Sup Coil Leash

[wtr2live]

I saw these leashes today and I am curious has anyone actually use one and what are your thoughts on them?

[noworrieshawaii]

I use one on my F16 and love it. Havent used on the wave board.

[jd]

If you search the forums there are threads with people talking about them.  As I recall, those leashes get stretched out and turned into a tangled up mess.

I can't really see the need for them or the benefit.

[Dwight (DW)]

Great for racing. They keep the leash tight on the deck and out of the water.

Bad for surfing because the coil drags in the water when surfing the tail pad and that makes it bounce in the whitewash and self knot.

[WG]

I have used one on a paddle on a waveski in Hawaii and it worked quite well, keeping the leash out of your way.  I was thinking of trying one on my SUP, but haven't yet.  I saw another guy with one, and it looked tangeled around his railsaver and not flowing well on his SUP.

The main reason I wanted to try one was, while riding a wave, and I do a hard cutback, layback, with a leash on, my paddle almost always hooks inside the leash and I have to jiggle it free (not fun).  I figured a coil leash would keep it out of the way.  But the downside is the selfknotting and tangling you would have to deal with, because it does not flow well behind the board. WG

[JimK]

Just a note the Dakine Coil leashes are ONLY for flatwater  use No waves

They definitely reduce drag in flatwater.

For surf I REALLY like the Dakine Kai Nui 12' the detachable cuff is more useful than you think. I've pulled the "pin" more than once!

JimK

[Deb]

I'm probably in the minority here, but the coiled leash for sup waves has worked really well for me. It stays up on my board out of the water (no reef or paddle catch), doesn't yank on my ankle when I fall, and only gets tangled when I'm being thrashed in large wash. So far it hasn't stretched out of shape. Try before you buy, if possible. Probably just personal preference. Maybe there are various manufacturers too.
Deb

[surfcal]

My suggestion to my customers is to use the coil for flat water or cruising.  It stays out of the way and there is no drag in the water. But stay out of the surf or anywhere where you can roll your board because this will tie up faster than a telephone cord. There is nothing like finishing a really good wave only to come off the board then try and untangle the thing as the next big set rolls down on you.
 However... if you must use one in the surf, then make surf you get one with a quick release or a power clip cuff. It is much safer.

[WG]

Jupiter, thanks for the report.  Sounds like the downsides outweigh the upsides.  Do you have any solution for the leash wrapping on the paddle on hard cutbacks?   Some I can think of are. 1.don't wear a leash 2.don't cutback as hard 3.switch sides with your paddle to cut back.

Maybe a part coil, part straight leash could be a solution?  WG

[PonoBill]

I've used them a lot, both in flatwater and surfing. In REAL flatwater they are fine, especially attached forward instead of on the tail. I have one on my F18 and it's just fine. For Maliko, the really sturdy Da Kines are OK, but don't use anything wimpy and don't attach them in the middle of the board, use the tail. In surf, not worth the hassle. They wind up wrapped around your legs sometimes, and that's not good. Also they tangle.

[MST]

Maybe a part coil, part straight leash could be a solution?  WG

Dwight (DW) did a write up on this in another thread last year.

The coil can be a pain in the surf sometimes because it does get tangled and knotted.  I do like being able to spring my board back to me after I wipe out before the next wave pushes it away and drags me behind.

[diesel]

You might try this new XM leash that has a little weight that keeps the leash dragging straight behind you.  It could be a gimmick or it could work.  A leash is not that expensive anyway to experiment with a new product.

[Tom]

I've seen a leash that has the front 1/3 coiled & the rest straight. Sounds like a good idea and I think Hobie sells them. Has anyone tried one?
Also, there was a local guy who was trying to sell a retractable leash. Sounds like a good idea, just wonder if it worked. I think he was a Tourmaline local, maybe Surfcal knows what I'm talking about.

[surfcal]

Retractable leashes.....I've got 6 of 'em.  They didn't work too good for surfing. not strong enough, but they sell real well to the kiting group. they are in the Murray Marine catalog.

[venice mace]

used one in Hawaii one day this winter. coiled mess and snapped within an hour.