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Paddle leash? yay or Nay

9K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  raymo 
#1 ·
On class 4 and - is it a bad idea to have a paddle leash? I mean 400 bucks seams like something you want attached to you as long as it doesn't get hung up. So is it a bad desicion safety wise to have one?
 
#13 ·
Ok, I will disclaimer as I am a kayaker, so yes I have relatively limited knowledge since I primarily am just along for the ride in rafts.

I have a friend who uses a 1 - 1 1/2 foot leash off the base of the oar lock.

To keep a long story short, we come over a ledge drop and his oar lock gives out. He was pushing with the same oar so all his support was on that side and he gets dumped as the oar lock gives out and the boat comes over the ledge. I am sitting up front enjoying the ride when all of a sudden we stop (and pin on a rock). I then notice that all I hear is the rattle of the oars. I look back and no rower. Look in the water and on the end of the oar is the rower. I can't pull the oar in (due to the leash), but he is then able to climb the leash and self rescues. We get a bump from a raft in our party, get off the rock and continue on are way (we did stop and tighten the oar locks).

The leash spared a class IV swim. Based on length it did not appear to be much of a tangle hazard. Getting hit in the head by a oar bouncing around under an overturned boat may be another story, but based on all the other crap I usually see hanging off a boat and scary foot entaglements such as netting, it sure seems relatively benign.
 
#14 ·
This story doesn't really apply here, a leash on an oar and a leash on a kayak paddle are two very different situations. The oar is tied to the boat a paddle leash is connected to a person.

The only time I would use a paddle leash would be collecting a paddle from someone who swam in easy water, otherwise not worth it.
 
#16 ·
To be ultra safe and make sure I don't loose any gear, I like to tie a really long rope around my left wrist, then wrap the rope a couple times around my paddle, then run it through both grab loops on my boat and loop it up around and through my helmet strap, then around my nose plugs and lastly I run it down into my boat and around my balls. At times it's a little cumberson but who can risk loosing gear? Right?
 
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