HI,can anyone give me any guidance on the design of the leash holder that i’ve seen on longboards that seem to be a hole in the location that the plug would be. some have said that some have used a type of electrical conduit and resin. please help! chris at spillman surfboards
Its drilled through from the back end of the finbox.
I usually drill a 1/8" pilot hole from the finbox side for correct placement. Then flip the board and drill down with a 3/8" bit, which is the same width as the finbox slot. Clean up / deburr the hole on the deck side and tape over it with 233+.
Flip the board back over & raise/lower the ends on the racks until the finbox is level, just like when you glassed it in. Mix up some resin to kick real slow (cool) with white pigment and fill the 3/8" hole.
Once its cured, flip the board back over, drill down with a 1/8" bit for a pilot hole, and then with a 1/4" bit for your final hole. The knot in the string inside the finbox keeps the loop from pulling through.
I just used Benny’s method for my first attempt this weekend after doing a search on this subject. It’s the way to go…
one thing though. I don’t know if it’s because my drill bits are brand new or what, but i tried to go really slow when i drilled as to be accurate but my bit, instead of cleanly digging out the hole, grabbed the board causing it to traveled up the drill bit…i had to reverse to get the bit out, which then released my board. Ideally a drill press with the board latched down to whatever it’s set on would seem the way to go…but it all worked out in the end (i had to get a small round file involved).
Oh yeah, there’s a technique I should have mentioned. I like to set the drill on fast, then hold it above the hole with both elbows holding down the board. Kind of using my hands as a drill press. Get the drill up to full speed before touching it to the board, then lower it slowly so the threads don’t pull in, the way bizgravy describes. You’re almost grinding out the hole, rather than drilling it.
Good luck!
Ditto to all this. I’ve done a couple this way. After the pilot hole through the finbox to set the alignment, for the 3/8" hole back through the deck it’s helpful to use a brad bit drill bit. Brad bits have points on the ends of the flutes that cut a perimeter circle on the way in. I use it to start the hole so a standard bit doesn’t bite the glass. Also, be really careful when drilling the 3/8" hole. the bottom of the finbox is thin and you don’t want a 3/8" hole in the bottom of it.
Another little thing I found helpful is a cheap router bit. I had a little set of cheap bits and I used the roundover bit to radius the hole. Just chucked it in the drill spun it a little.
…or a countersink bit works great, it’s what i used. Same concepts (but countersink maybe cheaper than a router bit)
something like this…
Yeah, I used the countersink first but then I notice the cheapy router bit so I used that and it worked nice. If you’re going to have only one of the two the countersink probably going to be more versatile.
Thanks alot, everyone has had some excellent recomendations, i was also wondering if anyone has added milled fibers to the resin for strength, and does anyone add wax or just resin, pigment and catalyst? chris at spillman surfboards
For sure, use milled fiber. Much stronger. I prefer 1/2 inch, for the hole to the box, leaving a thicker, stronger wall after drilling the through hole for the leash attachment. It all works, so it a subjective choice.
What are the benefits of attaching the leash this way? Is it just for looks? My first custom board back in the seventies came without a leash plug, and that drilling, filling, drilling smaller method is what I used, but I have not used it since.
…yes, for the looks
far better a leash plug
is not good to force the box…
Toughness. I’ve never heard of a finbox pulling though a board. Leash cups, plenty.
What do you think will pull out first? A 1" plastic cup set in foam or a 10" finbox on the other side of a wood stringer?
…is not about pulling out the finbox
do you know about cracked boxes?
lot of fins do that
also the boxes doesnt ´got a chemical bond with the resin… (yes like the plugs)
but a failure in the box is a major repair and change a plug not (and is very difficult that a good leash plug with proper installation in normal surf conditions break apart…)
so putting another element that may be produce some damage to the box for me is not the way to go
more now that the China FU s are in most retailers…they re really crap
Actually I haven’t seen boxes cracked from leashes but I sure haven’t seen everything. You make a good point. A damaged box is a much bigger problem than a plug. Seems like a matter of odds. A damaged box is less likely but a bigger problem. A plug more likely but an easier fix. Choose your poison I guess.
This method was on the forum a while back, and I use it all the time: Drill the 1/8" pilot hole first, from the deck straight thru the box. Using the small bit will allow you to make an adjacent hole if you don’t get it centered in the box the first time. Then drill the 1/4 hole thru everything. Next, using a forster bit (3/8 - 1/2) drill from the deck until you go about 1/32 into the bottom of the box. When you’re done, the box will have a 1/4" hole thru it and the deck will be drilled down to the box 3/8 - 1/2 diameter. Get a regular drinking straw (they’re 1/4" OD), and stick it from the deck thru the box. Mix your filler, and pour around the straw. Pull out the straw, glass a cloth patch over the plug and you’re done. Always use forster or brad-point bits when dilling into a stringer; they won’t wander around.
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A damaged box is less likely but a bigger problem. A plug more likely but an easier fix. Choose your poison I guess.
How about a wide leash loop made out of fiberglass strands ? Strong, simple and easy to repair (although I have yet to see one fail). It can accomodate thin tails, glass-ons and fin boxes and can be positionnend all the way back.
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Oh yeah, there's a technique I should have mentioned. I like to set the drill on fast, then hold it above the hole with both elbows holding down the board. Kind of using my hands as a drill press. Get the drill up to full speed before touching it to the board, then lower it slowly so the threads don't pull in, the way bizgravy describes. You're almost grinding out the hole, rather than drilling it.
Good luck!
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I was hunting around for this 'leash loop in finbox' technique and found this thread and wanted to share my experience, so far.
I just drilled the through hole starting at 1/8" and incrementally going up to 1/4". I drilled about four sizes between 1/8" and 1/4". Then I used a regular 1/2" bit to drill down to the finbox from the deck side. However, rather than going super fast on the drill speed, I went ultra slow and simply worked my way through the glass very slowly. Once I got through the glass, I still went pretty darn slow, but it was very smooth and easy to get down to the box without punching through.
Will fill the hole with resin/filler/tint later this afternoon.
BTW, great thread for building this leash loop system.
Is there any reason why I can’t use Solarez when doing this?
Of course, I’d put in some catalyst…