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There are a few special conditions where a leash makes sense.

But why do you want to use a leash in the first place flyyboyy ?

For your conditions it seems a bit odd at first - but maybe you do long distance trips far from the coast in cold water alone, or far out in icy waters, or ?

Maybe it is simply an old habit ?

And it seems that others at your place use leashes too you write - so very curious about your conditions, since this is something only seen very very rare nowadays, for very special circumstances only, like strapless waveriding at rocky coasts f.ex

Peter

Are you using a baggy style drysuit? I used one for a couple of winter seasons and found them very difficult to body drag- ended up using the GoJoe from Ocean Rodeo. Once I switched to a smoother tighter fitting drysuit body dragging was no longer a problem.

Brad

Hi Flyboyy (yes I do know who you are). I'm from the same city. You really should not be using a leash. Yes, there are a few guys who use them, but there's no need in our conditions. Maybe if bundled in lots of neoprene and wearing a helmet in the cold it's not so bad, but I'm not sure why some guys use them in nice onshore shallow summer conditions. If you're looking for a leash for cold days to avoid body dragging in the cold water, I guess you are right, that reel leashes seem to be the ones that are used by some, and might be the best of a bad selection.

I'm not sure if you aren't comfortable with bodydragging well. Maybe that's not the issue for you, but here are a few tips for the masses on bodydragging:
- Commit - put the kite low and pull in the bar and get some power. It doesn't work with a high depowered kite
- get on your side like you're doing the sidestroke
- fly with the back hand, extend the front hand and straighten the body
- your body should track through the water, I've seen some guys trying to point too far upwind and its like aiming too far upwind on the board - you stop.
- the kite should pull fairly strongly, and let the water flow over your head at times if you know where your board is and are just trying to make ground fast.

You can probably body drag upwind more than you can riding a twintip if you do it right.

Peter

Hi Pete,
I respect your opinion and realize you have been at this for a long time. I know how to body drag and am decent at it. I figured it out the first day.

Never really counted, but there is much more than a few that use them.

Thanks everybody.

flyyboyy wrote:Hi Pete,
I respect your opinion and realize you have been at this for a long time. I know how to body drag and am decent at it. I figured it out the first day.

Never really counted, but there is much more than a few that use them.

Thanks everybody.

So you are actually saying that you can bodydrag easily in fact - but you want a leash because the others around use one ?

Very scary if true (but you can not know of course, when relatively new...)

Around here leashes dont exist at all, so no "bad habits" to pick up in that respect, from seeing what others do.

Would be awesome if you could be the good example and maybe influence those using leashes - that it is more risky and annoying and clumsy - more a bad idea than any benefit at all

Peter

I was one of the stubborn ones who tried to use a leash, because I wasn't properly trained when I struck out on my own. I had a couple situations where the board stuck in the water, the kite and I went airborne, and the leash snapped, but it wasn't until the board tensioned up on the water one time and let go, and I could actually hear the board whizzing by my head, that I finally gave it up. The board could just as easily have slammed into my neck or my face, knocking me out, and thereby killing me.

Now, anyone I see with a board leash is instantly labled "kook" and "potential Darwin award candidate" in my mind. If they have a reel, it's only "inept kook". A lesser dregree of idiocy, but idocy.

I'm now quite adept at body dragging upwind, and yes, you can set a closer reach body dragging than you can on a twintip.

Anyway, this guy clearly thinks he knows better, and there's no way for us to convince him of his mortality, so pass the popcorn, and wait for the inevitable "leash disaster" post.

I got 7 staples in my thanks to my board leash back in 2001 before we knew better. Don't use a board leash!

I have never not been able to body drag back to my board since that day...

flyyboyy wrote: I know how to body drag and am decent at it. I figured it out the first day. .

Why use one then? There is not a single good reason why anyone should use a leash with a TT. Just because some others use one doesn't make it a good idea.

can't believe reel leashes still for sale. A local girl split her face open real bad using one of these when board recoiled into her head

GoJoe is good!
For a cheaper and very durable option, buy a cheap small-ish plastic ball, like the ones sold at tourist shops, wrap it with some strong yellow or orange or red cloth (from an old t-shirt), secure the cloth with a cable tie at the point where you wrap all the loose cloth, then use a second cable tie to secure the thing on the handle of your board.
Use this until you are able to tell where about your board is without looking around (your brain will get used to this after a certain number of falls). Then, just write your phone number on the board for the very unlikely (at that stage) event you lose it.
Use your board leash for your dog only.