Bought a new leggie the other day, which happened to be elastic. The benefit on offer was that the elasticity of it absorbed the energy ...

For a couple of sessions it's been fine and presented no hazard, and it's certainly been less strain on the ankle.

This morning, a wave breaks on me taking the board. I surface and whacko - out of nowhere the board comes flying at me and smacks into my cheek bone .. just got back from the doctors looking like a pirate (seven stitches)

From what I can tell, the board must have landed right way up, and the pull of the leggie has propelled it towards me at planing speed?

Anybody got any experience/comments on elastic -vs- non-elsatic legropes?

All leggies have this problem...I've lost count of the near misses and had to bin my gath after getting hit in the head by my shortboard....I try to stay down until I fell the legrope go slack before surfacing

Elastic leggy you say ???? interesting ,,does sound like its short I'm with Goatman long leggy no probs ,just a bloody long leggy.
what does interest me is the coiled jobs anyone have any encounter with these or are they like a tangled 9 foot plus telephone cord after a few wipeouts?
tom

I wondered where you went...I was going to paddle down and say G'day (PMed you earlier)

What a shame, the waves where smoking I must have got 30 lefts all the way to the beach most reformed and let you get another 2 or so turns in. That was the best I've seen that beach in years.

Hope you heal alright....

Went to the beach and left my leggie at home, had the dirtboard in the van which has a coiled leash so grabbed that as a quick fix (90 mile trip back home to pick up the proper one).

Verdict - bloody lethal as the cheap elastic ones they sell over here. There is sufficient stretch to cause it to "ping" back towards you - 1" scar under my right eye to prove the point!

As everyone says get a long leash - mine is now permanantly on the board.

Just went and measured the leg rope .. it's 3.2 metres, which I thought would be long enough .. funny thing is, it was bugging me how long it was & was thinking of going shorter!

No more stretchy leggies for me.

goatman said...

Laurie I use normal urethane leggies and have the same issue with my 903 PSH Ripper-I have worked out that, as there's heaps of tail lift, there is not the usual drag offered by a short board and the board tends to come back at me really easily and quickly-maybe less a case of the leash an a consequence of the board design.

What length leggie you using Matt? Mines about 4m (I think) and my ripper has never come close to hitting me - it gets lots of use too, lol.

Drags me like nothin else on a big wave, but that's expetcted I guess when you have a 10 kilo barge attached to ya

John,

It's a 10 feet FCS big wave leggie. It's only come back a few times-but the board comes back very quickly when deck up and you pull on the leash to get the board back-again, I think it's the super floatation and the tail lift.

Tried MR twins and a small trailing fin today in some sizey Palm Beach-not great-way too stiff for my liking-lost heaps of responsiveness.

I have a Creatures Of Leisure Leggie.
Its the Outter Reef model.
9mm thick and you can get 3m or 3.6m in length.
Because I ride the Starboard 11'2 I got the 3.6m leggie so I could ride the nose
Even in big waves this leggie doesnt shoot the board back at you.
Stand Up Paddle Sports in Osborne Park or Nedlands sell them.

Greenroom said...

I have a Creatures Of Leisure Leggie.
Its the Outter Reef model.
9mm thick and you can get 3m or 3.6m in length.
Because I ride the Starboard 11'2 I got the 3.6m leggie so I could ride the nose
Even in big waves this leggie doesnt shoot the board back at you.
Stand Up Paddle Sports in Osborne Park or Nedlands sell them.

That's the one they have some kind of material that runs down the centre of the urethane that reduces stretch and fly back. Pulls like a mule though, one leg longer and flared nostrils are developed. But they do not break, yet.

Jack Mack said...

I thought elastic leggies went out with the sock tied around ya ankle!
jack

Mum's old stockings tied onto your ankle. Made for a nice stretchy leash that you could wear for later in the evening. [}:)]

dont go there enough said