um... leash cup?

So I gotta install my leash cup… did I mess up by not doing it prior to the hotcoat? Geez… par for the course…

Anyway searching the archives I found the following post from Cabeto which seemed to be the most appropriate:

[=1][=Black][ 2]The way I put leash cups to my surfboards is the following:

1- Outline the leash cup with a pencil on the deck, just where I wanted to go…

2- Put masking tape on top of the plug just to keep resin mix off the plug hole.

3- I use a router to drill and clean out the hole on the deck…adjust the depth cut about 1/32" deeper than the plugs height…

4- Cut two 4oz fiberglas cloth…just about the size of the plug (bottom plus sides)…

5- Make the resin mix and pour some on the deck hole…fill up to 1/3 of the hole…

6- Take the plug with fibeglass cloth wrapped around it and press it in the deck hole until it fits, try not to press it too much you must want the plug top to be slightly over the deck…

7- if needed pour more resin mix around the plug just to fill the edges…

8- I let the resin cure and sand it with 80grit sand paper until the plug surface is clean and leveled with the deck…

Be careful not to make the resin mix to hot…[/][/] [/]
[=1]

[=Black][ 2]Questions:[/][/]

  1. Am I in danger of hitting my finbox? Should I drill the hole between the tail edge and the finbox edge to be safe?(provided of course the tail is thick enough there, which I think it is but I have to check)
  2. Since I already hotcoated can I use surfacing resin instead of laminating resin to install the plug? That way I can sand it when it sets… or do I use lam resin then paint it over with hotcoat to sand down?
  3. If I use patches of 4oz as Cabeto suggests I assume I don’t have to use Q-cell or chopped fiber to thicken, right?
  4. Tinting the resin white is for cosmetic purposes only right? Do I have to do it? I’m worried about having resin spill over from the hole and end up on the deck… which isn’t tinted.

Thanks yet again guys…

Santiago

PS - Thanks Cabeto for the original post[/]

Thats certainly a decent way to do it.

Some put cups in prior to glass, I have not had a problem strength wise with doing it after.

Use a mix of Lam resin and cabosil and some chopped fiberglass.

Using the thicker mix means not having to use a lot of cloth. You could line the hole if you want. I do put a small disc at the bottom of the recess.

I usually tint white or a color that is complementary to the board. no color and it will look kinda sloppy. Don’t worry about spilling onto the deck…it is easily scraped off with a razor blade.

BUT if you have a finbox already in place then your best bet is to simply drill through the box for the leash hole. This process is actually kinda simple and I feel looks a lot nicer than a nasty ass leash cup.

Here’s the process:

Get a drill with a 1/8" bit and from the bottom side, drill from just about the tail end of the finbox straight through the deck…this first hole will be your guide and will prevent the glass from cracking when you use the larger diameter bit.

then flip the board so the deck is up and take a drillbit measured 5/8" inch and then simply drill from the deck till you get to the top of the finbox. IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT DRILL ALL THE WAY THROUGH WITH THE 5/8" bit. Then take a 1/4" bit and proceed to drill through the same hole you just made from the top of the deck all the way through the finbox. The reason for two diffrent diameters holes is that the knot on the leash cord needs to sit at the bease of the box and a the 5/8" will let it slip right through the deck BAD!

Now make a small mix of lam resin, white pigment, some cabosil, and some chopped fiberglass. tape around the hole on the deck and simply fill in the hole from the deck side. Make sure that the hole is filled entirely through to the finbox and then take a bic pen and center as best as possible on the deck side 5/8" hole you drilled and insert till you feel resistance from the top of the finbox. YOU MIGHT be able to get the pen all the way through the 1/4" diameter hole as well but tht is not necessary as you will drill any excess after the resin cures.

Leave the pen in place till the resin starts to set. A littelwax on the pen prior to insertion is not a bad idea. Carefully take the pen out and check it in about 10 -20 minutes. at this point you can take a razor and trim any excess off the deck if you want.

Let it cure overnight and then inspect the hole the next day. The deck should be fine and clear of any resin in the hole. there will likely be some resin at the top of the finbox. take the 1/4" drill and carefeull drill it out.

that’t it! Remember not to make the leash cord to long.

Drew

Plenty of leash plugs have been installed as after market devices on boards that were already glossed and polished so no worries there. One of those hole saws that look like a metal sleeve with teeth on one end are perfect for cutting plug holes if you decide to do it that way. Make sure you don’t leave the center drill bit extending too far - in fact, after getting it started, remove the glass circle and proceed with only the hole saw with drill bit removed or you might drill through the bottom.

The “loop through the box” method already described is a cheap, easy and strong method. I do a variation that includes taping over the deck hole, wrapping some cloth strands around a pencil and stuffing the strands down to the deck from the box side of the board. I fill the hole with resin from the box side of the board and drill the small diameter hole after it sets.

To answer your original questions…

[=1][ 3][=1]

  • [=Black][ 2]Am I in danger of hitting my finbox? Should I drill the hole between the tail edge and the finbox edge to be safe?(provided of course the tail is thick enough there, which I think it is but I have to check) [ 3]YES.[/]

  • [/][/]
  • [=Black][=1]Since I already hotcoated can I use surfacing resin instead of laminating resin to install the plug? That way I can sand it when it sets… or do I use lam resin then paint it over with hotcoat to sand down? [ 3]Surfacing resin is OK.[/]

  • [/][/]
  • [=Black][=1]If I use patches of 4oz as Cabeto suggests I assume I don’t have to use Q-cell or chopped fiber to thicken, right? [ 3]Correct.[/]

  • [/][/]
  • [=Black][=1]Tinting the resin white is for cosmetic purposes only right? Do I have to do it? I’m worried about having resin spill over from the hole and end up on the deck… which isn’t tinted. [ 3]Mask off deck around hole. Tinted or untinted - cosmetic only.[/]

  • [/][/][/][/][/]

    Drew,

    Thanks for the feedback and the detailed steps. I don’t think I can do the through-the-box install as you describe because it’s a futures fin box and the fin sits pretty tight into the box so I doubt there’s enough room for a knot down there. It does sound like a cleaner finish though, so I’ll keep that option in mind when I shape a LB.

    Any tips on drilling / routing the deck hole? I’m just wondering on the particulars of drilling the stringer, but your pilot hole approach sounds like the best option.

    Thanks again,

    Santiago

    Thanks John. Didn’t see your reply but that answers my followup question about how best to drill the hole. I’ll be careful on the depth so as not to go too far down.

    The ok to use surfacing resin is helpful as it eliminates the need to baste the lam resin later and sand away.

    Santiago

    Quote:

    BUT if you have a finbox already in place then your best bet is to simply drill through the box for the leash hole. This process is actually kinda simple and I feel looks a lot nicer than a nasty ass leash cup.

    my thoughts exactly. it provides a much cleaner look…you won’t be disappointed.

    i assumed that it was a longboard finbox. Usually when you say “finbox” that is what comes to mind.

    That method I described can only be done only with a longboard finbox. You would never ever drill through a futures box.

    So that leaves you with a leash cup.

    Couple of ways to go. Easiest and cleanest is to get the correct circular saw drill bit. So when you are drilling you are also cutting the hole. I forget what size you need, but go to home depot and bring the cup with you. You want close to final size of leash cup. Also i think that there is an attachment that you need to put on your drill to fit the circular saw bit.

    Other than that you can rout. Pretty simple. Though it’s a lot harder than you think to cut a perfect circle unless you have a plunge router with the correct diameter router bit.

    Ghetto method wold be to trace the cup on the deck and then freehand rout the hole. If you are careful you shold get close to a perfect circle.

    Drew

    Thanks. Another trip to Home Depot was expected so this will work just fine. The router I have is too big and heavy to maneuver easily and I definitely don’t want to hand-route anything.

    This is the type of bit I meant. You also need a drill bit that drills your pilot hole and allows connection to your drill chuck. Again, don’t leave much of the pilot bit sticking out the end or you will have a hole in the bottom of your board. Also good for FCS plug installation.

    http://store.yahoo.com/tylertool/mi46tpisubih.html

    You can always just glass a leash loop in too.

    Aloha

    Bryan

    Yep that’s what I just picked up at Home Depot. Gotta wait until tomorrow since I didn’t make it to Mitch’s in time to get some white pigment. No big deal… supposed to rain for a couple of days anyway and I need a break.

    Thought of that too, but for some reason that sounds a little more daunting than the plug. If the tail doesn’t seem thick enough to take the plug without the futures box interference then I’ll go the loop route.

    Jimmy Chuck if you dont have a router another method

    is to outline the circle , get a hammer and small nail,

    tap holes through all along the outline, then connect with a brand

    new 1 sided razor blade.

    I’m a big fan of the loop, myself. Properly constructed, they will spread the forces evenly into a wide area of the skin of the board, and are surprisingly strong. Anytime you cut into the skin and or stringer to install a plug, you weaken the board at that point.

    I recently pulled the plug out of my 7’6" pintail, and it ripped a gash through deck and bottom in to the center fin. It was offset in the foam beside the stringer in the back, which was a bad call IMHO, but the glassing is pretty thick…The wave gave quite a tug, but my leash should have broken before my plug pulled.

    To fix it, I plan on roughing in a block of foam, filling with paste, sanding smooth, then glassing a loop onto the deck near the end of the tail. I’ll probably wrap the whole tail in glass, just to strengthen and distribute the leash loop pull. The nearer the tail, the less apt your board is to tombstone, too, which is a major cause of breakage.

    Search the archives for some building tips, and if you have any questions, I’ll tell how I’ve done mine…

    Quote:

    Thought of that too, but for some reason that sounds a little more daunting than the plug. If the tail doesn’t seem thick enough to take the plug without the futures box interference then I’ll go the loop route.

    y’know, it may sound like the cheap and easy way out, but personally i HATE leash cups. i really just do longboards, so i’ll usually either drill the box or do a loop. however, if i’ve got a glassed on fin and don’t want or have the time to do a loop, i always keep one or two of those stick-on leash plugs from SurfCo Hawaii. those things are great…they’re clear, so they don’t look bad at all on the deck…they stick like crazy (3M marine adhesive…that thing isn’t goin’ ANYWHERE)…and if the time comes when i really want to remove it, i can probably just scrape it off with a razor blade, leaving a nice, clean deck. just wanted to present you with all the options…choose whatever route you think is best.

    I was reading the thread and I was just biting my lip trying not to jump in… …OH, what the heck! Here’s what we do:

    Pointed Awl (ice pick) to locate location of plug center.

    (Optional) Tape over the punch mark with 2" tape, be sure to press/rub real well.

    Hole saw (sized about 1/8" bigger that the largest diameter of the plug), carefully cut into the tape and glass so as to not let the drill “swim” on either side of the stringer; hate it when that happens. As you just break the glass, watch your depth. Our holesaw has some tape marking the ideal depth so the deck plug ends up just flush w/deck.

    Flat blade screwdriver to the get entire plug piece out by wedge effect at front of plug slice at stringer, then at rear. Should hear the stringer make a distinct “pop” sound. Shuck the piece out of the hole. Clean and square-up hole.

    Pour the thickened resin mixture (we similar to fin systems) of lam, milled fiber, and white pigment to about 1/2 full in the hole.

    Slowly push the plug in so resin will just ooze out when the plug just gets seated, and the resin is not abundant enough to flow into the plug.

    Seriously, I tried not to answer… …sorry. HTH.

    Search the archives!

    Hey with all the help you’ve been giving me over the past couple of days there’s no way I can refuse to listen to anything you post!

    Thanks again. I think I may have run across an old post of yours cause it sounds very familiar but I remember not quite understanding the process when I read it. Much clearer now!

    Thanks for the tips HalRose. I did do a search and posted what I found - I was merely trying to ensure I wasn’t missing anything and that I was interpreting the information correctly. Sometimes things get foggy from the screen to my head…

    Thanks for the recommendation Soulstice. I saw a post about those but wasn’t sure if they held up. I’ll see if Mitch’s carries them when I stop by for the white pigment… options, options.