Have a new board which i have only surfed a hand full of times but the tail is chipping away quite badly! Im wondering if its the leash itself or is it the rope! The rope just abt touches the end of the board so am i right in saying thats the problem?? Should the loop on the string be as short as possible??

Yes!, make the loop just big enough to fit the tailsaver through. The rope/string can cut through your board like cheese wire f it catches right.

will do that so, have to repair it already first

how long have you been surfing now? you should know better

ah the surf was good i rushed it

schoolboy error doylers.
head on down to oceanics or t-bay and they will sort you out with a few lessons also

The leash itself can do damage as well. Last winter, mine wrapped around my board during a wipe out (failed tube attempt ) and sliced it's way right through my board. Clean cut. Board was in two pieces.
I can only imagine what it would've done to my leg or waist if I got caught by it

Ok.....Now I'm scared

i once got it around the neck after a failed cover up very nasty, took a while to get over that one

my little toe slipped in to the rope loop sliced the crap outta my foot!!!

almost disloctaed my thumb years ago with the same type of leash wrapping incident