Ok so the general concensus is board leashs are bad but what's the opinion on these kite reels? Has anyone tried them?

www.board-worx.com/

Leashes are for people who already have, or are in the market for, brain damage.

I have used a reel leash in the surf because even though I can body drag and kite quite well I sometimes struggle to see the board when separated . I am not a massive jumper and always use a gath helmet. The last time I thought I lost the board I decided I would " go against the tide of popularity and wear the leash" and have done ever since without problem for years. In still water it just sits on my harness and is not connected.

@mickm
Check inside your gath, if its the close fitting surf cap style, its actually not designed for impact, its just for keeping the sun off your head, seriously. There is a label inside it that says "not designed for impacts".

@dilligaf2
We used to be the importer for Australia, we dropped them last before last summer, too many hassles. They break easily under the load of a decent wipeout, and are often not even repairable.
They WILL eventually bite you, and sooner or later you will regret ever buying one. Wearing helmet, even a proper one, may not save you from injury, your neck/face is still unprotected.
They have been around quite a long time, they were never accepted in the surfing market for which they were originally designed.
Learn to bodydrag. Wear a second kite leash for attaching to your board in a downed and not relaunching kite situation.

If you do wear a leash, rig it with a weak link - a short length of 50kg line that will break if there is a big tug on it. This is a good idea for guys who wear surf style leashes when kitesurfing waves too.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

Where are the photos? Come on i wanna see that guy with no teeth, and that really gross one where a dude has his calf muscle hanging around his ankle..

Kitehard said...

OMFG, Here we go again! <rolls eyes>



KH

Yeap, out at Dutchies late Sat and witness a guy kitted out in helmet and reel leash with the full on poo stance trying to hold down his 11m in 25-30 knots.

Meanwhile some other dude came body dragging through the area on his 11m whilst his buddy videoed the sinanigans. Saw him get reefed out of the water at warp speed before the kite fully inverted and slamed down in the water in a twisted mess (luckily for him!).

I have a premonition that it's going to be a wild (west) season...

manicskier said...

Where are the photos? Come on i wanna see that guy with no teeth, and that really gross one where a dude has his calf muscle hanging around his ankle..

Here you go manic, and yes I believe it was a reel leash that was being used.

After the hysteria and witch hunting has subsided (every time this topic comes up) you will find that a small number of users enjoy their reel leashes. They get shouted down by sometimes hysterical masses.

They have a place for learners.. BUT - there is a definate increase in risk even if you wear a helmet and vest (as I did - and still do) not only to yourself but others around you. Leashes are dangerous, simple as that, but then so are kites, pulling kite-loops etc etc. Depends where your priorities are at and how you balance these factors.

I used a leash for 2 + seasons and really only had one near miss. One is enough and i was very lazy for not ditching the leash before the end of my 1st season. After ditching my leash the body dragging came quickly and easily and I realised just how complacent I had been.

If you must use one then stay well away from other people on land and water and ALWAYS disconnect the leash when you are on land or walking up the beach etc.

Best bet is to NOT use a leash & start body dragging from the start. If you do use one - make it half a dozen sessions at most then ditch it.



BTW - one thing I find INCREDIBLY hypocritical is that all n sundry b!tch loudly about reel leashes and then praise the kn hell outta top notch surfboard kiters who oiften wear short traditional surf leashes! WTF!! Wayyy more dangerous. No-one seems prepared to tell these guys they are stoopid.

gruezi said...

Agreed with you airhead....going to be a messy messy season from the looks of it.

2 super kooks are Woodies the other day....helmets, PDF"S etc., too big kites, no clue, going offshore.....and they couldn't self rescue to boot. One of the young Woodies regulars had to help out. You can see why the locals hate the kooks at Woodies.........can't have a good session without witnessing total kookdom....patience is going to run out and they are going to be drifting out to sea soon. Next thing is too many rescues and more kite bans

WTF is wrong with wearing a helmet and PFD FFS

gruezi said...

Slack, there is nothing wrong having wearing protective gear, it just seems interesting to note that so many with so much protective gear are having mishaps. It is personal preference....like wearing protective stuff rollerblading, skiing, etc. Personally I believe that protective gear is asking for trouble because of the false sense of security this stuff provides. I do protect myself from the sun

“false sense of security this stuff provides” LOL that’s really funny.

I wear a seat belt while driving to the beach, I don’t drive there any faster because I am wearing it.

gruezi said...

Ok, Slack...good point you win.

Go Yankees.

Mate I thought it was a good closer too. ha ha

Now I'll stop recommending kooks go to Woodies for ya.

Cheers
Slack

We should support the idea of wearing helmet and PFD to reduce the risk of accidents.
Doesn't matter how professional we think we are.

I've seen even some good and famous instructors here in Perth still with their helmets on and I think they are good examples for students and intermediate+ kiters.

When you putting a post here to say; "safety wear = kook" then you pushing most noobs to get rid of their safety equipment to look good.

I'm a crazy SOB and I do most of the crazy stuff that scare the sh!t out of you and I'm still wearing PFD and helmet cuz I know how easy we can die.

Idiot said...

We should support the idea of wearing helmet and PFD to reduce the risk of accidents.
Doesn't matter how professional we think we are.

I've seen even some good and famous instructors here in Perth still with their helmets on and I think they are good examples for students and intermediate+ kiters.

When you putting a post here to say; "safety wear = kook" then you pushing most noobs to get rid of their safety equipment to look good.

I'm a crazy SOB and I do most of the crazy stuff that scare the sh!t out of you and I'm still wearing PFD and helmet cuz I know how easy we can die.

Harden up princess

My point was/is that all of us take risks. The risk is relative to our skills and our value on our health and those around us for what we want to do on the occassion, i.e. taking on a over head high pit, kitelooping or just cruising with a leash for back-up etc.

Noobs with any kind of leash is obviously on thge high end of the scale. An experienced rider witha 6 foot surf leash is IMHO less of a risk but not enourmously less. I am not advocating ANY kind of leash BTW.

A 6 foot leash with no shock absorber , which on the reel leashes does a good job of negating the 'boing' recoil (as per the reel style - if you have ever looked close enough) is a high risk in my book. I don't feel compelled to bag the cr@p outta users who do this as i figure that is the way they prefer to stack their risks and just hope their board doesn't come flailing my way. .

I just find it interesting that there is no questioning of surfboard riders who ride crowded areas with a very dangerous leash on. Smacks of double standards to me.

Most surfboard rider don't wear leashes (probably about 30-40% do?) and that is good around the metro/crowded area I reckon.




BTW, helmets are for those that have something to protect between their ears and no fear of a fine from the fashion police. Ha ha - boardies over wetty to hide your peanuts anyone?

Kitepower Australia said...

@mickm
Check inside your gath, if its the close fitting surf cap style, its actually not designed for impact, its just for keeping the sun off your head, seriously. There is a label inside it that says "not designed for impacts".

Surely common sense tells you that the label just says that to cover some sort of legal liability. It's a hard plastic shell with padded inside that looks exactly like a helmet - if their designers came up with that when told to design something to keep the sun off then they should be sacked (and so should whoever told them to do re-invent the hat).

getfunky said...

...Also - add an extra 50cm length of static cord to the leash...

They actually supply that cord with the reel leash as you can see in top of this photo;