Ok so i'm gonna get a helmet, getting a sonic (with 100% depower (apprently) and getting an underground FLX board.

So i really dont want to lose my $900 board and being the absolute noob of all noobs am sure to have is come off and have trouble dragging up to it.

So should i get a leash? one of them coil leashed aren't dangerous are they?

Snoochie Boochies!

a coil leash is just like a spring, when you pull a spring then let go, the spring comes back.
they can also drag your board under water (so ive heard and is my experience from surfing) you board will try to surface possibly getting plenty of speed to hurl it out of th water straigh at you.

I had a leash then I had six stiches in my head when board went over my head.
I have wife but no kids so got a helmet.

I then split my ankle open to the bone and had to get it stiched up and missed two weeks of valuable seabreeze waiting for it to heal enough to be watertight

Keep the leash for dog walking, put your name and mobile no. on the board and practice your bodydragging

If you get a leash get a retractable leash, is made of webbing, ie no rubber to spring back at you like a gidgee. Try to only use it in light winds if you must or clip it on when relaunching so you can focus on getting your kite back in the air rather than worrying about your board floating away. In a decent wind you should be able to body drag easily enough back to your board.

look up the word your looking for is elasticity, what if you made a leash that breaks if a certain amount of pressure is placed on it?

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Originally posted by LookUp

Thanks for that. Now you know why I'm just a kitesurf instructor. A strain-break leash is a fine idea, although, as with kites, we'd be paying for r&d for years to come!

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wtf does r&d stand for, Velcro and a short elastic with a tracking devise to locate the board then sending a team out to fetch it for you-may b I'm thinking to grand or up to a million

R&D is very important, there is an immense amount of it to be done, and we should all be contributing as much as possible, by communication with..............
Actually it stands for Riding & Drinking, thats what Mambo is for!

Leashes can save a begginer a lot of frustration and time wasting.
All they need to do is wear a helemt and a vest, and make sure there is a weak link, that will break with a light load.

BUT all begginers need to know how to body drag.

Hey Snoochies. I learned with a leash, and so did my daughter...wish I had not done so, but it did save us lots of time. We wore helmets. Once I witnessed my daughter get hit in the head by her board....you should have seen the dent in the helmet... thank God it wasn't anywhere else! From that day on we did not use our leashes while learning. She had 45 min. with "Dan the Man" on getting the board..and now it is a very quick thing for her.

However, we still both carry the real leash for certain situations. Us e it to flag the board when down in bad crash...like broken line. I have also used it to pull in a guy. The real leash is a great accessory. For my purpose now I would want something much stronger and with a sort of handle, for those special occations when I might be able to put it to good use.

I would think for serious wave riding, carrying a hook knife would also be useful...in addition to the gloves and thick vest Broken lines are rare, but it is amazing how fast the free line can wrap around you

I second that Greenleader

Fitzy Gold Coast OZ

leashes = danger

they are great for us who like to say i told you so :)

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Originally posted by bronzewing

as a newby ,it gives me a great sense of comfort that my board will stay with me as i,m learning,i do attatch it to a loop of cable tie
that is attatched on my harness,it will break if the tention loads up too much,everybody says dont use a leash but it would be pretty slow learning with out one

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I used the board with a leash attached when learning, but didnt attach the leash to my self. Just incase I dropped the kite I could attach it, or when getting ready I could hold the leash.

I dont see how it would be slow learning without a leash. If you havent got the skills to body drag upwind your probably not read for the board.

I learnt with a relatively short webbing leash and was lucky to have no serious encounters with my board as a result. I did however get pulled under water by my board submarining on one occassion.

I tell my friends these days to just get good footstraps and learn how to keep your feet in them when you fall. It is quite rare that you lose your board even in a big stack if you have good quality straps and contoured pads. Don't use straps that are too wide for your feet. If you can't hook all your toes up on the other side of the straps then the straps are too wide.

So, no leash, quality, correctly fitting straps and contoured foot pads are what I beleive to be the best and safest option. (And learn to body drag.... and don't think about all the shark stories you have just read on this forum whilst you are learning to body drag/trawl.)