I know leg ropes ruined surfing, but on a day like today they sure help. I for one broke mine in firing OH surf this morning, lost my board, and ended up with a lovely 30 minute swim to shore…
This leash was a certain popular brand’s version of a competition leash. To be sure it was not on the burlier side. That said the leash failed at the swivel attached to the ankle strap- I still had my ankle strap on, the joint to the cord simply broke. So I don’t think a thicker leash would have helped.
Last winter I watched my housemate break his leash in the exact same way- broken from the swivel. He ended up losing his board on that one. So does anyone have any recommendations for a better leash? Does one exist? What do you guys use when it counts?
Broken a few of the major brands myself – at the same place it sounds like yours broke. Dakine seems to be particularly cheap and prone to failure.
I also found that the major brands seemed to be in the way more and get tangled more than the Crowe-Haley that I had on one of my boards. So I’ve slowly converted all my leashes to this brand and I don’t have kinking issues, and I have yet to break one. I now own 8-10 of these in various lengths spanning short fishes to long boards.
If you put one side by side with a major brand, you’ll notice several differences in construction and attention to detail – and there must be something about the tubing they use that’s higher quality as well since they never seem to need untangling. I don’t have any of the wrappers around to confirm, but I’d suspect they’re not made in China.
This is probably the only piece of surfing gear I’ll wholeheartedly endorse because it’s clearly so much better than all the other options. Most people don’t put much thought into their leash, but I can tell you it was night and day for me. I think one of the reasons people don’t like the leash is that it gets in the way and is a burden, but these seem to get in the way a lot less. I used to step on my leash a lot and have to spend the first few moments of the ride sorting the leash out. That hardly ever happens to me now.
And I used to have to reach down and straighten out the leash while in the lineup, and keep it from kinking up. But with the C-H, I never really have to think about this – the leash just seems to always be out of the way.
The guy in the surf shop I frequent says the guy that makes them is a Puerto Escondido regular, so I’m sure they’ve been developed to take a beating. As I said early, I have get to break one, despite frequent use and abuse.
Wow! It is funny that this topic comes up because a friend and I were just discussing this very problem not more than a month or two ago.
I know the exact problem you are talking about - the swivel at the ankle attachment breaks. If you look closely at most of the swivels, it seems that almost ALL leash manufacturers use the same basic design. I cannot confirm this to be the case but it certainly seems to be the case based on a casual inspection.
The problem seems to stem from the rolled aluminum “pin” that attaches the plastic end on the leash itself to the plastic fitting extending from the velcro ankle attachment. This seems to be where a lot of leashes fail and I suspect that it relates to oxidation of the aluminum pin.
My friend mentioned that when he lived in Bali he ran into a couple of crazed Aussie hellmen who turned him on to a technique intended to address this point of failure. Apparently, the Aussie guys would drill out the rolled aluminum pin and replace it with nylon cord. I think the idea was that they would rather give up the benefits of the rigid pin-based coupling (the benefits are supposed to be that your leash is less likely to end up tangled under foot) for the peace of mind that comes from a stronger coupling due to the fact that the nylon cord will not oxidize like the aluminum pin.
I think that Hotline manufacturers a leash that completely dispenses with the aluminum pin couplings in favor of nylon but I am not sure if it is still on the market.
Take all of this with a grain of salt - none of it is “scientifically proven” and it is merely the download of a lengthy conversation I had with a buddy while waiting for sets and contemplating the exact same “crappy leash” phenomenon you mentioned in your original post to the forum.
I’ve not seen a leash with an aluminium roll pin before. But if you have one, the easy fix is to replace the pin with a stainless steel fin screw of appropriate size.
Leashes made for larger surf are a lot more durable than the 1/4 in off the shelf ones. every manufacturer has a top of the line big leash. It’s like saying all Chevy’s suck, well maybe if your a Ford guy. You can buy a Chevy Malibu, or you can buy a HD3500 Truck.
My bigger leashes all have stainless release pins, over sized velcro straps, ball bearing swivels, etc. Plus you can buy them in longer lengths…12 ft is a good one, at least you can dive down some with that length.
Your leash should never be the weak link in your gear, get the approporiate size for the job, and change them semi frequent. It’s better to swim with the tail section of your board than nothing?
theonly leash i have had break in that manner was really old, so it may be just another disposable surf commodity(it shouldn’t be) And I noticed the same thing, the pin simply wore out.
My company makes the custom molded components for both the leash manufacturers mentioned above along with several others. Both DaKine and Crow Haley use molded components made in San Clemente and the extruded cord is made in Oceanside. Yes, each of them have their own design. Crow Haley sews and assembles all the leashes he sells himself. The most recent leashes I’ve gotten from DaKine not only have stainless steel set screws capturing the the swivel in the cord and cuff components we make, but also use a stainless steel swivel. Crow Haley also uses stainless steel set screws in brass swivels.
Both companies make quality products with primarily domestic components. Both have certain components that are made in the Orient. Both companies try to put out the highest quality leashes possible one on a huge scale the other on a much more personal scale.
The biggest cause of failure currently is still fin cuts. The second biggest failure point is the pivot point in the swivel wearing out due to sand and/or corrosion grinding the pivot point don until it fails. The stainless swivels are an effort to minimize this type of failure.
Things wear out. Diligent care will slow the rate of wear. But, everything wears out. In the case of the thread starter I would bet that the swivel had excessive wear on the pivot point and too small leash for th given day.
Not too many years ago pull outs were leashes biggest failure problem. We’ve improved upon the bonding methods to the point it was not even mentioned in this threads yet.
When you most need a leash, that’s often when they break.
Try surfing without, frequently… your skill and confidence as a surfer will increase. If you can’t enjoy the sea unconnected, self-reliant and free, you’re really missing out.
Strive to be a waterman. At the very least, learn to swim and bodysurf.
I’d love to surf without a leash more. Unfortunately in the crowded lineups of California this is often an irresponsible option, especially for someone who prefers to ride shortboards, as I do. That said I’ve seen longboarders loose their boards in these same lineups and create quite a mess. I really don’t think surfing without a leash is the safe/right thing to do if you are posting up next to 45 of your “closest friends”… once a time if might have been fine, but ever since the leg rope ruined surfing, things are very different…
On a related note, our tribe mourns Peter Davi today. His leash broke yesterday at a much more critical location than where I was surfing, and he didn’t make the swim to shore. He’ll be missed.
There are USCG certified attachment methods to keep individuals attached to their vessels. They are called safety harnesses. We wear them all the time when racing offshore in extreme conditions. Mine even has an inflatable PFD incorperated into it. The technology is there to keep you attached regardless of how pummeled you get. No one orders custom boards built heavy enough for a secure attachment point. And then let say they did. When you get pummeled as heavily as guys like Foo and Davi it’s highly unlikely that type of rig would do anything other than pound the shit out of the corpse.
Leashes need to break at some point! And, peope need to realize their physical limits.
Maybe a little device resembling a drogue that would be activated only when a leash actually broke - a secondary device - could be developed. Leash connected, everything normal. Leash breaks, drogue opens, slows the board down and maybe the swimmer could reach it before board goes too far away - just thinking…
Okay for the sake of bain storming. Let’s play this idea out. The drogue is going to need a housing to live in until it’s deployed. Well. I guess you could shape a cavity inside the tail and seal the end with some kind of wax seal to keep the water out when the drogue is stored. Then you’re going to need a secondary trip line that deploys the drogue when once the board gets further away than the leash will stretch. The only problem there is when testing bonds, I’ve streched leashes over three times their original length. Sounds like a pretty long trip cord to me.
I was just yesterday in one of the local surfshops and Brian the owner was telling us how customers would come in and tell him how their legrope had broken and they had been so traumatised by having to swim in. He’d ask them where it happened (plenty or rocky points around here) and they’d say “out the front” meaning the beachbreak near the shop.
One of the pioneers of Noosa was there and chips in with a classic about the pre legrope days back in the mid 60’s when Rooster arrives back at the Hayden factory swearing his head off and vowing never to surf that f*#king place again. The swell was pumping and he’d taken 5 boards up with him and there they were in the back of the ute (pick up truck) and he’d broken every one of them on the rocks.
Then he laughs and says it wasn’t a big deal because we’d just shape a new one and away you go.
Then Brian the owner of the shop looks up to the rafters at the old boards filling them and says thats why most of the old boards up there have so many dings on the rails.
Of course if we were all riding your preferred surfcraft the line ups would be a much safer place. 100 out and not a broken head in sight.
And you can out clever yourself into a worse position than you were before.
Let’s say for the sake of arguement that you put something conductive inside the cord to complete the low voltage circuit. There are several points within the leash that would need to be contact connections. In a salt water environment each of those contact connections would need to be clean and serviced after each use or you going to get a corrosive short. Now we all know when that corrosive short is going to occur…don’t we! Right during the initial drop on a 30’+ bomb at Maverick’s. Drogue deploys. Board stops. You eat shit ad oh by the way you’re still connected to that stopped board that has no choice but suck over the falls due to the mis deployed drogue.
Guys, your missing the point. Get a new big leash, and keep it fresh. How many of you actually check your leash before you go out on a big day? Do you check for nicks? do you look at the swivel? Do you check to see if a bunch of fuzz and shit is clogged in the velcro? Do you paddle out and when your sitting there waiting for a wave, do you give the leash and plug a big ol tug to see if something fails? Or are you that guy that wears that old, tattered, shreadded velcro, over streached leash just asking for troubles
I know you wash your wet suit, and you wash your board off…but the leash is the last thing you check to see if it’s okey dokey. When was the last time you checked your leash plug to see if it’s cracking and sucking water? Come on, don’t blame the leash, don’t be a victim. Keep up with the matainance.
I know…Hey man, I don’t want to spend $50.00 bucks for a leash. Well then get used to swiming and fixing dings…or worse.
Your probably that same guy thats trying to paddle out in 15-20 ft surf on a 6’4" pump & squirt thruster.
adk, I’m not point a finger at you, I just used this post to respond. Your probably a very responsible citizen.
Your probably that same guy thats trying to paddle out in 15-20 ft surf on a 6’4" pump & squirt thruster.
Resinhead makes some good points. I saw too many people out on their potato chips this morning. They weren’t doing much except bobbing around and paddling for waves they had no chance to catch.
You probably have multiple boards for multiple types of conditions and waves. You should probably have multiple leashes for different conditions. I would not have paddled out this morning with a comp leash around my ankle.