Several people have asked me about my impact vest with a reel leash and a wing harness hook added. For me, it’s an ideal combination. The sewing looks like works of primitive man because I used my wife’s sewing machine in Maui instead of the brutal TuffSew in Maui. The combination is easy to use, does everything I want it to, and it’s both slimming and gives me abs. I may start wearing this all the time under my shirt.
I got the reel assembly and belt from Blue Planet and the hook from NSI. The reel was a bit floppy on the belt, so I rivetted it onto the impact vest with the heads of the rivet on the inside for cruising comfort.
The belt had a plastic buckle–I’m not a fan of those for anything important, so I replaced it with a stainless steel loop that reverses the velcro and holds well. When I return to Maui and get into bigger surf I’ll add a safety strap, but for now, this is fine.
I set up the belt so the hook is held between the buckle and the loop. The second loop will be for the safety strap, which will work like the third flap on a surf leash railsaver. 