Re: [Paddlewise] Paddle Leash

Matt Broze wrote:
> 
> I tried out Ralph's "jetski kill switch" paddle tether Sunday on a 20+ mile
> paddle from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. I worked well and
> it didn't have any of the downsides that the heavier telephone style leashes
> I had seen before did. Mainly, it wasn't heavy, it didn't clack on the deck,
> and it didn't tangle. I tugged pretty hard on the plastic hook end and it
> didn't break. I was a little concerned as to how well the shaft on my
> ultralightweight graphite paddle would fair if I yanked real hard and fast
> with both hands on my paddle so I refrained from trying that just yet. I'll
> try it on a blue pole-vaulting company glass paddle shaft to see if the loop
> will hold together (once I find one with a big enough loop to fit over that
> shaft--of course the alternative is to just tie it on to the shaft with some
> nylon parachute cord wrapped several times around the shaft--this might
> protect the shaft and let one use kill switch cords with "too small"
> loops)..
> Right now the Jet Ski kill switch strap looks to be the equal of my present
> 3/16" shock cord and shock cord clip leash in every way except price. $6.99
> vs. $1.69 (in materials and tying a couple of knots).

I suspect the jet ski one (does anyone else appreciate the irony of our
using something from a camp generally despised by kayakers!  It is not
the only good such device.  I covered others in my newsletter including
tow line, dock lines, and several anchors...virtual of all of their gear
is that it is lightweight, marine grade and generally covered in vinyl
to avoid scratching up their shiny machines) will hold up to the tug
test better than any of the velcro strapped type with bungee tethers,
but would fail at some supreme test level.

What Matt failed to mention is the aesthetics of these jet ski tethers. 
They come in wonderful day-glo colors...orange, yellow, green.  They are
kinda pretty dangling from you paddle and add to your being visible
(well maybe I am stretching this a bit :-)

If you go this route here are some things you should know and ways of
getting around some of the fitting to paddle situation:

The kill switch tethers have a plastic hook on one end that is certainly
as tough as that in the Perception bungee tether but with a wider gate
so it can go around fatter fastening spots (heavy deck line, beefy
D-rings) and disengage quickly.  I always found the Perception plastic
hook too tight even on the moderate size D rings used by Feathercraft
and hard to disengage when I was in a hurry to unhook the tether from my
boat.  This hook is in a loop.

The other end has a plastic device in 3 varieties that is meant to match
up with the kill switch key of different makes of jet skies.  It is also
in a loop.  I found that the one for Sea-Doos works best.

BUT here is the important point:  The loops have been made with no
particular uniformity as they are only meant to hold the key or
snaphook.  The manufacturer was not thinking that some creative,
ever-inquisitive nut like me would want to use one loop end to insert
his paddle shaft into (need a takeapart paddle to do this).  My first
one of the jet ski tethers had a loop that fit perfectly around my
paddle even with the kill switch key still on.  There was absolutely
none of that annoying sliding I have found with either home made or
factory made paddle tethers before.

When I bought several other of the jet ski tethers to leave on two other
paddles that I use, the loops were a bit too small.  Here are the
remedies:

1.  If you can and are buying the jet ski tethers in a store (West
Marine), look at the blister packages and select the one that seems to
have the largest loop.

2.  If you can't or are buying via catalog, you can do several things if
the loop is too small to fit on your paddle shaft.

First, clip off the kill switch key.  It is made of polycarbonate but it
can be cut easily with a pair of garden pruning scissors or any heavy
duty scissors.  That may make the loop work.

Two,  see if the loop on the other end that holds the snap hook is big
enough.  You can then switch the hook to the kill switch key end and run
your paddle through the loop that originally held the snap hook.  Matt,
creative and ever-inquisitive person that he is did that with his.  So
did I with one of my jet ski leashes.

Lastly, and this is last resort stuff and least desirable solution: open
up the loop.  I had to do that with one of my leashes.  It is easy to
do.  Slip down the cover that is over the base of the loop.  You will
see that the loop has been created by running the leash line back on
itself and applying a multi-toothed clamp to hold it in place to form
the loop.  I opened this up with a screw driver and then clamped it back
down with pliers.  I think it will hold okay but probably not as well as
the factory applied clamp.

For the also creative, ever-inquisitive among you who want to go this
route, the West Marine order number is 310088, SeaDoo PFD PWC Tether
cord.  You could also try the other brands of jet ski kill key ones, but
go for the ones that attach to PFD not the ones for the wrist.  Yamaha
331357, Kawasaki 33165.

Hmm, the wrist attachment ones...I wonder if something can be done with
them around a kayak!?!?!

BTW, do look at the pages of the West Marine catalog on which these
tethers appear.  You will see all sorts of nifty anchors, dock lines
etc. that would work well on a kayak.  For example they have a nice 20
foot tow line that is meant for one jetskier to tow another.  So it is a
tough line...it originally came with plastic nylon hooks which are
plenty tough but recently they switched to metal carabiner hooks.

Another BTW, it is always worthwhile to look at gear from other
endeavors for possible cross-over use in kayaking.  There is an old
principle that comes from my competitive intelligence days which states
that you can often find info on a competitor by locating other
information gatherers (especially in the public field) who might need
similar information.  The corollary of this for kayakers is "who else
needs to use equipment similar to our needs?"  Gear for jet skiers
operating in a marine environment is a logical place to look.

ralph diaz 


-- 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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