Board Leash...To be or not To BE???
 

Although most agree that a board leash is not a good idea for riding, it can be handy when used appropriately. I recommend and wear one every time I go out. Its sole purpose is to keep my board near me if my kite is the water and I’m trying to re-launch. In this situation, if you simply attach your leash to your board, you can concentrate on
re-launching the kite with little or no concern as to the location of your board. This is especially handy when doing a d-winder and you find yourself in deeper waters and you may find the need to swim towards the kite taking you further and further from your board. Once the kite is in the air, I recommend removing the leash and continuing your ride.
For the newer riders that have been told “Never use a board leash”, you may want to consider this as valid reason to consider its use. It may save you from having to replace your new board.

Be safe!
Big G

That's a reasonable use of the leash. I do "basically" the same thing with a spare kite leash.

If you do use a leash (while riding), wearing a helmet is agreed as being wise.

Oh... there is ZERO need to wear a leash while land launching a kite!!

http://www.youkiteboard.com/view_vid...7c996a5ee53a70

The vid quality sucks, but this is pretty dumb. Is it SO windy he is afraid his board will fly away while launching?

just to clarify, scott is refering to a board leash here, not a kite leash, those (kite leashes) are always recommended

Oops, good point. His kite probably would fly away :confused:
I was talking about the board leash hooked up to him and his board in 50 knots while hot launching his kite.

I see no need for one. Just get an Ocean Rodeo Go-Joe or Skyway Scott's patented Blow-Joe (for more pleasure on the water) and the board will cruise down wind of you making it easy to retrieve and eliminating any worry about losing your board while relaunching.

http://www.oceanrodeo.com/gojoe.php

In my opinion, board leashes are like an archer attaching a rubber band to his body and then attaching it to the arrows before shooting them. I got hit in the head with my board while wearing a board leash in the race this year and even though I had a helmet on, it knocked me silly. I can't begin to imagine what would have happened if I hadn't been wearing a helmet. What if I had turned my head and gotten hit in the face?

I'll NEVER wear a board leash again while kiteboarding. EVER.

I think a good measure of a board leash is whether you are going to be jumping or not and whether you are in flat water or not. Jumping with a board leash is stupid and makes you look like a jackass. That’s like jumping a BMX bike with training wheels on it--doesn't look too impressive, byatch.

Using a board leash at a spot like the Skyway seems lame to me as well, given that we usually don’t deal with that much current there, although I've heard some people have managed to lose boards there, but maybe that was because they were learning and flailing.

In heavy conditions like a race where separation from the board can delay you and possibly cause you to lose the board permanently, I can see using a board leash while wearing a helmet.

It seems like I still see a lot of people walking around at the Skyway on shore with a kite in the air, dragging a board around on the ground by a board leash, and that is the wackest thing I have ever seen. That’s taking a cool situation and turning into a tool situation, like crashing out between two beautiful babes then wetting the bed.

Only lost track of my board twice in 2 years. Once when I lost it in very heavy surf (40 knots side shore)... I found it 200 yards down wind in the surf. Another time when I crashed my kite and tangled my lines at North Skyway. It was strong Northeast and it got pushed towards the skyway bridge. Jayson and (? can't remember who else, Billy?) rescued it for me. I was grateful.

Neither time would I have had time to connect a leash because it was a very hard fall followed by looping and crashing kite that separated it from me.

Aside from that, I have never had a problem body dragging for my board even in 40mph and head high surf.

Agree the Floats on the board would help in onshore winds, but not so much in side shore. I think bayflite is selling those now, and will even rent them out cheap on nasty days.

I don't use a board leash.. if I need to relaunch and can't hold onto my board, I put the kite leash through the handle.

That's actually what I do too... but .... then you don't have a leash on your kite! :eek:;)
(even if just momentarily)

i just hold my board in my teeth

Pros and cons


http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewt...335047&start=0