Will you loose any strenghth if you don’t put teh leashplug on teh stinger. If so how much. Thanks
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OK… sorry for the sarcasm, I think T.E. set me off in a bad mood this morning. Obviously yes, putting the plug in foam is weaker, but I couldn’t quantify it for you. If your making a big wave board you should probably have glassons anyway, so put it on the stringer. Swallowtails generally aren’t big wave boards, put it to either side… I’ve never had any problems with them breaking out. Put the plug to the same side as the foot the leash is attached to. i.e. right foot, right side.
For small wave boards I dont thinks its as important but for large wave boards I dont like the idea that the plug in the stringer creates a significant discontinuity in the lengthwise flex/rigidity of the board. Not that Im going to feel this but I generally think that its more likely that this can be a point at which the board is likely to buckle or break under severe stress. As an analogy - a fiberglass rod, like a fishing rod, can be bent and will distribute the bend along its length - diffusing the energy. Put an automotive hose clamp in the middle and bend the rod to the stress point and I bet it will break adjacent to the clamp. The part of the rod in the clamp is much more rigid and does not spread the load as easily. Just like inserting a rigid plug into a flexible wood stringer. As far as the plug pulling out - there are ways to strengthen the insertion: add a layer of glass over the plug after it is set and then cut out only the center of the plug. Also, the hole that the plug is set in can be undercut so that the resin and glass holding the plug in is larger than the hole cut in the glass - the plug just cant get out of the hole. Definitely sand/score the plug for good resin adhesion. I’ll add that my guns have two plugs each, one on each side of the stringer. And, YES, I do sometimes wear two leashes. I’ve had my share of trying to swim in on quad+ overhead days and would rather not. Last time it took over an hour to swim around a headland to a sheltered cove and the board had been destroyed by shoreline rocks by the time I found it.
I cannot recall seeing a big wave board broken in half anyplace close to the leash plug. Now, sometimes the leash string can pull through the glass if the loop is too long, but the snappages are invariably in the middle third of the board. I also find one leash is enough, as long as it is 5/16" and relatively fresh and not at Mavericks (where no leash is ever, ever, enough). http://www.blakestah.com/fins/
same 2 plugs on monster wave boards…ive also been adding a small bridge right on the tail then gettin some leggy string and tieing the rail saver down at the tail, even tho your plugs are still taking the full load your leggy is pulling from as far back as possible it helps to prevent tombstoning … regards BERT