DIY $3 Hobie Rod Leash

[dsafety]

Nate's leash will work great for rods and other things that you do not want to lose overboard but I can think of an even better application. Attach one of these leashes near the forward hatch on any Hobie and you have the perfect leash for a Mirage Drive.

If this was standard equipment on all Hobies, I bet we would stop hearing the stories about lost Mirage Drives. Next time I am in O'side, I plan to stop in at OEX to pick up the parts to make one of these for my Revo.

Thanks for the great idea Nate. This one should be reposted to the Innovations thread.

Bob

[fongman]

Originally Posted by dsafety

Nate's leash will work great for rods and other things that you do not want to lose overboard but I can think of an even better application. Attach one of these leashes near the forward hatch on any Hobie and you have the perfect leash for a Mirage Drive.

Bob,

the bungee clips are not made for heavy-duty applications. They have 2 weak points: 1) they are only held onto the bungee by two plastic barbs and 2) the plastic tab used to close the hook are prone to breaking. I have a rarely-used bungee with these clips on both ends and both tabs are missing.

The concern with the barbs is that too much weight may stretch the bungee to the point where the barbs fail. To test the holding strength of the bungee/clip, I attached the bungee cord to my peddles and then vigorously bounced it up and down. It bottomed out a few times, but did not slip. The barbs passed the test. However, I would still be concerned that, over time as the rubber cord ages, the barbs may loose their holding ability.

I personally would feel better doubling the bungee over the swivel portion of a brass snap hook and using a SS hog ring to secure it.


btw, thanks for the props! I'm glad you were able to find a way to use the leash idea.