hi everyone, ive never posted in this section before. im new/reintroduced to kiteboarding, i have a lot of power kiting experience on land but im still in the shooting downwind, accidentally jumping, losing my board alot stages on the water after a long hiatus away from the sport. heres my question:

i know using leashes is not a good idea, when my cousin ( a cert. instruc) was teaching me a few years back he showed me the scars on his back from fins goin thru his vest to prove it....but can I rig a leash out of 1/8" coated galv. cable that will not stretch/recoil? Id loot the ankle strap with safety cutaway from my longboard and use this cable during my learning to go upwind stages before I progress to jumping on purpose and riding harder. I put in boat lifts for a living so im familiar with the abilities and dangers of cable, but it seems to me much of the danger with standard leashes is from stretching? IM having a hell of a time getting my board back 1) its hard to see in the chop 2) in puffy conditions of Chesapeake Bay/my lack of skill, im not doing well dragging upwind kite seems to fall out of sky at edge of window. the cable leash would be to help me get through these initial kook stages. a few times overzealous power boaters have "retrieved" my board for me and come dangerously close to running over me/my lines throwing the board back. i know they are just tryin to help but avoiding this scenario around here where nobody has seen a kite before would prob be good. im tryin to stay away from people but i do see a boat every 30 min or so, otherwise i have the whole place to myself. shallow launches/riding locales are limited if nonexistent around here, and i dont always have time to drive to assateague island to sail. any advice would be appreciated, some of you will prob burn the new guy but I figure Id still ask, ive gained some good info from this forum in the past. Im getting tired of ending up on the other side of the county hitchhiking home and my gf is tired of baking "thank you cakes" for the people who let me use their phone when i wash up on their shorelines! thank you

First thing, you might find people with differing opinions on this forum but the only time someone seems to get "burned" here is when they are getting chastised for being personally nasty to someone. Now on to your subject. You seem to be talking about a board leash that keeps you somewhat attached to the board in case of a fall. A kite leash would be a safety device that keeps you from losing your kite in the event you have to turn it loose. I'm not going to weigh in on the leash/no leash boiling pot of oil, but if you want to try your idea, you should use something that won't stretch like you say but also something that won't really interfere due to its weight. Amsteel rope is about as non-stretch as it gets. It is a heavy cord that diameter for diameter can replace steel cable on off-road vehicle winches. The info states that if it breaks under load, it just falls to the ground. Hard to believe but that's the hype. Also, it is available in a large enough diameter to lessen the chances of it cutting you if it wraps around a body part under load. Hope this helps.

Doesn't really matter if the line stretches or not - it'll "recoil" regardless, due to inertia. Oceass make a reel leash (I've got one) that supposedly reduces that but the best thing you can do is - learn to body-drag upwind properly. Progressive Beginner DVD covers body-dragging upwind and even mentions the problem you described ... I forget the solution though can check later
And not get too attached (pun intended) to your boards ... you only got one head, after all

I'm still learning too and I spend a lot of time practicing body-dragging upwind. IMO it's about kite control ... I had a ton more experience with stunt kites before I got into boarding/riding ... practice fine control at the edges of the wind window on land ...?

I am new, and have heard enough about the board leash to not want to use onr. I can certainly understand why you would want one... I have the same issues.

I have gotten a lot better at body dragging as a result. Some people think that a leash is a good idea. I may try it, I may not. It is a question you must answer for yourself. I wouldn't make my own, though. If I were going to try one, it would be the reel leash... But I am pretty certain that that can still be dangerous.

Maybe just tighten the footstraps:dunno:

Your best bet would be to take a ride to Dewey. Much more managable wind there, vast expanse of shallow water. Practice dragging back to you board. Where are you riding at the peake?
As far as a board leash, ive heard horror stories about it. Helmet is a deffinate as you dont want to get knocked out. Personally i dont want to have to worry about a sharp object coming after me if i wipe out. Best is practice dragging back to it. Drop me an email or u2u im local and maybe we could hook up.

I had the public and then internal debate over this one not long ago and the decision for me was made by someone suggesting that if I needed a leash I should maybe not be out there yet. My decision was to purchase a GoJoe and commit to becoming proficient at both body dragging and self rescue before I go rippin' off into the sunset. The GoJoe will help keep the board visible to me AND help it catch more wind and blow downwind to me so I won't need to fight as hard upwind.

I know it won't be as fun to start out with but I've felt the leash go taught on me (in lessons in Hawaii) and it's a scary place to be - stuck in the middle between a powered up kite and an anchored board. I didn't realize the danger I was in until I had the debate here thereby making the GoJoe decision.

What is this GoJoe???

http://www.oceanrodeo.com/kiting/go_joe

You inflate it and mount it in the middle of the board. It sits on the top of your board between your feet. If you lose your board, it will self-right the board no matter what. Then it acts like a mini-sail to float your board downwind faster to you than normal.

This thing is pretty cool cuz it sucks to lose your board and have it ends up upside down in the water. The wind just flows across the bottom of the board and doesn't push it downwind like it would when your straps are up.

Do not use amsteel or a cable unless you have a fail proof way of the leash coming disconnected in an instance where the board gets stuck or you get overpowered with the board lodged under water. If you anchor solid to your board something will come off, either your board will break (could happen) or the cable/amsteel will snap (not likely as both would be rated somewhere at a couple thousand pound tinsel strength) or your leg will be ripped from your body (most likely to happen).

When you wipe out, it is very possible to have well over 1000 pounds of force between you and the kite if your board gets lodged sideways under water. It is like a huge snowplow and will practically stop. You on the other hand will continue to move as the kite could stay powered up and you are out of control, not knowing what just happened. (Not just from inexperience, just happens sometimes if you wipe out and are not expecting it).

I have seen chicken loops ripped apart, harnesses ripped away, 800 pound lines snap like twigs. All from unexpected wipe outs.

If you are going to use a leash, I would suggest a reel leash that is designed for the sport. It has a breaking strain built into it already but is the safest leash to use (IMO). The best suggestions is to just learn to body drag. It will take some technique to learn but it is the safest way.

As for locating your board, get some bright fluorescent orange spray paint or stickers and put some stripes on the top and bottom. This will make it much easier to locate in the water. (this is the main reason most kiteboards are white in color).

Just my opinion is all, I am not trying to convert anyone or force anyone to do it "my way". As mentioned above, this topic can turn into a big debate, whichever way you decide to go just make sure that yourself and those around you are safe.

thanks everybody for your input. sounds like i better just keep working on my body dragging and try to stop falling so much!

I recently had an opportunity to use "GoJoe" and I was very impressed. It works just like they advertise and easy to spot your board.

One thing I noticed was that if you use left hand to grab your board when you put it on (just like I do), make sure to install GoJoe on right side (and vice versa). My friend's GoJoe was installed on left side and it was on my way every time I grabbed the board.

I am definitely going to recommend it to my friend who just started kiteboarding.

body drag ,,essential ,, board willl save time in the beginning and if you JUST RIDING around perfecting point of sail,,, get the reel if you are concerned. you will drop it and should as soon as your confidence goes up.

take a session and drag for the board ,,,,just do it

master the kite and forget the board leash thing

When i was learning i used a coil leash and never had a problem with it, but once i got compitant i ditched the leash as the problems way out number the advantages. the leash is still attatched to my harness and comes in handy if i need to rescue somebody elses board (just hook it to it) the only time i ever consider using it on my board now is if im in big waves and know it would be a total ball ache to body drag back to the board.

i also have my foot straps really tight so if i do crash i can usually keep the board on my feet, but not too tight that i cant ditch it if needed.