handle guard

[disland]

what are folks using? I tried the masterline velcro guard. It was OK but didnt hold up real well for $50

[DvarianDan Johnson]

MOB https://www.mobsystemrelease.com/new-products

Only $25. Keep extra zip ties in the boat 

[vtmecheng]

Got a cat litter bucket from a friend that has a rectangular cross-section. I cut a few guards out from that. Just drill some speed holes in it and holes for zip ties. Good to go, only cost is a bit of time, and made specifically for my handle and where I want it to be located. Definitely get nicer zip ties like Ty-Rap and they will last.

[sgregg]

https://fluidmotionsports.com/products/fm-handle-guard-1

[dbutcher]

I make my own to fit the V of the particular handle.  I cut them out of the hard plastic that is made for office chairs to roll on over carpet.  I drill three or four holes on each side and put brass grommets in/over the holes.  I round the edges of the plastic V so that it does not cut the rope; and, if the plastic has carpet grippers on its bottom, I grind those off so they are no longer sharp.  Before attaching the guard (with zip ties) to the rope V, I fasten clear plastic tubing over the rope for further protection of the rope.  Obviously, I do all this before mounting the guard on the handle.  You have to have the guard far enough from the bar so that you can get your hand(s) on the bar even with a little miss-grab, but close enough to the bar that your head can't go in.

[ETskier]

I keep 2 handles. One has FM, other is MOB. Both very good. (I cut the min handle strap off the FP)

[vtmecheng]

I like using the thinner plastic and making the zip tie holes closer to the edge. My goal is for the plastic to fail if my arm gets stuck but it’s more than strong enough to stop the handle from going over my head.

[Ski_Dad]

MOB on both of my handles - a recent thing for me.

[lundberg]

I make my own as well. 

Purchased sheet ABS from Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R9W4NZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can cut it by scoring with a razor blade and bending it.  Drill holes to attach and file the edges so they are not sharp.  I like to attach with paracord and thread it through the rope to keep it from moving around.  I also make two panels so that you can fold it to feed the handle through a loop.

 

[Nautique99]

+1 for the MOB handle guard.  Use zip ties to fasten, trim the tail ends and sand them down to avoid sharp corners.

[Ski_Dad]

5 hours ago, lundberg said:

I make my own as well. 

Purchased sheet ABS from Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R9W4NZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can cut it by scoring with a razor blade and bending it.  Drill holes to attach and file the edges so they are not sharp.  I like to attach with paracord and thread it through the rope to keep it from moving around.  I also make two panels so that you can fold it to feed the handle through a loop.

 

i like the paracord idea!! 

[Jody_Seal]

the tried and true Homer handle!

[lefty]

Another fan of MOB version here

 

[mbabiash]

My fear with handle guard was verified by Regina on Sunday at Swiss when her hand slipped through and got caught between guard and handle. Thank goodness she didn’t sustain more of an injury but I see that being more common than a head going through. 
 

[03RLXi]

@mbabiash the thing is that a stuck hand leads to an injury and some pain. A stuck head leads to major injury, or death. Each skier needs to decide their own likelihood vs consequence balance and if they wish to mitigate it

[Wish]

Replay her pass. The guard played no roll. Her wrist got caught in the corner of the handle. I believe she decided to cross the wake like that vs straightening it. But maybe it was just caught. But to my eyes the guard played no roll. I will say the spin out at 3 could have easily been a far more dangerous scenario without the handle guard. 

[DW]

DIY guard with paracord.  I find every solution has drawbacks, consider carefully what is important to you.

[Jody_Seal]

30 minutes ago, DW said:

DIY guard with paracord.  I find every solution has drawbacks, consider carefully what is important to you.

  double thin spectra with the inner woven micro spectra fibers!!

[skialex]

I make these… rope net doesn’t get caught at skis’s edge,  when getting up. For handles with plastic protection, I make a cross bar… 

Have made other plastic ones that are attached with zip ties but I prefer the rope net solution.

Have also made these before, I only do the rope net now and the cross bar…