I went out winging once without a leach and got myself into trouble ( www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Dumb--dumb--dumb- )
Why don't kiters use board leashes? If you are way out there and get separated from your board, how do you get it back? Isn't it risky?
I've never kitesurfed myself, sorry for the newbie question!
I tried using a body board leash tied to my handle the other day
Snapped on my second crash
The board kept digging into the water and was being dragged on its side with a lot of resistance
In short - it is very easy to catch up with your board with a kite. Either a short body drag upwind or a quick pop downwind.
conversely- it is very easy for a board to catch up with your head if its on a leash/wrap around your lines/generally piss you off.
and you can't do a duck tack or shove-it without the leash wrapping around your legs.
on big shallow reef breaks it gives you the opportunity to punch out the back without the board getting pulverised (or you getting pulverised when you go through the impact zone to get it), other than that no good reason...
Select to expand quoteflyingcarpet said..
Why don't kiters use board leashes? If you are way out there and get separated from your board, how do you get it back? Isn't it risky?
I think you get your answers at your first lesson (,or the hard way).
Select to expand quoteflyingcarpet said..
I went out winging once without a leach and got myself into trouble ( www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Dumb--dumb--dumb- )
Why don't kiters use board leashes? If you are way out there and get separated from your board, how do you get it back? Isn't it risky?
I've never kitesurfed myself, sorry for the newbie question!
Covered many many times but in short, here is the answer:
You come off your board and the edge digs into the water but you are still being dragged forward by your kite. Board leash loads up with huge amounts of tension until the board breaks out of the water. Thanks to the leash tension, board catapults towards you and collided with whatever part of your body that is not in the water, at this point it's usually your head.
Some people wear a helmet but I've seen teeth knocked out and jaws broken even with a helmet on because they are not usually full face helmets for kiting.
Better to learn to body drag!
Select to expand quoteflyingcarpet said..
I went out winging once without a leach and got myself into trouble ( www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Dumb--dumb--dumb- )
....Select to expand quoteflyingcarpet said.. ....I
Why don't kiters use board leashes? ...
...
Because it's dangerous. When you fall the kite doesn't stop immediately. The board can dig into the water and tension the leash. It's called tombstoning. The board then comes free of the water and twangs back at you like a missile.Select to expand quoteflyingcarpet said.. ....I
....If you are way out there and get separated from your board, how do you get it back? ...
...
The kite is powerful. You can body drag upwind or down wind. It's pretty easy to relaunch the kite and drag to the board.Select to expand quoteflyingcarpet said.. ....I
... Isn't it risky?
...
It's easy to stay relatively close in to shore. The performance of all forms of kiteboards, and foils in general is far superior to wingsurfing. You go faster. The angle to the wind is generally higher. You don't have to do great long reaches way out to sea to make ground upwind.
There is a risk with kite foiling that you drop your kite and cannot relaunch. Rule 1 is to grab your board immediately. It can run off downwind and stay out of reach as has happened to you. When you get good at foiling you're less likely to drop your kite, and you can ride a lot more conservatively.
There is also a risk that you can lose your board. I've lost one board, forever. I've lost two boards and got them back because I had my name and number on them. I consider that an acceptable number in 20 years of kiting.
More of an issue is that wingsurfing is sold as a safe option because you're sitting on a SUP and you don't have a big kite or kite lines. Think about how safe it is next time you're trying to paddle in from a couple of km out because the wind has dropped and/or switched.
I'll use a leggy when it's BIG, like @ Gnaraloo, One Eye Mauritius, or Cloudbreak Fiji or offshore like Abrolhos
Select to expand quoteKIT33R said..
If you are truly worried about loosing your board get a GoJoe
....
A mate tied a couple of styrene cray pot floats between the handle and the straps on his TT.
They make the board visible from a distance. Hold the board up on its edge when it's upside down.
They cost a few dollars. They sit there out of the way. He never bothered taking them off.
Probably worth learning the skill of body dragging before progressing to the board. By the time you are riding the board ok, you can easily drag yourself back to the board even if upwind. Basically, if you need a leash, you haven't mastered the body drag and therefore shouldn't be riding a board just yet. Learn the body drag and kite flying skills first.
Understood! Thanks.
Agreed, there are plenty of ways to get injured or stranded wing foiling. There is no "safe" water sport, and if there was surely not many would find it fun!
On leashes...best avoided.
My worst Kitemare.
Wiped out in big margs wearing a board leash maybe 17 years ago.
Board must have gone through the lines mid tumble.
Kite slack lined and downed in front of large wave.
Saw the wave hit the kite.
Pulled safety to release the gear.
Thought I was out of danger.
Next thing board disappears dragged under by the kite.
Next thing I disappear dragged under by the kite.
Half a second later I'm 4m down being dragged across the rock and kelp reef.
20 seconds later I'm still being dragged and seriously worried.
I cant swim up because the body works like a plane and drags you down.
Cant release the leggie because the water pressure is too much to bend up against.
Then the leash snaps and I survive badly shaken but wiser.
Haven't used a leash since.
Retractable reel leash is great; saves having board cruise off on its own in a current or thrown up onto the shore. I have mine attached to my harness with a grenade pin QR arrangement so I could let it go if I had to. Also, the leash extension is attached to the foil board by a small loop of line which can break if jerked in any high-speed crashes, thus avoiding the missile problem.
Select to expand quoteniall barrett said..
On leashes...best avoided.
My worst Kitemare.
Wiped out in big margs wearing a board leash maybe 17 years ago.
Board must have gone through the lines mid tumble.
Kite slack lined and downed in front of large wave.
Saw the wave hit the kite.
Pulled safety to release the gear.
Thought I was out of danger.
Next thing board disappears dragged under by the kite.
Next thing I disappear dragged under by the kite.
Half a second later I'm 4m down being dragged across the rock and kelp reef.
20 seconds later I'm still being dragged and seriously worried.
I cant swim up because the body works like a plane and drags you down.
Cant release the leggie because the water pressure is too much to bend up against.
Then the leash snaps and I survive badly shaken but wiser.
Haven't used a leash since.
Duuude... brutal. Mark Foo memories..
Select to expand quoteSandyknickerz said..
Retractable reel leash is great; saves having board cruise off on its own in a current or thrown up onto the shore. I have mine attached to my harness with a grenade pin QR arrangement so I could let it go if I had to. Also, the leash extension is attached to the foil board by a small loop of line which can break if jerked in any high-speed crashes, thus avoiding the missile problem.
That may be ok for a foil board. Unfortunately, a surfboard, when it gets loose, it has its own mind, and when it comes back to you, you have no time for a QR. (A small scar on my forehead always reminds me to this. 
)
I found that currents are never a problem as long as the kite is up and the kiter knows how to body drag upwind (everyone should).
Leash can be justified only if retrieving the board is more dangerous than the leash, e.g. waves breaking on nasty rocks or sharp coral, but only expert riders, who can calculate the danger of the leash, should be there in the first place.
However, for many years I carried a leash on my harness, that I attached to my board only if / when I could not re-lounge my kite any more and had to self rescue.
I have used a leash for 10 years without any problems. Yes, I can body drag and as I now only occasionally prang I suppose I don't need it anymore. But I do because it saves me time and effort when I do have an ooopps. As mentioned by Sandkickerz, I too have the leash strap (approx 1m) attached to one of the hold down screws on the handle. This way the board doesn't skip on the water as it would if connected to one of the fin screws (at the end of the board, and as seen in the anti-leash videos). In fact I've never had the board skip, instead when I prang the board ALWAYS digs into the water and acts like an anchor. It is so effective I've had to put (at the loop end of the leash strap) a weak link inline to protect the leash rewind mechanism. (It's a double loop of brickies line, the loop is just big enough to clip onto, about 150mm total, I think it's 20kg breaking, this also prevents any potential snap back.... which I doubt). I have 3 weak link loops attached to the strap so if one breaks (which they do on big prangs), I have two more weak links ready to be attach too. There are plenty of aspects to Kitesurfing that are dangerous, it is a matter of resolving them where possible. For me, my leash setup is adequately SAFE, thou it is now more a time saver than a board recovery device. Also, instead of holding the handle to try and get my feet into the footstraps I can hold the leash strap, which makes it much easier (as I'm not the most flexible).
PS Might sound a bit cynical, but I think Kiteboard Leach.com is a clever fear mongering advertisement to promote the Go Joe product. When I was learning people used pool noodles around the handle, mainly to assist in locating the board, with the added advantage they tend to blow down wind.
Yep, totally agree with DerekR about the fear-mongering! The weak link effectively eliminates risk of potential snap back. Mine has parted many times in crashes, but saved a lot of time retrieving a board after less dramatic crashes. I've only been hit by a board when a wave threw it at me... not related to the leash! But helmet and impact vest are good insurance against that.
The sea anchor effect with a twin-tip can be quite a nuisance, wherever the leash is attached, but on surfboard or foil board the leash works great.
Nah. sbs ca still dig in then release. Have a scar on my scalp to prove that from "back in the day". I use one when offshore in gnarly conditions though as your board is your lifeline if things go tits up. Any other time - nah you don't need one. But if you wanna use a leash - then why not I say. Go for it.
Select to expand quoteniall barrett said..
On leashes...best avoided.
My worst Kitemare.
Wiped out in big margs wearing a board leash maybe 17 years ago.
Board must have gone through the lines mid tumble.
Kite slack lined and downed in front of large wave.
Saw the wave hit the kite.
Pulled safety to release the gear.
Thought I was out of danger.
Next thing board disappears dragged under by the kite.
Next thing I disappear dragged under by the kite.
Half a second later I'm 4m down being dragged across the rock and kelp reef.
20 seconds later I'm still being dragged and seriously worried.
I cant swim up because the body works like a plane and drags you down.
Cant release the leggie because the water pressure is too much to bend up against.
Then the leash snaps and I survive badly shaken but wiser.
Haven't used a leash since.
Glad u r ok 
thats the thing.. Leash between lines and tombstoning this is a dramatic story and the friend of mine who helped the geraldton accident (and death) 5ish years ago said three things... Leash(tombstoning).. No knife... And something else forgot what that was may ask him again actually...
Flying carpet.. Hi. Yea.. Lots of peeps use leashes when more than a km out etc yes bodydragging around so far out with more chop or swell to loose it in isnt the best idea! ??
. But all those kiters are capable of board recovery and upwind bodydragging to a great extent anyway..
However when close to shore r.e whiplash on head and potential knockout etc as allready said or in flat circumstances probably a big NOOO
The only lesson i've learnt personally six years ago is loosing a board nearly a KM out and having to bodydrag back in for 30min through green muck no visibility and shark territory..in colder waters.. I dont mind bodydragging for two hours in good vis more north from 2/3/4km out but fk that not from there down!..
So despite what others said i went back to using a leash.. When far out.. As lots do.. And just making sure it doesn't get between the lines in any circumstances & has instant release..and if an incident happens which it doesnt now.. Maintaining kite control first & foremost.. That is what will get you back 'home' /land safely and quickly 
But you need to be perfectly capable of board recovery and maybe then go to the leash.. No shortcuts. And its only valid when v out not in little tiny patches of water anyway for reasons said above
Happyxmas..
Would be interested in peoples thoughts - when in trouble in the waves would you let the kite go or board go first? I suppose it would depend on whether the kite is in the air or can relaunch etc, and/or if you're getting rolled by waves
Select to expand quotePeahi said..
Would be interested in peoples thoughts - when in trouble in the waves would you let the kite go or board go first? I suppose it would depend on whether the kite is in the air or can relaunch etc, and/or if you're getting rolled by waves
Hi..
Priority is kite. Board really doesnt matter it's just an 'accessory'.. Kite will get you back as a 'sail'.. . Board won't. It may get you back if you find it and paddle for a long way. The power of a kite will help you avoid whitewash.. Being sucked into further down reefs and breaks by air launch and power drift etc. A board won't.
I am speaking from experience and prob other people experienced in 'far out' reefs and missions.. Not from boots and loops (although I have tried it).. .. which to me is waaay more hazardous and injury prone.. More shallow etc.. Trees.. .. Knee injuries etc.. 
and there the leash is a big 'no' ;.. ridiculous dangerous and unnecessary..
Select to expand quotevodka said..
Boots and loops
Lol!! 
Arrive at a surf beach or reef with boots and everyone just looks at you and thinks you are a clueless idiot. .....(it does happen..). .. .. Arrive at a flat water photo taking spot with a leash and everyone thinks you are clueless and an idiot
Thats the way it is lol
Turn up at a beach with a pair of budgie smugglers not board shorts and everyone knows you are a european.. Allthough they were created by an australian.. Maybe 
