Hey, did some digging. Not really finding what I’m looking for.
Can someone tell me what’s going on with this leash loop (attached img).
Is the plug concealed, or are there alternative ways of fashioning this kind of leash loop?
(Just the string?) (Btw. board is the ‘Cigarro’ by Mandala)
Cheers.
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I mostly use leash plugs but I believe that is a large hole drilled through a single fin box and through the deck, then filled with a pigmented resin (and maybe other material for strength). Then a smaller hole is drilled through the large resin plug creating a water proof hole. Tie a loop with knot and slip her through with the knot catching in the box. I believe this is a standard for single fins?
Thanks slash… I was thinking along similar lines with the resin plug. Through the box… that’s a pretty neat way of doing it. Extra strength will guarantee no rips, and easy replacement of the string. I wanted to do something similar with a resin plug and loop, but drew a blank when thinking about how to replace the string. I wonder how strong something like this will be without going through a finbox. (Seems like overkill, but I’m just brainstorming some ideas.)
In San Diego I can buy a leash plug for $1.50 plus tax. Super easy to install , no long term problems…Ask your repair guy…
Drilling a hole through your 10" fin channel is super easy…it’s a little more work than the plug but you get a clean and strong end product…That’s what you see in the first post…
Fiberglass leash loops are a total pain in the ass…very strong and full of soul if done right…I refuse to do them…if you need soul surf without a leash…
Please add your location to your user profile…If you are in the San Diego area I will install your leash plug for a six pack of cold brew!!! Polyurthane foam and I can do the whole job while we sip a few of those cold ones…EPS/epoxy takes a little longer…
Ray
That’s what got me going down this line of thought in the first place. (Plus the austhetics and funtionality of a protruding loop). But like I said, I’m just brainstorming alternative ideas of doing clean, strong plugs. I’ve installed standard plugs… I don’t do 10 boards a day; maybe 1 every six months, so time and money’s not the issue, but thanks for the offer! D’you like South African beer? 
Was looking at that sketch and realized I pretty much drew one of these bodyboard leash plugs…
does anyone know where to source those leash plugs that Patagonia used to use?
i don’t know if they still use 'em. the leash string comes out a hole in the tail…
they look pretty slick.
Hey Ray - Does using carbon fiber count??? I do wear a leash though…
Glass rope leash loops take some effort to make them nicely, but are a real aesthetic item when done right.
I don’t have any problem with them “protruding” but insert your horror stories here, won’t bother me.
but we are supposedly craftsmen on this forum, not mass-producers whose sole intent is to flood 'em out the door.
I’ve used rope loops for 25 years and have never broken one. Meantime, I’ve pulled out three plugs on shop made boards belonging to others. I guarantee that if the plug pulls out, ti will be when you least want it to.
Have had trouble with ancient leashes breaking or their velcro losing its “stickiness”. I keep the both sides of the velcro (hook side and loop side) clear of hair, dust and crap, that helps. Leashes can let you down, like when caught inside at Laniakea.
Those Patagonia devices were known as “Buttplugs.” Don’t even try to Google it… shocking!
With the board fin side up, drill a 1/8" hole about 1/4" from the rear of the box through the box and deck. Make sure this hole is straight. Using a 1/2" forstner bit and the 1/8" hole as as pilot, drill from the deck until you hit the top of the finbox. Go about 1/16" into the bottom of the box. Enlarge the 1/8" hole to 1/4". Stick a piece of drinking straw into the hole until about 1/2" sticks out of the box and 1" up from the deck. Put tape on the straw to make it fit tightly in the hole if needed. Pour a pigmented, thickened resin mix from the deckside in the 1/2" hole around the straw, overfilling the hole slightly. Pull out the straw as soon as the resin gels. Sand the resin flush with the deck, mask the hole and lam a piece of cloth over it, hotcoat, sand, etc. Loop and knot a piece of nylon cord and pull it through the hole from the box using string or wire. This is harder to explain than it is to really do.
The way we do these in longboards is to route out the hole for the center box, then using either a Forstner bit or a router punch a hole through to the deck slightly in from the back of the routed slot. Tape off the hole through the deck. Now when installing the box first fill the hole with resin and then install the box as normally done. Once the board has been finished and polished drill a hole through the resin plug and the box, take countersink bit and bevel the hole and install the cord from with the box as Pete described. It is actually a very simple process if it is done when the box is being installed.
The only downside to this leash loop technique (as shown in the photo sine provided) is that the loop often ends up fairly far from the tail of the board that makes the board susceptible to tombstoning which is no fun! They are certainly very strong!
Pro tip for retro-fitting this type of leash loop… Saves the step of re-drilling the filled hole. Nice.
Hey Charlie, you’re right. No ‘horror stories’, other than messing up when making them… having to grind down and start again. But I don’t think glass loops are suited for every board, especially shorter boards. And without even having made one, I can tell that that these resin plugs would be stronger than anything else you can make. I’ve had problems with leashes failing myself… and yeah, the kind of wave that’s going to make a new leash fail is going to be in conditions with consequences. Experienced this recently, and learnt the hard way how important it is to take care off and check your equipment, but that’s a diffirent story. I haven’t pulled out plastic plugs, but I’ve repaired many ‘loose’ plugs on my own and friends’ boards; besides the safety issues, it also cracks up the glass.
Pete… that’s a great styp-by-step.
These Patagonia plugs… haven’t seen them. ‘Buttplugs’ … are they centered on the tip of the tail?