simple rule, dont use them!

don't use a bored leash they are f** There are more places a board can hit you then your head the fins can cut deep.

quote:

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Originally posted by alexunsworth

1 - What's so good about an Oceanus reel leash (as opposed to other brands)?

2 - Is Gath the way to go for helmets?

3 - Anyone know a CHEAP online or shop to get the helmet and a leash?

Cheers,
Al
www.waitingforthewind.com/

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G'day Al

Regardless of all the good advice there are places where it is wiser to wear a leash, especially if you are a competent cruiser and are not trying to learn tricks. I estimate over 40 boards got lost at Dolls Point this year, most by people who would have been quite safe to wear a leash.

The oceanus leash is a retracting leash, like those dog leashes that spool out. The leash is approx 3M long and is made of non stretch, non energy storing, webbing. The retracting mechanism keeps the leash tight when you are riding so it does not spool out and drag behind you, like an ordinary surfboard or wakeboard leash does.
Dragging leashes slow you down heaps and are very annoying, they are also more likely to catch on things and cause you grief.
Stretchy, urethane type surfboard leashes store energy when stretched and shoot a board back at you with even more force.

The Oceanus clip can be operated easily with one hand, so you can attach it one handed in the water whenever you need it, like when you are trying to re-launch your kite.

You do not have to wear the leash all the time, you can just clip it on in the water as needed. The case attaches to the handle on the back of your harness, you basically don't know it is there.
If you wear it all the time it is recommended that you wear a helmet and an impact/floatation vest.
Gath helmets are designed to fit close to your head so you can still duckdive under waves, and they are only designed to deflect the impact of a lightweight surfboard.
We recommend and use Protec helmets, designed for wakeboarding and other water sports like canoeoing.
Try www.kitepower.com.au, all orders over $200 are free shipping anywhere in Oz. Even if your order is not over $200, mention THIS post and I will send the goods via Oz Post free.

I still use one and I have been kiting for over 7 years. Not all the time, but if the tide is wrong or the wind is a bit light, I clip it on, otherwise I just body drag for my board IF I lose it.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

Leashes are crap.

25 years without any accidents?

sounds more like one should use it

I use a Real Retractable Leash as a backup for when I crash my Kite and the tide is running strongly. The leash can be attached to the handle at the back of your harness and is easily reached to clip to the board while you concentrate on relaunching your kite.

I always wear a helmet and impact vest and used the leash for the first few months of kiting to avoid the stress and associated tiredness of stuggling to recover my board.

I was using a stretchy leash without a helmet (oversized noggin) in surf one day and wiped out. I felt the force on the leash increase for a bit until all of a sudden there was none. Board was heading straight for the back of my head. It was a big heavy one too, an 03 Liquid Force Switch 185. I was still being pulled forward by the kite and still quite a newbie at the time. At what I judged was the correct time I stuck my feet out of the water and caught the board with them. I don't know if I could do it again though. I still use a stretchy leash in surf or current as I haven't gotten around to buying a reel leash. I don't think this post helps either side of the argument, just proves perhaps that I am not the sharpest tack in the box. Oh well.

What people need is some incentive to stop useing leashes. So anybody got some good photto's of blood gushing out of a cut in their head or arm or leg as a result of useing a leash?

But on a helpful note as we are nolonger aloud to just post .
LEASHES ARE CRAP.
I remember hearing a trick was to use a 3mm pull tie when conecting the board to your leash so in the event of the board acting as a anchor the pull tie will snap preventing the board from shotting back and hitting you in the head . I have not tried this method put it does sound good if you have to use a leash .

Ok I'll add 2c.
I have a retractable leash that I am still using.
I nearly gave it away after one scary incident when the mostly retreacted leash wrapped around it's own housing without me realising. WATCH OUT FOR THIS WHEN FAFFING AROUND IN THE WATER GETTING YA BOARD TOGETHER BEFORE TAKE OFF!! While sorting myself out in the water I got a BIG loft - the board leash was only out a couple of feet so that meant the board must have been flapping around very close behind my melon!! The force was eventually enough to completly shred the line on the friction against the mounting screws it was wrapped around!!
Pretty dodgy even though I was wearing a helmet and now wear an impact vest.
Airborne (perth) kindly replaced the lead and mentioned that a bad shipment of leads had been through from Oceanus.
Here's the thing though I thought long and hard about using it again and tried going without it but found myself getting into all sorts of grief as my recovery skills weren't up to standard (yet).
So what I did was when rewinding the new lead onto the drum (which needs to be carefully taken apart) I actually put LESS tension on the coil than suggested and it has made a great differance. The leash still rewinds nicely but less quickly so that it doesn't "get caught up in itself" or come rushing back. I still try to check it everytime before take off but have found very probs since then.
Oh I also added an extra 70cm length of line on to the end that doesn't retract (due to the stiching) this means that the annoying habit of the board hovering RIGHT behind or beside you is gone! Plus you now get the board 3.7m away from you when lofted. The more the better! I chose 70cm because that's roughly the distance from my bum to my feet (seat harness).
I should also agree that when on land ALWAYS unclip the leash so that some poor punter doesn't spit their teeth at you after you get a loft!
I know they aren't for everybody but the reatractable works very nicely for me... And I still have my teeth as you can see!

Cheers,

I make my own boards. Vacum bag, steal a shape, make a cheap wooden press. They cost **** all and you don't care if you lose them.

Kiterdan, your question has stumped me. Normally my standard answer would be that LEASHES ARE CRAP. But with a surfboard having no footstraps, that presents a different set of circumstances.

I've never kited in waves with a surfboard but if I did I reckon I'd be losing the board everytime I got air. So that would be quite frequently I'd guess.

So I'd be bodydragging more than riding waves, that would spoil the session for me

Richierich,
You're right, no leashes - regardless of straps.

But figure this, I've seen leashes on boards with full wake bindings.

Hi Octane,
With regards to your 'second' incident that you mentioned in your post, well done!
That's exactly how it's done and why you don't need a leash.

Your board recovery time will diminish as you experience more of the same and as your skills sharpen.

Think of bodydragging as a form of bodysurfing and then it's all fun.

waveslave and richierich,

Thanks for you input, I agree there are some dangers and I have been saying not to get one, see 1st page and the other Thread on leashes. Points taken it was just really frustrating I guess thinking I was going to loose the board, then trying to find it in the swell, lucky it was upright as it was the foot straps that gave it away.

What about though something you could keep with you that if, in my circumstances, could've grabbed the board, after falling off, then attaching the leash to the board so I could swim frantically to get the kite airborne again, detaching it after successfully doing so. If unsuccessful, at least I wouldn't loose my board.

Any thoughts/

As a learner i think a leash is a good idea. i have a retractavble leash which when fully paid out is about 5 metres. the return on it is very soft and i have never been hit with it.

The advantage of using it has been that if i come off, i can quickly get my self set and back on with out wasting time. I started off with out a leash and you would spend sometimes more time body dragging and trying to recover the board then you spent on the borad. with the leash the borad was there with you. if you have crashed the kite, had to self rescue etc it is one less thing that you need to worry about

Yes as soon as you get good enough to do tricks then the last thing you want is a leash but until you get to that stage. Use it.