Finishing a multi stringer balsa board (10"-2" noserider, 8 stringers + redwood rails, nose/tail blocks, wood lam skeg). Certainly not a traditional simple style 50s remake, but I’d like to think it’s the board I would have made with full assortment of bells and whistles if crafting boards back then. I’ve made a few balsas mainly for wall hangers / show, but this is to be my personal board and against all advice and logic, I want to ride this one. It will be my: “Way overkill - Sunday go to church board” (tanker) for those dawn’s early light small wave solo rides (hopefully). Any advice on a leash? Obviously I don’t want to drill a leash plug. Back in the 60s we didn’t have leahes and I’m tempted not to do one here, but wondering if anyone has done the resin mold thing behind the skeg with hole for leash? Plan to take to glasser on Monday, so must decide. Should I leave well enough alone and just swim after it if I fall asleep and roll off the deck, or would you go ahead and opt for some obscure way to do a leash that won’t detract from the classic attempt. Perhaps some way to grind it off and re-finish later if it goes on the wall. Any of you classic shaping veterans had experience with this? Thanks for any advice.
resin leash loop, you can sand it off if you don’t like it.
Richard, me again. I use a piece of clear fin pannel about 6mm thick on my boards. I glass it on the same way as a fin. The shape is like a half teardrop. Drill a hole through it and attach the leash. I put them as far back as possible.Easy to remove when you want to finally hang it on a wall.David.
That boards gonna break your leg off if its attached to you, I used a cord on an old heavy volan board once and the thing snapped in one foot waves, too much momentum.
just swim after it.
1/2" x 1/2" plywood blocks glued, foiled, epoxied… http://www.hollowsurfboards.com 
truely a leash holder to match the perfectiuon of your boards!
I have and surf once in a great while a 11 foot balsa no champers, three stringers. I use a leash loop on the board. I don’t loose it much, so it does not get a lot of wair and tare. I just like it there so the board does not hit anyone or the rocks, if I happen to loose it.
I usually surf without a leash, 90% of the time on a pure sand beach break. I fix a fair amount of dings. Everybody loses their board.