Having thought a bit about people's reasons for wanting a board leash, and having taken Dextrous' challenge to invent a "safe" leash to heart, I have a suggestion for some electronically inclined inventor. I have no idea how feasible it would be or what the specific technology would need to be, just offering the basic idea of how it may work.

Firstly, I condemn board leashes. Body dragging is an essential skill. But, as pynnee said in a current thread, if you can't see your board you can't body drag to it. Hopefully a mate can grab it or at least point to it for you, but for those who kite in open ocean or big chop where board loss is an issue regardless of body dragging skills, I have an idea.

You attach a tiny signal emitter to your board that, electronically speaking, goes "beep" every couple of seconds. You have a receiver on your wrist that picks up the beep, and has graphic way (low-res led screen?) of representing which direction the board is. It wouldn't tell you how far, just the direction relative to how you're holding the receiver, and this would require you to hold the receiver somewhat steady to register a beep.

I've never lost a board and, even though my mind concocted this, it sounds like a ridiculous geeky gadget of the sort I would never actually use, but for those who are so concerned about board loss that they'd consider using a leash, it may be a viable and genuinely safe alternative.

That space weed that you scored must be top quality!

sounds like an avalance transeiver, which ends up costing about half the price of the board anyway.

How about if it just made a loud beep instead (whenever your foots not in the pad) and you can use your ears instead of a "receiver on your wrist that picks up the beep, and has graphic way (low-res led screen?) of representing which direction the board is."

Then your ears can tell you where the board is.

Or use bindings if you care that much.

Or try lawn bowls.

Cool idea but the first thing that comes to mind is signal + transmitter = Shark bait;) like the surfboard shark devices that attracted them!!!!

And the fact that you are like a big bit of bait dragging around ;) would put me off such a device!
Bring on the bikini girl on a jet ski that works your local kite spot I say ;)

Cool idea but the first thing that comes to mind is signal + transmitter = Shark bait;) like the surfboard shark devices that attracted them!!!!

And the fact that you are like a big bit of bait dragging around ;) would put me off such a device!
Bring on the bikini girl on a jet ski that works your local kite spot I say ;)

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djdojo said...

Having thought a bit about people's reasons for wanting a board leash, and having taken Dextrous' challenge to invent a "safe" leash to heart, I have a suggestion for some electronically inclined inventor. I have no idea how feasible it would be or what the specific technology would need to be, just offering the basic idea of how it may work.

Firstly, I condemn board leashes. Body dragging is an essential skill. But, as pynnee said in a current thread, if you can't see your board you can't body drag to it. Hopefully a mate can grab it or at least point to it for you, but for those who kite in open ocean or big chop where board loss is an issue regardless of body dragging skills, I have an idea.

You attach a tiny signal emitter to your board that, electronically speaking, goes "beep" every couple of seconds. You have a receiver on your wrist that picks up the beep, and has graphic way (low-res led screen?) of representing which direction the board is. It wouldn't tell you how far, just the direction relative to how you're holding the receiver, and this would require you to hold the receiver somewhat steady to register a beep.

I've never lost a board and, even though my mind concocted this, it sounds like a ridiculous geeky gadget of the sort I would never actually use, but for those who are so concerned about board loss that they'd consider using a leash, it may be a viable and genuinely safe alternative.

The non-electronic version of this is called a Go Joe. Unfortunately you'll have to endure looking like a tit to use this.

A mate tied a couple of foam floats onto the handle of his board. One each side betwen the strap and the handle. They work like a Go Jo and only cost $5. They don't have to be inflated and can stay on the board and fit inside the board bag.

binksmarine.com.au/store/prod684.htm

I think they should take DJ's out of pubs and clubs and bring back live bands (real music played by musicians)
Not someone who just presses play on a record player.


What..........what was the question again????

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Addikt said...
Bring on the bikini girl on a jet ski that works your local kite spot I say ;)

Might be time to hire a student on the weekends. Everyone put in $10 for her time and she can carry an esky of beer and a camera for the day as well.

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Trant said...

Addikt said...
Bring on the bikini girl on a jet ski that works your local kite spot I say ;)

Might be time to hire a student on the weekends. Everyone put in $10 for her time and she can carry an esky of beer and a camera for the day as well.

Can she run along the beach in slow motion bay watch style?????

A lot of people lose boards, and sometimes it's the conditions rather than the rider.

Try dolls point with 10knots of upwind current and 25 knots of wind (and chop slop)!

Seeing your board does not always mean you can get back to it...

I wonder if the "Go Joe" makes riding more enjoyable? Perhaps they should call it "the tickler"?

In the interest of keeping the ball rolling I have though up a little something else to prevent losing your board. I was looking at the picture of those binding and was thinking, what if you could make a foot strap that could also turn into a binding?

Something like an extra detachable strap that could be placed around your achilles' heel. Optimally it would be fitted to any normal foot strap, but if that is not feasible then a whole new strap may be needed.

It would essentially allow a newb to feel safe and never lose his board, and also an more advanced rider to ride in unwell conditions for board retrieval.

How do they differ from bindings? They would be easily detachable for the classical foot strap style for doing tricks or whatever you want.

lmgtfy.com/?q=liquid+force+heel+strap

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skiddz said...

lmgtfy.com/?q=liquid+force+heel+strap

ha ha. that is great not the heel straps the 'let me search that for you'.

if only there were more novelty things like that posted on seabreeze and less discussions on leashes

apologies to djdojo on my personal attack few days back. this inst intended as another person face slap, just a generalised comment on how many threads I have seen about leashes.

No need to offend other members of our community.

The relevant posts have been deleted from this thread.

why would you delete the relevant ones?

would it not be better to delete the irrelevant ones...?

^^^^^^ Na, thats irrelevant.

Go Joe = Saddest thing that I have ever seen attached to a board...
(Apart from me !!!)

paint your fins bright orange
<<<like that awesome car there... I can always find it

Djdodo,

Sorry I red thumbed that through being intoxicated.

This subject goes round and round but your approach is at least innovative.

When you are learning you will lose boards. Conditions may excacerbate the problem. I lost two in 11 days at Pinnaroo. Sun going down over a sea with a southerly and they were invisible.

Have not lost one since and very rarely have to drag.

We need a standard response to leashes or we are all going to end up in a vortex!

just ride boots



problem solved

Has anybody on this forum actually used one of these things?
Apart from looking a bit odd, it seems to be a real safe alternative to a leash. Using foam floats might work, but would not right a upside down board, which seems to be the hardest to spot in choppy seas. I also wonder how many boards are lost each year, just in Australia?

Here what about this idea . A fiber class rod like cb ariel with a float on end and like a little flag . it is hidged onto board so when foot is in strap sits under your foot . You fall off rod springs up (because your foot is not holding it down) . if board is upside down the float will turn it over and if it is right way up you can see the bright florence orange flag . Simlar too go joe but when you are riding along would not be easy too see as it would be flat on the board and right out of the way .

fluro orange bicycle safety flag..ha!

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djdojo said...

Firstly, I condemn board leashes. Body dragging is an essential skill. But, as pynnee said in a current thread, if you can't see your board you can't body drag to it.

If you can't see your board from the surface of the water...
yank the bar hard and send yourself into a hell-boost.
While you're up there flying like a bird, quickly look around to spot your board.

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waveslave said...

djdojo said...

Firstly, I condemn board leashes. Body dragging is an essential skill. But, as pynnee said in a current thread, if you can't see your board you can't body drag to it.

If you can't see your board from the surface of the water...
yank the bar hard and send yourself into a hell-boost.
While you're up there flying like a bird, quickly look around to spot your board.

^^^^^^^^^^^^and do a general at the same time while your up there

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suface2air said...

Here what about this idea . A fiber class rod like cb ariel with a float on end and like a little flag . it is hidged onto board so when foot is in strap sits under your foot . You fall off rod springs up (because your foot is not holding it down) . if board is upside down the float will turn it over and if it is right way up you can see the bright florence orange flag . Simlar too go joe but when you are riding along would not be easy too see as it would be flat on the board and right out of the way .

Actually it's not a bad idea imho!
Might make it more difficult to put your feet in to begin with and I'm sure there'd be a whole host of other issues. But it solves the Go Joe/looking like a dick issue!

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waveslave said...

djdojo said...

Firstly, I condemn board leashes. Body dragging is an essential skill. But, as pynnee said in a current thread, if you can't see your board you can't body drag to it.

If you can't see your board from the surface of the water...
yank the bar hard and send yourself into a hell-boost.
While you're up there flying like a bird, quickly look around to spot your board.

That would just send you further downwind away from your board.
Use the 30 sec rule, drag 30 secs one way then change direction. 99/100 x this will get you too your board.

Also I really think bright boards are underated, they are much easier to spot especially in bad light situations. Personally I don't give a fig how the board looks, just how it rides. Some of the board graphics that companys produce(such as grey/blue colours) would be much hardrer to spot than say a bright orange/green/red board. But I guess how they look is more important as they are the designs that sell.

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Use the 30 sec rule, drag 30 secs one way then change direction. 99/100 x this will get you too your board.

Thats is good advice but don''t you think we need a few of these ........?

two choices to make go the go joe that works safely bu thave the cooooool guys take the piss , or loose ur board at pinns etc