Disclosure - Ocean Rodeo Aust. Agent.

Heres a truly safe way of avoiding the potential of massive self harm from using a board leash while still avoiding 99.9% of the risk of losing that much loved new board.
Enter the GoJoe.
This one simple, cheap accessory to your board takes all the board-worry out of the kiting equation. It is a quality construction made from the exact same materials as your kite including the pump inflated bladder with a non-return valve.
It mounts neatly to your board being secured by the two handle screws. It sits across the board leaving the handle free for normal access but far enough from the pads & straps not to interfere with your stance.
When you and your board are parted it first tips your board deck up. A board that is free to roam with straps & pads down is not only way hard to spot but is slowed down considerably from being blown downwind. It can also be at more risk of following currents rather than following the wind.
With fins down your board will remain in line with the wind free of any drag. The size, shape & cross-board angle of the GoJoe then acts as a sail to bring your board back downwind to you way faster than in normal conditions.
Every GoJoe is finished with a HiVis fabric to ensure your board will not only be closer to you but way easier to spot - handy on those super rough days or when its further away.
At the end of your session simply deflate the same as for your kite.

Magical insurance against board lose & guaranteed less time dragging/more time riding.




AND cheaper than a reel leash!!!

And gayer than a liberace song about butt sex

i thought this abomination of a product died a well deserved death in 2005. does it come with a free pair of kitepants?

phil thats pretty gay, and ive noticed youve started to shave your legs

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cauncy said...
phil thats pretty gay, and ive noticed youve started to shave your legs

"started" - Ive had that silky smooth, hand plucked look for years. I was sure you (of all people) would have noticed before now.
Yeah they may be 'gay' to some. But way less gay than a leash.
And how gay does something have to be before its too gay to save you 800 to 1000 bucks ?
I reckon if it makes life easier, cheaper & learning quicker then having some on the beach snicker & call it gay is not too much of a worry.

Just my 2c worth.
Equally or even more effective, and $10 at Bunnings, fits under the handle of any board, works best if inflated to about double this size (or larger). Does not look as techy as a Go-Jo
Remove and discard once you learn to body drag properly.

Does anyone have a blow up girlfriend...got a camera as well?

or here's an idea... learn to body drag

I'd rather have hepatitis than use this inflated piece of crap!

I'm telling ya a blow up girlfriend in the middle, perfect. combine both pursuits in one and find ya board no probs...damn that would be funny seeing that floating around...god I need some wind.

Got a good chuckle from ur idea Steve And it would probably work!

I knew from the GoGet that the GoJoe would cop a lashing but hey...
From my guestimate theres well more than 10% of newbies out there looking for leashes
Theres certainly a significant no. that come in reporting lost boards - check the lost & found any day you like.
I agree completely that the GoJoe is going to get snickers from the kiting elite - but guys - if it makes life easier & reduces the risk of a lost board I, for one, would put up with it.
At a measly $69 I reckon its great ingenuity, very well designed & a quality product.
At that price its also not something Im plugging to assist the bottom line here at KSS.
We also sell reel leashes (only when pushed & from under the counter where we keep our porn mags smuggled in from Canberra).
I just see the GoJoe a way better & cheaper option.
For sure - flick it on after a couple of weeks/months - Im sure you would have no trouble selling it on to another newbie for 50 bucks at your local beach. Thats $19 for just one more bit of evidence your a newbie (as if everyone cant tell anyhow) and for that you get to have more time kiting than dragging & way less chance of losing your board.
Cmon guys - is the negativity really being productive.

Ah phil just having a laugh. I'm sure it is very functional and serves the purpose you describe really well, but man it does look kinda funny...

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puppetonastring said...
Got a good chuckle from ur idea Steve And it would probably work!

It actually does work, but you do lose access to the handle, small price to pay for a sure fire way of getting your board back while you learn to body drag properly.

Question: In instances where it is preferable to keep the board with you instead of body dragging (I suppose like if you were in the surf and losing a board would mean body dragging through several sets of waves back to shore), is it possible to use a leggie made from completely static material of a longer length? Supposing you use a 5m length of polypropylene or another line with no elasticity so the board doesn't flick back and give you a sore head.

As well being a great tool for recovering & spotting your board it can also identify the user as a learner. Just like on the road, it can clearly identify someone that needs to be given a wide berth or some advice. I wasn't aware of this product when I did my lessons. If I was given a demo during a lesson or had it attached to the board supplied by the instructor I would more than likely have bought one. Instructors are crystal clear on not using a leash & I never used one. The only way this product can really sell well is through the instructors. I was fortunate enough not to loose a board in first couple of months of being a newbie. It would definitely come in handy when you can't relaunch until you get blown back to the beach. Board can then easily be spotted , even at 200m+, then body drag back out to retrieve it. When its over 20 knts & cloudy it becomes impossible to spot most boards when footpads are below the surface. Also, most newbies will spend at least 5 minutes trying to see where their board is before starting to body drag , its then another 50m away & impossible to retrieve. GoJoe does resemble an air bag for your ankles & has absolutely zero aerodynamics but can definitely save a beginner a very expensive day on the water.

I love the GoJoe and I also body drag quite effectively. Contrary to some of my buddy's, I haven't lost a board and thus ending a session. I can retrieve my board more quickly and easily, which is especially important during winter sessions. This doubly applies to being in surf. While I don't use it on all my boards, but in venues where there's the probability either I will be separated from my board, or if that separation for any length of time increases my danger to exposure.

[}:)] If this makes me a kook, a dork, etc., I'm comfortable with that and my self esteem is well intact. Perhaps the new cool is not giving a rat's bladder what others may think of you. Just sayin. ;)

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zarb said...
Question: In instances where it is preferable to keep the board with you instead of body dragging (I suppose like if you were in the surf and losing a board would mean body dragging through several sets of waves back to shore), is it possible to use a leggie made from completely static material of a longer length? Supposing you use a 5m length of polypropylene or another line with no elasticity so the board doesn't flick back and give you a sore head.

The Oceananus Reel Leash is the only leash option to consider for kiters. But even it doesnt overcome the overwhelmingly good advice not to use one at all.
The difference between a surfer & a kiter wearing a leggie is that the surfer is at one end of the competition with the board at the other. The kiter is a fixed object bw the board; a metre or so away; and the kite pulling from 20+M on the other side of the equation. A sure fire setting for injuries.
Any kiter who was around in the early days when kiters were experimenting with standard surfboard type leashes will have stories to tell.

Yep big gash on my head to show for it. Always put my hand out to take the submerged board slingshot effect. Forgot once and paid the price. Still reckon in huge swell on a SB strapless I'd still consider using a leash.

Oceanus reel leash will rebound a board back into your head or body as quick and fast as any surfboard leash, we were probably the first to sell them and then the first to refuse to sell them!
Yeah we could make a few buck selling them, but we know that for every one that is sold another one will injure someone.

The only answer for beginners is a go-jo or the wheel barrow tube.

@Eppo, I witnessed Keahi nearly lose an eye in Hawaii, in head and half high surf on Oahu, he was using a standard surfboard leash. Don't think he uses or recommends them anymore! Big surf is when you are more likely to be swept at speed away from your board, and if you are attached to it then it will rebound straight at you.

@zarb, no even non stretch line will cause a rebound, don't do it. If your bopard washes away from you body drag after it even if you have to chase it to the beach.

I think possibly what is not being considered in this discussion (and I may be wrong) is the skill level of the leash/gojoe users. I pretty much have only been kiting for this past season (I had lessons at the end of the previous season but no opportunity to practice cos the wind dissapeared).
I was very dubious about using a leash initially because of the negativety surrounding their use. I pretty much was sure that if I didn't use one I would instantaniously lose my board.
I bought a reel leash regardless and was really glad I did. Because I was at virtualy zero skill level I was learning fundementals like kite control, stance, edging upwind etc ... As you search for the limits that you can enforce to make everything work crashes are inevitable. I was always pushing... and always crashing. Usually it would be lack of kite control or smashing into lumpy chop... or a combination of both.
All that would happen would be the kite would come down and I would flop in the water.I would pull my board in with the leash and be relaunched usually in under a couple of minutes. I would admit that the freedom to push as far as I wanted made me less considerate of the consequences of coming off but it definately gave me much more chance to get back on the horse quickly.
I wasnt trying anything radical... just how to do the basics. As the season got on everything eventually fell into place - time to try some jumps.
This is when I stopped using the leash and went with the gojoe which was a good alternative.
My point really is that my experience was that whilst doing basic skills practice I found never a hint of danger and was offered what I feel was a much quicker learning experience. Going for air is obviously much more problematic in regard to using a leash.
I think the opinions given in this discussion are possibly from much more experienced and skilled riders for whom leashes wouldn't work - because they are doing much more dangerous moves.
Incitently even with the leash and gojoe I still lost (and recovered later) my board 4 times!

Hi Peeps,

The GoJoe is a band aid fix. It doesn't alleviate the problem (can't body drag upwind), and as soon as you apply the patch, you no longer need to learn it so you become reliant.

I have seen Go Joe's burst and the board go missing because the owner couldn't body drag upwind.

Also, if you crash the kite in the water and cannot relaunch, the Go Joe drags your board miles away from you. You cannot swim fast enough to catch up with one in a decent breeze.

Alternative problem, a late arvie sesh, you crash, the wind goes offshore and your board is on it's way to South Africa.

Here is a better idea; learn to body drag properly and you'll never need one. It will take you an afternoon practicing after 20 minutes of instruction.

If you really really must have one, The Bunnings wheel barrow inner tube does the job nicely at less the 20% of the price of the Goe Joe.

Go Joe screams "NOOB". Stop trying to buy your way to hero-dom, do the hard yards for a day and get on without it.

DM

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snalberski said...
I think possibly what is not being considered in this discussion (and I may be wrong) is the skill level of the leash/gojoe users. I pretty much have only been kiting for this past season (I had lessons at the end of the previous season but no opportunity to practice cos the wind dissapeared).
I was very dubious about using a leash initially because of the negativety surrounding their use. I pretty much was sure that if I didn't use one I would instantaniously lose my board.
I bought a reel leash regardless and was really glad I did. Because I was at virtualy zero skill level I was learning fundementals like kite control, stance, edging upwind etc ... As you search for the limits that you can enforce to make everything work crashes are inevitable. I was always pushing... and always crashing. Usually it would be lack of kite control or smashing into lumpy chop... or a combination of both.
All that would happen would be the kite would come down and I would flop in the water.I would pull my board in with the leash and be relaunched usually in under a couple of minutes. I would admit that the freedom to push as far as I wanted made me less considerate of the consequences of coming off but it definately gave me much more chance to get back on the horse quickly.
I wasnt trying anything radical... just how to do the basics. As the season got on everything eventually fell into place - time to try some jumps.
This is when I stopped using the leash and went with the gojoe which was a good alternative.
My point really is that my experience was that whilst doing basic skills practice I found never a hint of danger and was offered what I feel was a much quicker learning experience. Going for air is obviously much more problematic in regard to using a leash.
I think the opinions given in this discussion are possibly from much more experienced and skilled riders for whom leashes wouldn't work - because they are doing much more dangerous moves.
Incitently even with the leash and gojoe I still lost (and recovered later) my board 4 times!

Snalberski,

You were lucky mate, not clever. I've been in this sport since 2000 when we used leashes because kites back then were downwind pigs and we hadn't figured out upwind body dragging. Many friends had nasty meetings with fins, boards and the likes. Duncan nearly lost his life through the use of a leash, Ingrid aka danger girl had many, many run ins with boards and fins and was a regular at the clinic getting stitched back together, even with a helmet.

So although I respect your opinion, with your extremely limited experience in this sport, I'd keen opinions that counter the knowledge and experiences of highly experienced riders with board leashes advice to yourself.

Leashes for kiting are STUPID!

DM

I can body drag up wind, dont lose my board very often (IE dont become separated from it) but still use a GoJoe - it isn't there to stop you from body dragging upwind, it just means you can get away with 1 or 2 tacks in most cases instead of 8 - I would rather be spending time up on my board than body dragging to get it, even if it is only a couple of minutes saved - plus the GoJoe makes it very easy to see your board, a lot of times I have lost a board without a GoJoe and in bay chop it is very easy to lose sight of where your board is. Yep, it may look a bit ghey to some people, but so do helmets and I have had one of them save my life a number of times now . . .

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cracknback said...
I can body drag up wind, dont lose my board very often (IE dont become separated from it) but still use a GoJoe - it isn't there to stop you from body dragging upwind, it just means you can get away with 1 or 2 tacks in most cases instead of 8 - I would rather be spending time up on my board than body dragging to get it, even if it is only a couple of minutes saved - plus the GoJoe makes it very easy to see your board, a lot of times I have lost a board without a GoJoe and in bay chop it is very easy to lose sight of where your board is. Yep, it may look a bit ghey to some people, but so do helmets and I have had one of them save my life a number of times now . . .

I'm a newbie and have been practicing upwind body dragging. My problem is spotting my board in the chop - I wear prescription glasses and you only need a few drops of water on the lenses before spotting the board can be hardwork.

I've got bigger problems than appearing gay - who's stocking these in Oz?

Out of Stock - temporarily
Shouldnt be any further away than your board from a decent loft downwind

As others say they are not foolproof but a way better option than a leash.
Some forget the frustration of working your way through those early stages when multiple things go wrong & need to be managed.
They are NOT an alternative to sorting your upwind dragging but they also dont bypass this part of the learning curve. You still have to drag back - just not multiple times & not when you have lost site of the board. IMO a good move while time on your board is the goal.

Saw some guy using a bright orange kids floatie through his handle at Sal. Cheap option but does look pretty comical.

In onshore wind and knee to chest high crumbling waves, its not a lot of fun for beginners to body drag around. They tend to take longer to relaunch the kite and will often have lost track of where the board is. They tend to swallow a lot of water as the whitewater goes over their heads.

In those circumstances the Gojoe or something that has the same effect will help a lot.

Even in flattish water it can be very difficult to spot an upside down twintip if its the wrong colour, so the board can get lost or hit by another water user.

So the idea behind the Gojoe is actually a good one. It would be nice if there was a way to get the result without it looking a bit odd but it seems there isn't.

And yes it shouldn't be an alternative to learning to body drag well, but there are times when it can be useful.

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terminal said...
In onshore wind and knee to chest high crumbling waves, its not a lot of fun for beginners to body drag around. They tend to take longer to relaunch the kite and will often have lost track of where the board is. They tend to swallow a lot of water as the whitewater goes over their heads.

body dragging in double to tripple head high dumpers on deserted beach in 50km form anywhere with cliff and barnacle encrusted rocks inshore and 40 knots of wind ain't that much fun either.....

Thats said i don't use the floaty think. a more manly device would be a unit that deployed and pumps its self up if you get x meters away from it.

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Plummet said...

terminal said...
In onshore wind and knee to chest high crumbling waves, its not a lot of fun for beginners to body drag around. They tend to take longer to relaunch the kite and will often have lost track of where the board is. They tend to swallow a lot of water as the whitewater goes over their heads.

body dragging in double to tripple head high dumpers on deserted beach in 50km form anywhere with cliff and barnacle encrusted rocks inshore and 40 knots of wind ain't that much fun either.....

Thats said i don't use the floaty think. a more manly device would be a unit that deployed and pumps its self up if you get x meters away from it.

If we are going for the most manly option - I'll have the 'sprouts rockets', wristwatch navigable, knows when your coming in, pre-heats meat pies, cools the beer and packs my kite away option.

Also would consider the 'turns into a Super Model at midnight' deluxe edition.

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Plummet said...

terminal said...
In onshore wind and knee to chest high crumbling waves, its not a lot of fun for beginners to body drag around. They tend to take longer to relaunch the kite and will often have lost track of where the board is. They tend to swallow a lot of water as the whitewater goes over their heads.

body dragging in double to tripple head high dumpers on deserted beach in 50km form anywhere with cliff and barnacle encrusted rocks inshore and 40 knots of wind ain't that much fun either.....

Thats said i don't use the floaty think. a more manly device would be a unit that deployed and pumps its self up if you get x meters away from it.

If we are going for the most manly option - I'll have the 'sprouts rockets', wristwatch navigable, knows when your coming in, pre-heats meat pies, cools the beer and packs my kite away option.

Also would consider the 'turns into a Super Model at midnight' deluxe edition.

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Drewm said...
or here's an idea... learn to body drag

Ya still have to body drag to get to you board with either the gojoe or wheelbarrow tube. Think of it as trainer wheels for board recovery. We all looked like newbies when we were newbies, who cares. I'd rather have a giggle at a learner with a gojoe than shake my head at one with a leash.