Leash for fiberglass paipo/bellyboard?????

[ClanB]

Now to decide on wax or Cove deck pad.

[rodndtube]

Rod's cardinal rule is to never go "cheap" on a leash. You will want it to work when it is needed. Short is also bad due to fling back. With my longer leashes in overhead surf I keep it "coiled" in my hand when in the line-up zone and fling it out when ready to start positioning or paddling for the takeoff.

[rodndtube]

Now to decide on wax or Cove deck pad.

Not sure about wax on a deck pad. Otherwise, Sticky Bumps is my wax of choice. There are some other good ones, too.

[bgreen]

I've never had trouble with coiled leashes springing back. Years ago there was a time this was a very real hazard with leashes on stand-up boards. Having a whole lot of leash just seems to be asking for getting it wrapped around you.

I've never actually lost my boardies like RNT but have come close a couple of times.


Bob

[rodndtube]

One of the issues with coiled, bicep leashes is that they tend to be short, under 5 foot and are built to be used with bodyboards (aka soft boogie boards). Personally, I don't think these leashes (built expressly for boogie boards) are up to the quality standards of quality surf board leashes. For the same reason I don't tend to use the thin competition leashes because they are not made to be durable (exaggerating here, but they are throwaway leashes just like competition boards the pros use).

There are some spots and under some conditions that I use a 7 foot leash. Generally in 10 foot plus surf and where there is a long paddle or reefs in-play or some nasty currents. Tangling with the leash has not been an issue. Getting sling-shotted by a board with a short leash has been an issue. Just my experience. Generally not applicable to under head high surf conditions and beach breaks where I will usually use a 5 to 6 foot leash.

[Ted]

Dang, 808, completely loosing the shorts sounds rough! I've had my shorts down to my ankles a couple of times.

I have tried all combinations of wrist, bicep and ankle leashes attached to the front and back of the board.

The ankle and wrist leashes are more secure than the biceps leash; the biceps leash can be really flaky if you have the leash on the inside arm (left arm going left or right arm going right) since the pull of a wipeout tends to scoot the leash down the arm. The wrist and biceps leash can pull your arm really hard if you ditch your board while paddling out. I find that a coily biceps leash stays out of the way better while paddling.

A nose mounted leash tends to pull the board though whitewater much better than a tail mounted leash.

A non-coily leg leash can get wrapped up around coral heads and make for a very unpleasant surprise. The straight leg leash does allow for deep dolphin kicking when ditching the board while paddling out.

The arm leash provides quicker orientation to surface during long hold downs.

A leg leash attached to the nose or an arm leash attached to the tail is a recipe for leash wrapped around neck, body or crotch. You'll want to be practice breath holding for either of these setups.

I use a nose mounted coily biceps leash for the HPD and the Austin 50"; The Austin 44" can take a nose mounted coily biceps leash or a tail mounted legrope (for giant waves or front mounted camera).

[bgreen]

Rod,

I wonder if boards with more flotation are more likely to spring back? Maybe this is a good way to stay calm during a wipeout - focus on what the legrope is doing. Brands may also vary - I recall the coiled leashes going straight but not much else. Regarding whether the quality varies - no idea. If they are made by the same manufacturers I wouldn't imagine this is an issue unless there is a plot to force boogie board riders to swim more.

I seldom surf 10' waves but had some solid waves & wipeouts on the OS trip.

Bob

[rodndtube]

Yeah... the more liters the board the more flotation! Unless it is weighed down by a 4-layer g10oz glass job and quad stringers. But, that isn't the only factor in play... it is the board and you being stretched apart and held apart until something gives and then just like a rubber band, it either breaks or snaps back. Of course this can also happen in powerful 4 to 6 foot waves.

So many of the bodyboard (boogie style) leashes I have come across are either very short, mostly coiled, have very narrow wrist straps, don't have a wrist strap key pocket, and are not made to the standards of quality surfboard leashes... so I stopped even looking at them. Quality factors include the hosing materials, bindings, width and grip of the wrapping strap, swivels... And, of course, you want to match the color to your board, trunks and skegs

Nice summary, Ted!

[ClanB]

Well the BB coil leash I got is pretty beefy...more so than the short leg leashes I looked at. The hosing is thick and the swivals are stout and the cuff is wide and well padded and I dont know about the key pocket but I dont need it as I have that elswhere. when it hangs down from the nose it is about 6 inches from the tail and that is coiled.

[bgreen]

My thinking is that the less flotation, the less the board will be pulled away, so stretching will be less and shorter lasting. To test this we need Ted to go over the falls several times with the HPD- when he hits the base he lets his board loose and reports back. However, like any good scientific experiment he needs to repeat the experiment several times to ensure the outcome was not a chance result. Then he takes out the Austin and repeats the same number and type of wipeouts. We then have board x number of repetitions x outcomes. If he varies the type of wipeout then this also becomes a variable.

[Ted]

Well... the HPD does pull a lot less than the Austin. No HPD wipeout has really tugged the arm or challenged the leash.

The "Austin Paipo over the falls" youtube video does feature a biceps leash failure on the 50" that resulted in some nasty dings.

The Austin 44" late takeoff (third wave on Austin 44 vs 50, I think) wipeout had a biceps leash partial failure (slid to wrist, then grabbed just in time).

[rodndtube]

We ride a lot of different boards on this forum and so it is appropriate to caveat our experiences. I have been riding a 50" foam/fiberglass board for 40 yrs and my experience with fling back has more to do with the interaction with the wave more than the flotation volume of the board per se. Along these lines I can attest to some rather tough hold downs of me or the board... even with all of the board's floatability.

That is good to know about beefier coiled leashes on the market these days. About time!

Less and less do I use the leash key pocket as I have migrated to using those Aquapacs which are more flexible overall (keys, cash, license, insurance card...).

[bgreen]

This thread has suggested a couple of different topics - aqua packs and whether paipo riders get different types of injuries.

Regarding the leash question - I'll test it out.

Bob