Lightweight, Ultra-Strong Leash for Water Sports

Abstract

A lightweight, ultra-strong leash for water sports is disclosed. The utility model relates to a tether, herein called a “leash,” for attaching a person to a canoe, kayak, foil, paddleboard, surfboard, surfski or similar watercraft. The leash allows a person to maintain connection to the watercraft in case of temporary separation such as from capsizing or falling. The leash comprises a resilient rope, rope swivels, hardware, and an adjustable cuff or belt. The leash attaches at one end to the watercraft and at the other end to the cuff or belt, which is worn by the sporting person. The full assembly is compact and features two mechanisms for optional quick-connect or quick-disconnect. The leash has equivalent strength to wire strand steel but is extremely lightweight. The materials' resistances to UV degradation and water and salt water deterioration uniquely boost the full assembly's overall strength and integrity initially and over time.

1 . The invention claimed is a lightweight, ultra-strong leash for water sports with quick-connect and -disconnect capacity, the accessory leash composed of components: a main retractable, composite and jacketed cord;
 eye loops;   swiveling smaller ropes;   quick-connect, -disconnect hardware (snap hook and quick link);   a cuff or belt that attaches to the leg or waist;   a quick-connect, -disconnect buckle.   
     
     
         2 . The component leash of  claim 1 , made of rope sheathed in a thermoplastic jacket engineered into a retractable coil. 
     
     
         3 . The component leash of  claim 1 , made of rope sheathed in a resilient thermoplastic jacket engineered into any straight length. 
     
     
         4 . The component leash of  claim 1 , made of UHMWPE sheathed in a TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) jacket thermally engineered into a retractable coil. 
     
     
         5 . The component leash of  claim 1 , made of UHMWPE sheathed in a TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) jacket engineered into any straight length. 
     
     
         6 . The component leash of  claim 1 , made of any combination of straight sections and coiled sections; the overall length when extended or retracted or diameter of cord or coiled cord may vary. 
     
     
         7 . The component of  claim 1 , with sections of coiled TPU or thermoplastic sleeve with UV resistance and water and salt water corrosion resistance, through which the UHMWPE (or any other fibrous rope) may be drawn or coated and therefore jacketed; the jacket makes the elasticized coil for the UHMWPE rope and protects it from UV radiation as well as from water and salt water corrosion, and any diameter or length of cord within any diameter or length of TPU may be utilized for the assembly of a retractable cord. 
     
     
         8 . The component of  claim 1 , with sections of non-coiled or straight TPU or thermoplastic sleeve with UV resistance and water and salt water corrosion resistance, through which the UHMWPE cord may be drawn or coated and therefore jacketed; the jacket makes the resilient sleeve for the UHMWPE rope and protects it from UV radiation as well as from water and salt water corrosion, and any diameter or length of cord within any diameter or length of TPU may be utilized for the terminal ends of the main jacketed rope, such that they may be knotted or otherwise rigged, or for any other section of the rope. 
     
     
         9 . The components of  claim 1 : swivels made of rope that rely on the nature of woven fibrous rope to swivel and unswivel. 
     
     
         10 . The components of  claim 1 : swivels made of UHMWPE that rely on the nature of woven fibrous rope to swivel and unswivel. 
     
     
         11 . The component of  claim 1 : a snap hook for use in a leash assembly with rope swivels, which may be manufactured with 304 or 316 stainless steel or other metals or carbonized resins, and hooks to the rope swivel at one end by knotting and/or looping; the snap hook providing one of the main quick-connect or -disconnect means for attaching or detaching the main leash assembly from the cuff or belt worn by the person, typically at the quick link, though it may snap directly to the cuff. 
     
     
         12 . The component of  claim 1 : a quick link for use to connect a leash assembly to a cuff or belt by feeding it through a sewn loop in the cuff strapping and securing it to itself by closing the link nut on the link body to its own machined threads. 
     
     
         13 . The component of  claim 1 : a cuff assembly, which may be composed of a strap that may be made of polyester or aramid or UHMWPE or similar webbed polymerous materials; may be sewn with thread that may be polyester or aramid or UHMWPE or similar, and may be secured via a 2-part polymerous buckle, a 1-part polymerous glide, and an elastic loop or keeper; and as a whole may attach to the sporting person above the calf or at the waist. 
     
     
         14 . The component of  claim 1 : a method of making terminal loops or eyes by knotting polymerous jacketed rope, with the loop terminals secured by sewing with UHMWPE or polyester or aramid thread that may be composed of various diameters or strands. 
     
     
         15 . The component of  claim 1 : a ferrules that may be made of hardened resinous or polymerous or metal sleeves such as POM or stainless steel, bronze, aluminum, or any other suitable material, through which the terminal rope ends may be fed and secured within by the sewing of thread through holes in the ferrule body. 
     
     
         16 . The component of  claim 1 : clear (translucent or transparent) thermoplastic shrink tubes, may be utilized for both securing and protecting from UV degradation the terminal ends of the thermoplastic jacketed rope and/or UHMWPE knots and swivels, and for the method of allowing for the inspection of subcomponents, namely for observing integrity of the invention; it may be manufactured from a thermoplastic material such as polyolefin, fluoropolymer (such as FEP, PTFE or Kynar), PVC, or silicone elastomer. 
     
     
         17 . The component of  claim 13  is a strap that may be made of polyester or aramid or UHMWPE fibers or other polymerous synthetic fibers, sewn into one folded-over loop at one end; it may be sewn with thread that may be polyester or UHMWPE or aramid or other fibers; it may be of varying lengths to fit the sporting person's leg or waist (belt-length) and is adjustable to accommodate different custom lengths. 
     
     
         18 . The component method of attachment of  claim 13  may be a POM or other polymerous two-part buckle that may be sewn at the female end into the strap; this buckle provides a quick-connect or -disconnect means to separate the leash and cuff from the wearer. 
     
     
         19 . The component method of assembly of  claim 13  may be a POM or other polymerous glide or triglide that the strap is slid through and allows for adjustment of the overall length of the cuff. 
     
     
         20 . The component method of assembly of  claim 13  may be an elastic loop that the excess strap may be slid through to secure the excess length; it may be made of any elastic material and/or polymerous or natural material. 
     
     
         21 . A kit of parts comprising the make, method, and use of  claim 1 .