter, cut a piece off, thread on, retie the leash pull it over the knot, heat with a hair dryer and done.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. That's what I was hoping! Looks like I'll be reconditioning my leash this weekend. 

[PonoBill]

Does it make sense to use a waist leash for every kind of paddling?

Yup. Even if you're just paddling flatwater, a waist leash keeps your leash up off the board. Doesn't need to be anything fancy unless you're surfing or doing big downwinders. An ankle leash secured around your PFD is fine. You'll love it. No dragging in the water and when you crawl back on the board you can just ignore it.  For downwinding in the Gorge and Maui I use a coil leash permanently attached to my camelback. For surfing I make my own belt that has five pounds of flotation sewn into the belt and use a 9mm hand tied urethane cord with two 600 pound stainless swivels.

I also like the Leashlok belts and leashes--seriously stout.

I can't believe racers aren't all over waist leashes. If you have to ditch and run as part of a race, a waist belt is just great. Also excellent in whitewater or anywhere that entanglement might be an issue.

I honestly don't know why people still use ankle or knee leashes. Other than the ability to streamline yourself when you're getting worked, they make ZERO sense. Just inertia I think. You do have to higrade every part of a leash to use a waist leash in big surf. No question that they put more strain on all the parts. So you higrade. Big deal. I like breathing and not having to worry about my leash breaking or pulling off. And if it does I have five pounds of float that i can swim with.

[Board Stiff]

One year = end of life. If you're surfing with the leash in any kind of size, get a new one.

I don't think I get out nearly as often or in as big surf as you do, Bill, so unless the leash is deteriorating in my garage, I'm probably good for 3-4 years. That's actually how long the cheap one that came with my first board lasted. 

[southwesterly]

Ok, I hope I'm not going to jinx myself.

I never have had a leash break in all my years on a stand up board. I do change them out once a year, but the biggest factor is that I mostly surf head high or under cream-puff point waves with a channel.