I am relatively new to Kitesurfing and have been using a legrope with no trouble (as yet). Last weekend, a very experienced kiter advised me not to use one as they can cause trouble. I took it off, then soon after had to body drag around for 20 minutes until my board finally drifted downwind & back into range.

Should I use one or not?
(couldn't find any topic about it here)

Cheers,

G.

Quick answer no. As you get better at body dragging it will only take a few secs to retrieve your board. Also you have not experienced any problems yet as you are probably not going quick and or jumping.

Body dragging (while not fun) should be one of the first things to learn and is really simple once you get the hang of it. Eventually you will be able to head upwind while body dragging and your board will be also heading down wind also.

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surfgrub said...

I am relatively new to Kitesurfing and have been using a legrope with no trouble (as yet). Last weekend, a very experienced kiter advised me not to use one as they can cause trouble. I took it off, then soon after had to body drag around for 20 minutes until my board finally drifted downwind & back into range.

Should I use one or not?
(couldn't find any topic about it here)

Cheers,

G.

How good is your dental insurance?

when your riding a surfboard unstrapped, does anybody use a longboard leggie (say around 9feet) to reduce the risk of getting hit by your board?
of course only when you riding somewhere that you cant easily body drag after your board.

if you a ride a twin tip with leg rope you would a look a like a complete kook, and asked to leave a the beach
if you were a riding unstrapped surfboard with leg rope at a mysto outer reef you would a look like a hellman

just imho

Death leash? for me it's no way, in some rare circumstances it may be better than the alternative.
You need to weigh up... The risk of getting a board slingshoted back at your head vs worse case scenario if i don't have a leash. Generally worse case is walk up the beach to fetch your board when it gets washed or blown in.
Ditch the leash.
Another thing that can happen is if you really get chewed up in a wave or a big stack the leash can get mixed up with your kite lines, then it's all bad news.

Also stick your name and number on your board.

yeah but whats the odds of getting hit by your board if the leash is 9 feet long? its just pretty limiting kiting on a point or somewhere with sketchy wind on the inside where its difficult to get your board if you wipe out and it gets washed inside.

I suggest you have a read... Great article with some tips on how to body drag back to your board in less than 1 minute.

www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Kitesurfing/Tips-for-getting-your-kiteboard-back-Without-a-leash_6558011.aspx

THANKS RHYS!

can you give me some bodydragging tips too please i cant seem to be able to point upwind?

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JAKE123 said...
yeah but whats the odds of getting hit by your board if the leash is 9 feet long? its just pretty limiting kiting on a point or somewhere with sketchy wind on the inside where its difficult to get your board if you wipe out and it gets washed inside.

Still pretty high, and it could be coming at you a lot quicker too. That arguement might actually work better if you turn it on it's head and go with a really short leash. Less stretch over a shorter distance means less stored kinetic energy ready to be released. Ask yourself why vehicle recovery/snatch straps are so long.

Ditch the leash, if the winds are sketchy ask yourself why are you even out there to begin with?

Board leashes generally promote bad technique, both with body dragging and relaunching kites in light winds. The only bloke on my local that has problems day in and day out uses a board leash, its incredibly frustrating to watch.

Thanks for the good advice. Will leave the leash in the shed. Cheers, G...

If you cant body drag upwind to retreive your board, put it back on the beach and keep body dragging.

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suniboy21 said...
If you cant body drag upwind to retreive your board, put it back on the beach and keep body dragging.

Yep, the best advice I was given when learning was don't even worry about using the board until you can place it somewhere on a beach, body drag out 100mtrs or so and back to/or upwind of where your board is.
Provided there is no strong currents it's not that hard.

Some simple tips.

One hand on bar other hand in front, keep back and legs straight.

When tacking, be carefull to not drag your self down wind when turning around.

Dont loose your board

... so whats the vibe with a leg rope in surf ie on surfboards? Being new to strapless surfboards in decent surf, I'm gunna come off heaps I reckon, so is it a good/bad idea?

cheers for your opinions,

Robbie

^^ Bad - for all the reasons and pictures mentioned above. If you lose it, couple of swings of your kite and catch up to your board or chest drag back to beach to get it.

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Puetz said...
... so whats the vibe with a leg rope in surf ie on surfboards? Being new to strapless surfboards in decent surf, I'm gunna come off heaps I reckon, so is it a good/bad idea?

cheers for your opinions,

Robbie

i always wear a leggie in the surf. if you're riding down the line, and not boosting, sending the kite, or riding in straps then there is no more issue with the legrope loading up than if you are paddle surfing. occasionally the leggie will wrap around the lines when you get tumbled, but it's no big deal to fix.
it saves a lot of time body dragging through the whitewater trying to find your board. the surf can take the board a long way in a short time and it's not easy to spot a piece of white foam on a blown out day in the waves.

Some facts on bodydragging.

kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2365988&hilit=bodydrag

So it works even in light wind and can be used when there isn't enough wind to get up on the board.
You could start off bodydragging with the board as sometimes that is useful when the wind drops.

There doesn't seem to be a really good video showing how to bodydrag with the camera mounted above the trim strap.

stamp: do you just use the same leggie you surf with or a longer one? ive been going without one which is kinda annoying at some spots.

Has anybody had experience with strapless and leggies?

One problem I get is coming off, the board stays seaward, often some distance away. Next wave and it coming at you, pointy end first, often at quite a speed. I generally roll into a ball and hope for the best, so far so good, only been hit once and that was on a modified board (had cut the nose off it).

The nose cutting works great but only on cheapy PU boards, wouldn't want to do it to a new epoxy board. This looks like a great option but at a price, http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/surfboards_custom.php?boardid=vanguard

Does a short leggie keep the board closer so it doesn't build up momentum? Yes it can wrap the lines but all good leggies have a quick release strap.

i have allways refused to use a leash and that is what i suggest to beginners. don't use a leash. its a stupid idea for someone learning and crashing lots.

but i do see some instances in dodgy locations in massive surf were loosing your board could give you a worse chance of injury or death than leashing it.

I spent 30 mins dragging to my board in a remote location. i couldn't simply drag to shore as the beach was 1km down wind. direct inshore was boulders/cliff. the waves were double overhead + with a 5 meter swell wind was cranken 40 knots and the closer i got to the cliff the ****tier the wind got. i had to body drag amongst the boulders getting hammerd by monster white wash while my kite threatended to drop out of the sky..... It was by far my closest brush with death. I retrieved the board and got the hell out. Was it stupid to be out in those conditions? yes it was very stupid. Will i do it again? probably not.

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Plummet said...
i have allways refused to use a leash and that is what i suggest to beginners. don't use a leash. its a stupid idea for someone learning and crashing lots.

but i do see some instances in dodgy locations in massive surf were loosing your board could give you a worse chance of injury or death than leashing it.

I spent 30 mins dragging to my board in a remote location. i couldn't simply drag to shore as the beach was 1km down wind. direct inshore was boulders/cliff. the waves were double overhead + with a 5 meter swell wind was cranken 40 knots and the closer i got to the cliff the ****tier the wind got. i had to body drag amongst the boulders getting hammerd by monster white wash while my kite threatended to drop out of the sky..... It was by far my closest brush with death. I retrieved the board and got the hell out. Was it stupid to be out in those conditions? yes it was very stupid. Will i do it again? probably not.

... yeah, this is sort of the story I was imagining I'd be in so the leash is a good idea for this situation. Sorta got into similar trouble in Bali once, on a point break with huge current and I dropped my kite, the board took off and I had no idea where it was 'til a mate dropped it back to me. Body dragging with 2m high whitewater was an eye opener for me.

For me, I won't be using straps and I can't strapless jump so I guess I'm lowering the risk of using a leash but loosing the board can be a worse situation!

Is there a length that is concidered better than others? Can they be too short or too long?

cheers,

Robbie

the other reason to wear a leggie is that it's nice to have something to paddle to shore on after your kite gets munched in the waves.
i'd rather take the risk of the occasional fin bite than be stuck out the back on a big day with no board and no kite

and puetz, the length is the same as what you would normally use for whatever size surf you're in, maybe a touch longer

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stamp said...
the other reason to wear a leggie is that it's nice to have something to paddle to shore on after your kite gets munched in the waves.
i'd rather take the risk of the occasional fin bite than be stuck out the back on a big day with no board and no kite

and puetz, the length is the same as what you would normally use for whatever size surf you're in, maybe a touch longer

why don't you use a reel leash instead

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stamp said...

the length is the same as what you would normally use for whatever size surf you're in, maybe a touch longer

... thanks stamp!

1m rope from the leggie to the board reduces kitetic energy. Leggies are a must for certain conditions (gnaraloo), but these are an exception to the rule. Dont wear them unless absolutely necessary

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Puetz said...

stamp said...

the length is the same as what you would normally use for whatever size surf you're in, maybe a touch longer

... thanks stamp!

sorry mate, that was a bit like a politician's answer.
the board i almost always use is 6'0 and the legrope is about the same length