A leg rope or surfboard leash is a
urethane cord attached to the deck of a
surfboard, down near the tail. It prevents the surfboard from being swept away by
wave
In physics, mathematics, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. Waves can be periodic, in which case those quantities oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (re ...
s and stops runaway surfboards from hitting other surfers and
swimmers. Modern leashes consist of a urethane
cord
Cord or CORD may refer to:
People
* Alex Cord (1933–2021), American actor and writer
* Chris Cord (born 1940), American racing driver
* Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974) American industrialist
* Ronnie Cord (1943–1986), Brazilian singer
* Co ...
where one end has a band with a
velcro
Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fast ...
strap attached to the surfer's trailing foot, and the opposite has a velcro strap attached to the tail end of the surfboard. Should the surfer fall while riding a wave, the surfboard will not be swept away, thus allowing the
surfer to quickly recover his surfboard and return to the take-off zone.
Background
![Surf board leash](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Surf_board_leash.jpg)
The leash was invented in the 1970s amidst controversy that it was a dangerous accessory. Prior to leashes introduction in 1971, surfers who fell off their boards had to swim to retrieve them with runaway boards being an inconvenience to the surfer and a danger to other surfers. Initially, people expressed concern that if a surfer fell while riding a wave and wearing a leg rope, the surfboard may bounce back and hit the surfer causing serious injury. Although this can happen, most surfers today choose to use a leg rope while surfing as it is believed that leg ropes prevent more accidents than they cause.
Santa Cruz resident Pat O'Neill
(son of surfer Jack O'Neill, inventor of the O'Neill Wetsuit) is credited with
inventing
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
the surf leash. His initial designs consisted of
surgical
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
cord attached to a board with a
suction cup
A suction cup, also known as a sucker, is a device or object that uses the negative Pressure#Fluid pressure, fluid pressure of air or water to adhere to Porosity, nonporous surfaces, creating a Vacuum, partial vacuum.
Suction cups are peripher ...
. At the 1971
Malibu international surfing competition, Pat offered leashes to his competitors in the event. Consequently, he was disqualified from the event for wearing his leash, dubbed a ''kook cord'' by those at the event however over the next year, the leash became a ubiquitous tool in the surfing world.
Pat's father, Jack O'Neill, lost his left eye in a surf leash
accident
An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not directly caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that nobody should be blamed, but the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Most researche ...
as the surgical tubing used in the early designs allowed the leash to
overstretch, causing the surfboard to fly back towards the surfer. Subsequent cords were made with less elastic materials such as
bungee cord Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks
A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungle; also known as a shock cord) is an elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath. The ...
s.
The first leg rope on the surfboard was created by Peter Wright, in
Raglan, New Zealand
Raglan is a small beachside town located 48 km west of Hamilton, New Zealand on New Zealand State Highway 23, State Highway 23. It is known for its surfing, and volcanic black sand beaches.
History
The Ngāti Māhanga iwi occupied the ...
. It was established in the very early 1970s. It consisted of
ylon He is not credited for his efforts because he did not
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...
the leg rope. The urethane design was patented by David Hattrick.
Later in the 1970s, he established Pipe Lines surfing products and developed a design that could be patented. This design also won an
Australian Design Award in 1979.
Structure
Modern
Modern may refer to:
History
* Modern history
** Early Modern period
** Late Modern period
*** 18th century
*** 19th century
*** 20th century
** Contemporary history
* Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century
Phil ...
leg rope consists of four parts
cuff
A cuff is a layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment (shirt, coat, jacket, etc.) at the wrist, or at the ankle end of a trouser leg. The function of turned-back cuffs is to protect the cloth of the garment from fraying, an ...
,
swivel
A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object, such as a gun, chair, swivel caster, or an anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft ...
, cord and rail saver.
The cuff comes with a double wrap-around velcro cuff. The swivel allows the cuff to spin and twist without the rope itself twisting or tangling providing less strain on the rope. The cords are typically made from a high-quality polyurethane and typically come in 2 thicknesses. However, the thicker leg ropes has more drag in the water.
The rails saver is designed to provide a secured connection to the board and protect the rail when a surfer falls.
A leash cup, also known as a "leash plug", is an indentation in the deck of the board close to the tail that contains a small metal bar that a short cord can be girth hitched to for attaching a leash.
Current use
Leashes are still the source of some contention in surfing today as, although they are now accepted as mandatory equipment for
shortboard
A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa he' ...
ers, many
longboarders
A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa he' ...
refuse to wear them, claiming it infereres with their ability to walk up and down the board. At crowded surf spots with large waves, it is argued that the freedom not wearing a leash gives is secondary to the safety of others.
References
External links
*
{{Surfing
Surfing equipment