Paddle Leash Bow Eye: The right knot?

Wave Witch - sort of a cross between a wave ski on steroids and a surf ski.

The most fun I've had in a kayak so far - both on flat water and in waves.

But in the waves, I leash the paddle to the bow eye to win the hearts and minds
of any swimmers inshore of whatever break I lose it in and to prevent blowaways
in an offshore wind.

I encase most of the leash in pool noodle foam to minimize the risk of
entanglement and to prevent it wrapping around the bow.

So far, so good....

But the bowline that I use to tie the leash on to the bow eye seems to be the
wrong knot. It wants to come loose after enough exposure to me floundering
around in the white water. I've tried a whole bunch of half hitches and
they're good for awhile - but they, too, come undone with enough white water.

Looked for some kind of non-metallic snap connector (don't want metal banging on
the fiberglass), but no luck so far.

I've got a kludge that works - sort of... but I'm thinking maybe there's a knot
specific to this situation. Something that won't come loose, but is still
reasonably easy to untie and also can be tied leaving minimal line between the
knot and the beginning of the pool noodle (so it can't flip around the bow)

Can anybody name such a knot?
--
PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:

> But the bowline that I use to tie the leash on to the bow eye seems to be the
> wrong knot. It wants to come loose after enough exposure to me floundering
> around in the white water.

What kind of line are you using? Some don't hold knots well. Spectra and cheap
polypropylene laid (twisted) rope will untie easily. Polyester braided line
(kernmantle or double braid) will hold a bowline forever as will nylon. Bungie
can come untied if not tied really tight. If you have the right line, the knot
is easy.

Mike