no way
they scare me to death . I have a fear of getting wrapped in the cord . As a child I got entangled under the water once so ive always been leary
Most commercial
leashes Iāve seen are designed to be attached to the paddler. Even though they can be easily removed, I never liked this. Any line can be snagged, and Iād much rather have the paddle, which I can release, in such a situation than myself.
As long as I have my hands on the paddle, which is pretty much always, I have control of the boat as well.
Rick
always
Attach the leash to the boat for safety reasons.
Interesting discussion
ā Last Updated: Feb-07-15 9:32 AM EST ā
While I don't use a leash, reading through the comments leads me to conclude a DYI leash might be a handy thing to carry - just in case it's needed. Not necessarily for inland lakes, but definitely when I paddle Lake Michigan and Lake Charleovix - which connects to Lake MI.
A good thread with some good ideas. Thanks to the OP for starting it.
Fishingā¦
Is the only time Iād use a leash, otherwise I can park the paddle under the bungies quickly, no need for a leash imo. Unless itās surf kayaking with a really short setup between the wrist and paddle.
Open cockpit
boats often lack an easy place to secure the paddle, so a tether may be a tad more useful in same. When paddling an open boat, I have a tendency to drop the paddle in the cockpit when hands are otherwise occupied (while fishing, I find a tether is rather useful).
My favorite tether is coiled like a phone cord and has lots of springiness. It shortens when I am not holding the paddle, but is loose enough to put negligible force on the paddle when in use. Even when rolling, I donāt notice any stress from the cord.
Rick
Leash to wrist rather than PFD option
If you are using a person-attached leash to start with. It achieves roughly the same purpose and is not long enough to get tangled up. Someone used to make and sell them, but you could DIY yourself too.
Leashing the paddle to the boat is really a different track to me, because that comes most in handy if you get separated from the boat. Depending on the type of paddling, the envrironment and the specific skills of the paddler, this could be a very bad idea. For ex in moving water, if you and your boat get separated your most valuable remaining asset will be the paddle. If it is in your hands and you capsize you can let the boat go and still have the paddle, if it is attached to the boat you are going to have to let the paddle go away too.
If you are on a long trip on calmer water, and tiredness kicks in so capsizes and other unfortunate things become more likely, there is an argument to have the leash attached to the boat. The risks of getting entangled may be much less than the risk of losing contact with the boat.
The only way I see that there can be a universal answer to this one would be if we all did exactly the same kind of paddling. But thereād probably be disagreement then tooā¦
Always
Although I paddle with plenty of others who forego a paddle leash for a leg leash on their skis, I personally prefer the paddle leash. Mine is fastened to the dedicated attachment point on my ski, if it has one, or to the footstrap, if it doesnāt. A surfski will blow away from you far faster than you can swim for it (particularly with a pfd on, which I also always wear). Even if you let go of your paddle, the paddle drag will slow it down somewhat.
I donāt mind the coiled variety at all-where you fasten it has a lot to do with whether or not itās a nuisance-too much length, and it will slap against the side rails.
That said, the weakest link in this system are the attachment points, particularly where Velcro is involved. Some of the higher quality leashes have Velcro straps for the paddle shaft that are 4"-5" long, enabling you to wrap it around several times, engaging the Velcro, as one might wrap a bicycle handlebar with tape-makes for a much stronger link. Plastic carabiners/snap clips are the next culprit for breakage. Iāve seen the āsafetyā push part of the clip fatigue with use, and in some of the cheaper leashes, just snap completely. A good quality stainless steel carabiner works well here. If your ski/kayak has a dedicated attachment point, itās usually too small to allow you to thread the carabiner/clip through it. I like a short section (2") of Q-Power Spectra cord threaded through this, and knotted into a loop for the carabiner to attach to. It removes the carabiner away from the seat/footwell enough so it doesnāt slap. Monitoring your attachment points at intervals for loosening knots, Velcro wear, etc. is definitely recommended.
paddle leash?
When Iām in a wise-ass mood Iāve been know to say to rec kayak paddlers using leashes on calm waters: āIf you trained your paddle, you could let it off leash!ā
For ocean paddling and when Iām acting more responsible, I completely agree with Gregās nuanced response.
Dave
Rarely
In almost 20 years of paddling I have used a leash a handful of times. When I have used one it has been attached to the front bungees, or my wrist (on a short leash). They have always seemed more of a hassle to me so I stopped using them more than a decade ago.
I spent a lot of time practicing āpaddle disciplineā, as a result I hang on to my paddle pretty well without thinking much about it now. I also always have a spare on my foredeck.
As for whitewater and moving current - the risk of entanglement is much much higher. I donāt think I have ever come across a whitewater paddler who used a leash - most see them as a hazard and laughable.
Chris Duff paddling around Ireland
would lease himself to his kayak in rough ocean conditions where being separated from the kayak could prove fatal. A paddle lease has its place as has been pointed out already.
1 Like
At least once
A few weeks ago 1 of the people i was paddling with.got pinned against a down tree.in great part due to her paddle leash.
Your thread was partly what prompted my
question but I didnāt want to hijack the thread and start a debate
Yesā¦
again it comes down to paddling environment. That is not likely a risk faced by someone doing huge open water crossings.
I often wonder why this comes up on a general board. It seems that someoneās personal paddling habits and environment will dictate the answer.
not in current
I have paddled with literally thousands of whitewater kayakers and not one experienced whitewater boater has used a leash in whitewater.
Every so often a newcomer to whitewater will show up with a paddle leash and they are instructed to get rid of it.
In the river environment when there is current of any significant magnitude the risk of a paddle leash far outweighs the potential benefit in my opinion. It doesnāt matter if there are rapids (whitewater) as moving flat water can be just as hazardous. Ocean and lakes are different. Some wide, unobstructed rivers or streams with very slow flow would probably also be exceptions.
A line in the current poses an entanglement risk. Makes no difference if the line is attached to a paddle, a boat, a paddler, any combination of the above, or free in the current.
They Have Their Placeā¦
ā¦even on a flat water lake.
Mine is clipped to a seat attachment point and is usually coiled up on the cockpit floor, but if I stop to get a camera with a big telephoto lens out of a drybag because thereās a bird I want to photograph, the leash is very useful to keep my paddle secure.
It also comes in handy if I stop to eat some lunch!
leashes
Pblanc is right.
I just read an account of a sea kayak paddler on a river that had a seriously bad wreck because his leash got tangled in tree branches.
Inexpensive paddle park
I liked gnarlydogās quick release concept, so I picked up a package of four short ball bungees for two bucks. Visited my kayak at the pool, tied one bungee to the deck rigging near my cockpit, then secured the bungee around my paddle. It works, should I need to park my paddle.
Iāll use the others to secure my spare paddle once the water turns liquid again.
Iām not comfortable with loose line in the cockpit so any DYI leash would be carried on deck or behind my seat.
Iām still teaching my paddle to sit