Can I get away with a 7' Creatures of Leisure Reliance Pro 7 leash on my 8'0 Starboard Blue Carbon Pro 2021?? (I like that it has a key pocket, but am aware the rule of thumb is the length of the board should be length of the leash.) Also, should you wear the ankle cuff loose or tight? (I've always worn loose so it can adjusts itself back if rotated out of position.) Am surfing up to overheads on a beach break at North Narrabeen, Sydney.
Yes, that's what I use: leash length = board length minus 1'
The reason is that a 7' leash has a cord length 7'. But add the rail saver and the distance of the leash plug to the tail and you get at least 1' more, an effective 8'+ length.
Many thanks, Colas! Coming from you, that is very reassuring! I will now rip the packaging off and install!!! Any advice on whether to wear loose or tight around the ankle?
Select to expand quoteAdiSups said..
Any advice on whether to wear loose or tight around the ankle?
tight, so that the pressure is spread on a wider surface when pulling, and the cuff does not rotate around, risking having the cord pointing to the front of your feet and be in your way.
Not too tight to cut blood flow, of course.
For instance look at a 6' leash on my 6'9": 
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Best-leggie?page=1#1700498
when in doubt or between sizes go bigger and use a stronger leash for sup.
A smaller leash the board will have greater chance of hitting you or leash breaking. Beach break and if you aren't wiping out often in smaller waves you can try as colas.
In bigger surf I use a 10ft with leash lock waist attach to avoid hurting my leg or hip on 8 to 9ft boards. You do retrieve the board slower. Normally I use about same size as board for ankle leash with the stronger ocean earth versions to help keep board off the rocks.
8ft leash on my 7'6 works fine no downside.
Select to expand quoteslsurf said..
A smaller leash the board will have greater chance of hitting you or leash breaking. Beach break and if you aren't wiping out often in smaller waves you can try as colas.
I agree that longer leashes may be better in bigger or hollower waves, when you need to dive far away from the board in wipeouts, especially when getting caught in the tube.
But for max overhead beach breaks like the original poster, no problem.And if you fall often, the quickness to retrieve the board is very useful, especially when each second counts to get back out. Plus you have a better awareness of where is the board (I hate it when the leash goes slack and do not know where is the board).I even used 5' leashes on my 6'8" boards.
On strength, there is no problem with short good leashes (O&E ONE for me).The main leash killer are the fins. Sand their trailing edges, and take care to not have the board be pushed backwards straight onto the leash.
So yes, longer leashes are better for bigger waves.
Thank you both for your further great insights! The quick retrieval and board location awareness mentioned by Colas are key benefits for me. I'm now waiting for the wind and tide to drop and banks to start working before I get out there this morning. I will experiment with the tight cuff! Thanks again
So, I did get out there. And with the big sets rolling in at a monstrous two to three foot on the face, I had the entirety of North Narrabeen to myself - an absolute rarity. The shorter leash worked a treat - quicker retrieval and better sense of where the board was, as suggested by Colas. And the tight cuff was also a revelation. I cannot believe I have been SUP surfing all these years without trying this before.
Another valuable lesson for me: I had taken great care to attach the new leash correctly. As as result, the loose board rarely flipped upside down, something that had been reasonably regular previously.
Select to expand quoteAdiSups said..
Another valuable lesson for me: I had taken great care to attach the new leash correctly. As as result, the loose board rarely flipped upside down, something that had been reasonably regular previously.
Cool!On the small string to attach the rail saver to the plug, my advice is to use 3mm dyneema cord. It is super strong and abrasion-resistant, as strings provided with the leashes can fail with time. You must burn the string ends after making the knot so that it does not slip however, as the slickness of the dyneema that makes it abrasion-resistant makes the knots slip.
I also add a second 2mm dyneema string as a safety (here my 7' leash on my 8'1" board)
Note that the cloth flat strings may also be a good solution. I never broke one, but I cannot be sure they are better than dyneema.
Things like: www.wavepatrol.de/en/products/surf-leash-string-recycled
my leg ropes have never broken off the string as I use windsurfing downhaul rope ,tough as,
swivel has been where most of mine break ,if you see rust in them be aware .copper .or is it brass if I see rust I Don't use them
stainless has been good .
I like 8 foot leg ropes ,my boards are 8'7 and 8'8
like slsurf I go to 9 foot or 8,5 leg rope when waves are big .you need the stretch as it will drag you ..
Select to expand quoteTardy said..
my leg ropes have never broken off the string as I use windsurfing downhaul rope ,tough as,
My windsurfing downhaul ropes were kevlar. But they are very bulky and cumbersome to use as leash strings.
Dyneema is a polymer as are Kevlar fibers, but much more adapted to use as ropes. (more flexible, 40% stronger, UV-resistant, much better flex fatigue resistance as Kevlar becomes brittle or fuzzy with repeated bending, chemical resistance...).
The only drawback is that Kevlar supports 500C and does not melt where dyneema melts at 120C... but this means you cannot burn the ends of a kevlar fiber to secure a knot! (you will melt the non-kevlar sleeve, but not secure the fibers themselves)
I broke once the (built-in) string of a nearly new O&E leash (at the famous "La Nord" in Hossegor). Once was enough to say "never again".
That's true the built in oe strings break over time happened to me also. I wonder if it is intentionally weaker than leash. After replacing the string the main leash then broke a session later. I still think they are strongest leashes but I feel like they used to be more stretchy than the latest ones I've had.
I used a shoe lace once got to the break new leg rope new board ,oh sheet no rope on the leg rope ,
off goes the shoes on goes the Lace and out there ,to my surprise 3 days later still going .
My leashes always break before the string and you get a new string or two with every leash so now I have leash strings everywhere.
I have had leash plugs that had really sharp edges eventually cut the leash string enough to make it fail though. Now I round off the edges of all my leash plugs with some sandpaper now before installing a leash string.
Usually not an issue on SUPs since the plug is set further in, but make sure your leash string doesn't extend over the end of your board or it will cut right through the board,
Coincidentally I just installed an oe leash "big wave" with the quick release and it comes with 2 strings that are at least twice as thick as the ones on their other leashes. I like that it is softer nylon than windsurf rope. Not sure why they were so cheap with the skinny strings.
yes,
I used to use a 6 foot or an 8 foot on my 9-foot sup depending on the surf size,
the 6 foot was a short board leg rope and the 8 foot was a thicker leg rope for bigger surf,
it really doesn't matter what size that you use if you are on a short board style sup and you are surfing it as such because you more or less just need to be able to stand in the middle of the board as when you are surfing you move back not forward on a short board,
now if I'm surfing my longboard sup I wear a 10-foot knee leash so as when I walk around it doesn't get in the way
a lot of it is learning how to wipeout also and when to bail so that you are not in the strongest part of the wave
