I find I can go 3' in the Yak also, MUCH more forgiving landing fish IN the water vs. dragin them to shore. So far, I've only had 1 breakoff in the Yak, and that was from a piss poor knot.
Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement -- Keith Benning
If want to use a long leader, for example for targeting tuna, the slim beauty knot is great for connecting power pro and flouro. It goes through guides easily too.
For connections, I go braid to mono leader (alberto knot) to coastlock snap swivel for the boat; substitute a breakaway clip for the surf.
I think the leader length would depend on the length of the rod. A 6 foot leader on a 7 or 8 foot rod would be difficult to cast from a boat (in my opinion); especially if using a swivel. From the boat for casting plugs I would go less than 3 feet; varied based on the length of the rod.
Hybrid Mode
