Taming a kinky leash?

[surferbee]

Anyone have any tricks for getting the kink out of a leash?

I spent waaay too much time battling my leash today. Constantly tangled. Once it even hogtied my feet on the popup and turned me into a kneeboarder until I could get my front foot out.

It's a relatively new (~12 sessions) Creatures leash. I don't leave it coiled up. The swivels seem to be smooth. But it definitely has some twists and bends. Holler at me if you have any advice for getting them out. Thanks.

[oldmansurfer]

If the leash is giving me problems when I sit I grab it and pull it out to the side. If I paddle when I sit back up I pull it out to the side again. Seems to work for me. No idea why the leash gives me problems some days, it's got to be some subconscious thing.

[billie_morini]

surferbee, when I store leashes, I store them outstretched. I clip each end to opposite ends of shelving units in my garage. If there is stubborn one that doesn't want to straighten, then I hand it off the edge of the roof with a weight at the lower end. A few days of this will fix it.

[waikikikichan]

After you’re done surf, do you wrap the leash around the fins/tail of the board ?

Do you ride a longboard or shortboard ?

[surferbee]

After you’re done surf, do you wrap the leash around the fins/tail of the board ?

Do you ride a longboard or shortboard ?

I don't wrap or coil the leash up. I do throw it loosely in the bag on top of the board though. Admittedly, I don't always remember to take it out when I get home. But I have a few leashes and treat them all more or less the same. This one seems to be particularly unfriendly.

I ride longboards and shortboards. This one happens to be on a shortboard - 6ft leash on a 6ft board.

[waikikikichan]

Don't know what to tell you, if your other leashes are treated the same but don't kink on you. But I would do another Pre-stretch ( or in your case another After-Stretch ). Wrap the leg cuff around a pole, walk back full length of the cord, then tug on it slowly with a firm grip on the rail saver. We did that for all our customers leashes when setting up their boards.

[surferbee]

Thanks for the suggestions all! As per Billie's advice, I now have the leash hanging off the roof with a bucket of water on one end - just enough to stretch it straight without stressing it too much. I'll report back in a few days with the results. Much appreciated!

[tomthetreeman]

I have a Channel Islands hexcord leash and it is practically useless. I’ve stretched it out and everything. I’ve been thinking of sending it to the manufacturer with a polite note.

Tom

[surferbee]

UPDATE:

Well, I wish I could say the results were good. After 3 days of hanging the leash with one end weighted (checking everyday) it was slightly better but I could still see two big opposing bends that I think were contributing to the twisting. So, I decided to take it one step further.

In an older thread on the SURFER forum that I found online, a few people had recommended putting the leash in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to re-train the material memory. After boiling a big pot of water, I took it off the stove and submerged the leash for 3 minutes, then reattached it to the roof and connected it to the bucket. And - wait for it - yep, the leash snapped instantly! ...And the bucket broke.

What's strange, though, is that it snapped right at the cuff. I think the urethane of the leash should have been fine in the hot water, but I guess the plastic connector got damaged from the heat. Or, maybe the sustained stress? Or maybe it would have gone anyway during my next session? Or maybe - just maybe - leashes shouldn't be boiled?

So, now I have a good excuse to replace the offending leash (and get a new bucket). After scanning the SURFER forums more, it seems like people mostly recommend Stay Covered leashes or Crow Haley. I found a Stay Covered one for $14 shipped, so I'll give it a try. Of course, no leash is gonna last forever, but I'm curious to know if anyone has a brand they swear by?

[oldmansurfer]

I like Dakine leashes but I actually have a few varieties. Lately I have been choosing big wave leashes for extra durability

[steveylang]

I always get Dakine leashes but don’t have a truly rational reason why, I just like them.

One thing I always do before putting on my leash is sorta swing it around to make sure it’s not twisted up at all. Since I started doing that I find it gets noticeably kinked up less often.

[surferbee]

Good news! Since the leash snapped at the cuff and the cuff is replaceable, I contacted Creatures to see about buying a new cuff. Instead they sent me a complete upgraded replacement leash - for free! Now, that's customer service.

[Tudeo]

I had a good stash of leashes in different sizes, but then in a period of a month or so lost 4 of them! All broken (or damaged) somewhere in the middle of the cord.
The last one made me think.. It was hanging over my board in the storage and I found it the next day on the floor in 2 pieces..
It must have been a rat, with a fancy for nibbling leashes.
I didn't catch the bugger (belum..) so now I try to hide my leashes from him, or her..

[surferbee]

It must have been a rat, with a fancy for nibbling leashes.

Surf rats!!!

surf_rat.jpg (80.04 KiB) Viewed 2084 times

[surferbee]

Just thought I'd follow-up with a quick review of the new leash in case anyone's curious. Yes, I know it's "just" a leash, but I have to admit that I've actually been pretty impressed with it. It's a Creatures of Leisure Pro 6' and it has been absolutely tangle-free. The swivels are super smooth but the biggest improvement IMO is that they rubberized the inside of the cuff so that it doesn't rotate around the ankle like every other leash I've ever owned. Maybe some other companies are doing this as well, but this is the first I've experienced it. May seem minor, but I've gotta say I really like not having to even think about my leash in the water once I put it on.

[dtc]

Huh, I don’t think I’ve had a leash rotate around. Mine have a neoprene insert around the ankle, I guess I just assumed they all did that (I use O&E leashes). Or maybe I do mine up really tight

[surferbee]

Do you wear a wetsuit, dtc? Most of my leashes have that neoprene lining and it works well enough on bare skin but always rotates when I'm wearing a wetsuit. Or maybe I don't do mine up tight enough

[dtc]

yep, almost always wear a full wetsuit - just for sun protection if nothing else (in summer I wear an old wetsuit that leaks like a sieve). Possibly it does rotate and I just dont even notice it any more.

[dtc]

yep, almost always wear a full wetsuit - just for sun protection if nothing else (in summer I wear an old wetsuit that leaks like a sieve). Possibly it does rotate and I just dont even notice it any more.

[surferbee]

Maybe it's just me then. I guess I just hang loose even when I try to tighten things up.