Was out in head high+ surf today and my mates leg rope snapped at the point where the swivel inserts into the nylon strap near the plug at the back. This is a plastic piece that simple sheared off. Could have been a manufacturing fault as it was a new leg rope. I have only seen leg ropes snap on the "rope" part. We were a long way out and fortunately I was out there with him so caught a wave in and rescued his board and brought it back to him.
Anyway, got me thinking about my thin FCS leg rope I am using at the moment and it is probably more short surfboard suited so I think I will upgrade.
I am chasing recommendations on what make/thickness ropes are people out there using that they have gotten a good run out of?
Cheers
I try to use a leash that is the size just shorter than my board.
Since almost all the boards I ride fall between 9' to 9'5
so 8' on the shorter boards and 9' on longer
I use exclusively the Da Kine 5/16 leash.
Replace on your birthday every year.... or set a date at the beginning of your wave season.
Always use a strong leash string.
Check and replace when wear begins to show.
I use the strongest nylon line that will fit through the leash plug.
I also chose the calf leash.... but use on my ankle, because I have thick ankles and the ankle cuff just isn't a secure connection, especially when going on over a wetsuit.
With our insane Great White population.... breaking a leash is no longer an option.https://www.dakine.com/en-us/sport/surf/leashes/kainui-9-5-16-surf-leash/
Creature's, 8mm for average surf, 9mm for bigger.
Agree with STC , replacing annual or after a run of big heavy sessions . Beats swimming.
. I coloured tape each batch so I know what is fresh n strong and what is down graded to small or flat use
The Balin Storm Rider is a massive 10mm thick. It's a monster.
And yes, replacing frequently is the key. I rarely use a leash for even as long as 1 year.
Great Thread!
I have been using my two waist leashes for a couple of years and this has been an excellent reminder to replace them. Going with leashlok waist belt and 9mm x 9 ft leashes. I have one of these leasklok belts and a Crow Hailey belt. I have noticed that the Velcro on the Crow Hailey leash was starting to release a bit when surfing recently. The Leaskloks have a quick release "dongle" available now. Will see how that goes.
Cheers
Bob
For me Ocean & Earth Premium, a bit costier but so far so good, one 8' and one 10' to cover all board size , some of them are 3 years old and still look the dog, keep them for small days or passing guests.
For the record i broke balin, fcs ,gong, dakine, channel islands leashes, but then again, some SUP boards are quite big and i feel some good brand leashes underestimate the pression applied by water when you crash a say 9.5 ' 140 liters bulky board on a hollow 5 to 7 feet wave...
Balin and the parts are interchangable as well.
Some I change once a year or every 2 years, just depends how many times your out in a week.
I just swapped out a leash string from a demo board I am not using... to my new board.
It's not easy to get it through the leash plug.... but worth it IMO
I have seen those cross bars pull out on one side or the other...
so I like to spread the load across the whole bar and both ends equally.
I have been using only Ocean and Earth One XT leashes exclusively for some years. In my experience, they are the strongest "regular" leashes (i.e. without going into the specialized 10mm big wave leashes). But some people do not like them because they stretch a bit more than other leashes. I have been using previously Creature of Leisure leashes, which were quite good (not the entry level ones).
I still use a FCS freedom leash on my small wave board, it is nearly a leashless experience, but it will break on head high waves.
My tricks:
- cut away the integrated striing of the O&E leash, and usedyneema (or kevlar) cord: ultra strong and abrasion resistant
- use 2 strings: I use a 3mm dyneema + a slightly looser 2mm as backup (1)
- I never rinse my boards, but I just rinse the swivels and velcro parts of leashes after a session
- I store spare leashes in a round "hat box" (2)
- sand your fins trailing edges: my Quobba fins have cut through new leashes like butter
- also try to never have the board back up into the leash: never leave the board alone pointing to a breaking wave
- streamline yourself in wipeouts to reduce the strain on the leash
(1)
(2)
Select to expand quoteFRP said..
Great Thread!
I have been using my two waist leashes for a couple of years and this has been an excellent reminder to replace them. Going with leashlok waist belt and 9mm x 9 ft leashes. I have one of these leasklok belts and a Crow Hailey belt. I have noticed that the Velcro on the Crow Hailey leash was starting to release a bit when surfing recently. The Leaskloks have a quick release "dongle" available now. Will see how that goes.
Cheers
Bob
Hawaii Waist belt with Balin Monster Coil.
Never step on it .
Cut it once in a Hurricane swell. Learned to swim again.
I supplement the stock attached string with a supplemental as well.
The built in one is not the strongest..
Select to expand quoteArea10 said..
The Balin Storm Rider is a massive 10mm thick. It's a monster.
And yes, replacing frequently is the key. I rarely use a leash for even as long as 1 year.
There's not much give in these ones but they sure don't look like they will break . You could nearly use em as a snatch strap on the 4b.
wll do my usual rave about Creatures Of Leisure outer reef ones. I don't go for short leashes....... I like the 12 foot one....but sometimes the 10 foot one has to do. My theory is the longer the leash.....more stretch.....no particular bit of leg rope is under absurd pressure?
Select to expand quoteArea10 said..
Hat box??? Must be a French thing :)
Ah yes, that's what we call cylindrical boxes ;-)
Select to expand quotecolas said..Area10 said..
Hat box??? Must be a French thing :)
Ah yes, that's what we call cylindrical boxes ;-)
we call it a bucket
Select to expand quotecolas said..
I have been using only Ocean and Earth One XT leashes exclusively for some years. In my experience, they are the strongest "regular" leashes (i.e. without going into the specialized 10mm big wave leashes). But some people do not like them because they stretch a bit more than other leashes. I have been using previously Creature of Leisure leashes, which were quite good (not the entry level ones).
I still use a FCS freedom leash on my small wave board, it is nearly a leashless experience, but it will break on head high waves.
My tricks:
- cut away the integrated striing of the O&E leash, and usedyneema (or kevlar) cord: ultra strong and abrasion resistant
- use 2 strings: I use a 3mm dyneema + a slightly looser 2mm as backup (1)
- I never rinse my boards, but I just rinse the swivels and velcro parts of leashes after a session
- I store spare leashes in a round "hat box" (2)
- sand your fins trailing edges: my Quobba fins have cut through new leashes like butter
- also try to never have the board back up into the leash: never leave the board alone pointing to a breaking wave
- streamline yourself in wipeouts to reduce the strain on the leash
(1)
(2)
Colas, I am built like you, a brick ****house. I cant imagine myself being stream lined in any form.
Select to expand quotelam said..colas said..Area10 said..
Hat box??? Must be a French thing :)
Ah yes, that's what we call cylindrical boxes ;-)
we call it a bucket
I call it just another item I have to pack
Select to expand quotelam said..
Colas, I am built like you, a brick ****house. I cant imagine myself being stream lined in any form.
Well, streamlined sea creatures often sport a hefty waist line... think Walruses, Sea Elephants... :-)
Ive been using the balin, its been good, replace surf leashes once per year, check every couple of weeks. I always rinse mine.
Select to expand quoteArea10 said..
The Balin Storm Rider is a massive 10mm thick. It's a monster.
And yes, replacing frequently is the key. I rarely use a leash for even as long as 1 year.
Great leggie! Abit heavy but the only leg rope that I haven't snapped, pulled out from the swivel, or snagged on my fins.
I just ordered a new Balin storm rider after reading this thread because I realised it's been more than a year since I had a new leggie. And I had a flash back to a session on a borrowed board at Nias on a big day when the leggie snapped as I dived through a rogue set wave. It was a near death experience. Mark Flint www.instagram.com/kabunohi/?igshid=1ramxazfn3d6h who I borrowed the board from said afterwards "oh yeah it had been out in the sun a bit"
Living in Margs where the waves have a great deal more power than most regions with a lot of the waves being offshore reefs and quite sharky. You don't wan;'t your leggie to snap.
Thus with the extra pull of SUP the extra wide collar is also more comfortable.
They're don
Select to expand quoteLastSupper said..
Available where !???
website only pretty much. Will post
I've been toying with the idea of posting a question about leg ropes that i would appreciate advice on, but this thread is pretty relevant - tore a medial left knee ligament supping in Bali last November when a late take off went wrong and got rolled in the white water badly when i got flipped around and dragged backwards by the sup.
My details fifty something aged brood mare at maybe 70kg fully wet and wet suited up, 9'6 sup for this particular break as its 1km off shore, with a knee leash on right knee, natural stance.
What happens in powerful waves is i might dive into a breaking wave head first (yes i've let my sup go behind me, but no one is behind me), so i've dived into the water, but the drag of the sup flips my body face up, with my left leg getting dragged around and i get dragged backwards by the leg rope. Doesn't happen in less powerful surf. Even if i tried to kick the sup over the first wave, as mentioned earlier in this post, if its a set of 3 the 2nd and 3rd wave will get me anyway.
Talking to a friend he uses his paddle as an anchor which i will try and see if that helps, but i wonder if using an ankle leash might make a difference (although previous posts suggest there are issues with both knee and ankle leashes).
I now bend my knees in the white water so that my limbs don't get flipped around like a rag doll, which helps but the knee still might not be good enough to go out in 6 foot southern ocean beauties and get caught inside and unfortunately only one way to find out :( but a change in technique, gear might help. Or i stick with smaller surf, nope that's not going to happen 
Select to expand quotescott mckerc said..
Living in Margs where the waves have a great deal more power than most regions with a lot of the waves being offshore reefs and quite sharky. You don't wan;'t your leggie to snap.
Thus with the extra pull of SUP the extra wide collar is also more comfortable.
They're don
Ok
Select to expand quotescott mckerc said..
Living in Margs where the waves have a great deal more power than most regions with a lot of the waves being offshore reefs and quite sharky. You don't wan;'t your leggie to snap.
Thus with the extra pull of SUP the extra wide collar is also more comfortable.
They're don
Ok include 1
Select to expand quoteSupChickadee said..
I've been toying with the idea of posting a question about leg ropes that i would appreciate advice on, but this thread is pretty relevant - tore a medial left knee ligament supping in Bali last November when a late take off went wrong and got rolled in the white water badly when i got flipped around and dragged backwards by the sup.
My details fifty something aged brood mare at maybe 70kg fully wet and wet suited up, 9'6 sup for this particular break as its 1km off shore, with a knee leash on right knee, natural stance.
What happens in powerful waves is i might dive into a breaking wave head first (yes i've let my sup go behind me, but no one is behind me), so i've dived into the water, but the drag of the sup flips my body face up, with my left leg getting dragged around and i get dragged backwards by the leg rope. Doesn't happen in less powerful surf. Even if i tried to kick the sup over the first wave, as mentioned earlier in this post, if its a set of 3 the 2nd and 3rd wave will get me anyway.
Talking to a friend he uses his paddle as an anchor which i will try and see if that helps, but i wonder if using an ankle leash might make a difference (although previous posts suggest there are issues with both knee and ankle leashes).
I now bend my knees in the white water so that my limbs don't get flipped around like a rag doll, which helps but the knee still might not be good enough to go out in 6 foot southern ocean beauties and get caught inside and unfortunately only one way to find out :( but a change in technique, gear might help. Or i stick with smaller surf, nope that's not going to happen
There is always the other option of a waist leash, which most big wave SUPsters prefer.
It will flip you over, drag you headfirst, in a way that speeds you to the surface and no drag on your knees or ankle.... and sounds like none of the issues you experience with your "opposite" leg from the leashed one.
I have never had the experience you have, where the un-leashed leg, is pulled away from me in any painful way.
My leash is always on my ankle, right leg (weak knee), regular stance.
On all hard breaking OH waves, once underwater,I tuck my legs together into my stomach.....
then uncoil slowly, with resistance, as the "pull" hits me.... to avoid any "snapping jerk" as the leash reaches it's full stretch.
When I am fully extended.... I go as streamlined as my portliness allows, hands extended over my head, to put as little stress on the entire system.
I do not anchor myself, to avoid strained joints and leashes.
I have an unrelated knee weakness in my leash leg... and this seems to work, without any strain on the knee.
What I try to avoid most is a pull that will yank my ankle to the side and bend my knee sideways.... that might take me out.
I also dive under big sets... and dive deep (if water depth allows) to escape the full power of the lip.
Here's an awesome shot of my buddy GUSU, in Portugal.
He was teaching a girl to SUP surf, when they go caught by a set.
He said "Dive"
She said "What?"
"DIVE!"....
then showed her the perfect form 
Supchickadee,
No ACL is one knee, strained ligaments in the other, very little cartildge left. While I do a lot of knee work to keep supping, skiing etc both kness are essentially pretty stuffed. Thought I may need to stop supping - leg pulls doing too much harm.
Revelation was using a waist leash. Far, far better. I use a Leash Lok from Hawaii (think they post but I collected on a trip).
Select to expand quotescott mckerc said..LastSupper said..
Available where !???
website only pretty much. Will post
Which website, I cannot find them on the smik website. Thanks
Select to expand quotelam said..scott mckerc said..LastSupper said..
Available where !???
website only pretty much. Will post
Which website, I cannot find them on the smik website. Thanks
Sorry still working to update accessories on website. Meant just contact through site
