After 2 months and 4 leashes I am OVER IT!

The first two to bite the dust where from North. This leash as featured in the above picture suffered from a bending clip eventually making them as useful as a one legged man in an ar$e kicking contest.

Thats two leashes same issue RRP $60 each

The second leash to crash and burn was the 2011 Naish leash in white it proved even worse than the North.

The first one ripped inside the webbing making it about 2M long. I took that back to Windsurfing Perth which they replaced. Two session with that and the clip completely broke no spring back.

So this equated to over $200 in leashes in a couple of months.

I ride wake style unhooking and get burned a fair bit but seriously why can kite manufacturer not provide decent accessories?

Anyone else?

Press it back in shape with a vice or
on site try reshaping it with one of these (watch your fingers)

Standed snap shackles are crap.This is what im rocking now after having to swim after 4 kites due to bent hooks.

the best would be:

- a quick release snap shackle at one end (see image, you only need to change the small red rope to make it easier to grab in emergency), more info on that shackle on:
http://www.wichard.com/fiche-A|WICHARD|2673-0202040301000000-ME.html

- then a ~ 2m long (shorter or longer depending on your preference) dyneema rope (~8mm diameter) that you eye splice at both ends

- then you sew in the middle of the dyneema rope, some ~2mm shock cord

- then at the other end, you add another rope (thinner ~ 3mm dyneema) eye spliced at both ends, that will loop into your safety system: you only need one safety release close to you, and you don't have the risk to injure your hand with another shackle close to the bar when doing handle passes!

the only problem is that such shackles are pretty expensive in OZ...so I did my leash with the cheap version (not as safe) as suggested by GalahOnTheBay.

if you really want a nice finish, you can add a protective braid form a thicker rope (~12mm diameter) on the top of those ropes

then you have a light, safe & super strong leash!

GalahOnTheBay said...

How about something like this:

Hi everyone.

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE this kind of snap shackle. They DO NOT OPEN under any kind of load.

If you must use a snap shackle, use a witchard like eneour has shown.

The stainless used by the kiting industry in general, is cheap Chinese 316 grade stainless which is soft and prone to rusting due to impurities from the scrap metals they melt down. But it is nice and cheap!

Decent 316 should be Steel, Chromium (10-25%) , Nickel (~12%) and Molybdenum (2-3%)

To make the stainless stronger, it needs carbon added (0.05-2%) which is not as good for rust resistance but makes the metal much stronger.

Chemistry 101 lesson over

DM

Have you thought of a different leash already on the market- eg Flexifoil?

They are long and are stronge, I have had mine under load a lot for the past season and haven't had a problem with it at all. If i don't make a pass it just does it's job

sci said...

Some solid mods there guys cheers. I will definitely be building a bespoke leash for sure. My point really is that if manufacturers are going to claim a leash to be a handle pass leash then build it to last.

Consider the materials and test the tensile strength of the products. Attach it to a truck and pull the damn thing to see what it can withstand. Why not?

I dont think this applies to just leashes though other accessories such as foot straps and pads are ** quality. Companies could do well to step up quality of their products and build on success rather than trying to reinvent every year to suck people into the latest shiny new thing.

Is there a market for a leash that works? The ultimate handle pass leash?

I think there would be a market for a decent bar and lines setup also, for that matter most accessories. When you look at the grip of kiting bars and compare it to wake board handles it really makes kiting bars look amateurish. Problem is everyone has different bar preferences.

GalahOnTheBay said...

AKSonline said...

GalahOnTheBay said...

How about something like this:

Hi everyone.

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE this kind of snap shackle. They DO NOT OPEN under any kind of load.

I stand corrected

Don't worry galah I used to have one of them on an old naish ar5 to replace the chicken loop. Nobody told me it wasn't safe but I did work it out after snapping a line.
I think if you can get away with the weaker leashes it gives you an extra way of ditching the kite when **** hits the fan and you can't reach the safety.

^^^^^
I agree that you can save your leash a lot by not trying to act like a sea anchor when you come off

sir ROWDY said...

Poida said...

sir ROWDY said...

I don't mean to sound like a prick (well actually I'm sure I do) but have you thought about how you ride? For instance, do you loose your kite after it does a half loop after a failed handlepass, at which point you let go and the leash snaps?
I ask this because I rarely (infact I cant remember the last time) I broke a leash and completely lost a kite. I had a Cab leash for 3 years until the elastic snapped, but the leash itself was still intact. I think this is because when I do a trick and I grab the end of the bar and know there is no chance of making it clean I just let go of the kite. You can land or crash like normal and the kite is pretty much depowered waiting for you to grab the bar.

Perhaps something to think about, although a good leash is something you do need as well.

i think these guys are on kites that don't depower as well when you let go of the bar
spacey looks like on the money if the kite doesn't depower well, just add a QR
like you said for an SLE shouldn't be a problem

I ride Fuels.

ok, power on