So I have an old Beater Log that I have put a regular fin box in. None of my new Long boards have a leash plug, but have the thru the fin box style of leash attachment. I’d like to leash it the beater and was wondering if I just drill a small hole thru the rear of the box up to the deck, do a little Q Cell Back fill and thread a rope thru it. Is it that simple, or have I missed something basic. The fin box is in so it’s kind of late for too much.
I don’t know the answer to the question. But, There is a leash sytem that sticks to the deck. I forget the name. I would ride the beater without a leash and ride the others when you need or want a leash.
uh, ive never done this but if i were going about it id drill a hole and then fill it with resin/q-cell, then drill another hole throught that column of resin and then tie the leash loop through the fin box.
a better solution might be to scrape all the wax off the tail deck and sand it down some, and put on a glass leash loop. just get some fiberglass strings, and place over a piece of rolled up tape. saturate the loop and splay out the ends. put two cloth patches over the splayed ends. this method holds really really good and i use it on all my boards.
It’s good to hear that others follow my thought. I’d like to have it leashed for convenience and have the removable fin for possible travel. So maybe beater isn’t the best term. Perhaps bruised banana works better…
So drill a hole, fill with Q-cell & Filler, and redrill to allow the rope. Sounds like a plan gentlemen... Hopefully the weekend brings nice dry weather..
I drill from the bottom side of the finbox at the tail end of the box. First drill is to let the rope pass through the box. Then take a slightly larger drill bit and go from the top of the deck and drill only till you hit the top of the finbox. the second bit should be .5" in diameter. Maybe a tad bigger if you want. Now here is where I can save you a wee bit of time. Take a bic (not the surfboard, but a bic ballpoint pen) and going from the deck insert it in the hole you just drilled. Test this to make sure all is kosher and then take the pen out. Mix up a nice thick batch of resin/cabosil/Qcell/with a little white pigment and simply fill the hole you just made. Then take the bic and use some duct tape to make sure the pen does not go all the way through and simply center the pen in the resined hole. Let it cure for about 10-15 minutes and when semi cured carefully take out the pen.
That’s it. If you want you could put a small glass patch over the top of the hole on the deck if you like. What I do is drip some hotcoat, or gloss coat in the whole after the whole thing cures just to make sure it is completely sealed, though make sure you take the pen and poke any excess resin from the hole.
Rooster speaks of the “EZ Plug”. They look chincy, but I used one on a board that had a damaged leash-plug (was on a trip, did not have the materials to install a replacement plug, so I filled the hole and put on an EZ plug. The EZ plug lasted longer than the board did (another 2 years and then I broke the board). I think they might be available through Block Surf.
Edit: a friend of mine uses one on a huge longboard (Cooperfish), and has not had a problem yet (been about 6 months). Not that I would advocate defacing a Cooperfish with an stick-on plug, but I guess that is a testimony to the plug’s durability.
It’s the methods that people have that make this site special. This sounds like the plan to me, though the E-Z plug the other guy had is also interesting. Maybe I’ll try that one on something else down the line. I like the Bic Pen Idea though.