Ocean Rodeo Go-Joe , or reel leash?

[JaZone]

I'm thinking of getting a reel leash, but I came across the Ocean Rodeo Go-Joe.

Does anyone here use a Go-Joe on their board?

Also, how much line does a reel leash hold?

[Laughingman]

You do not need either, what you need to do is learn how to body drag upwind.

http://www.kiteboardleash.com/index.php ... stimonials

[whabbits]

Learn to body drag better.
Failing that, get a GOJOE. I know some guys who use them only in sketchy conditions so that they can see their board better, not for the help getting it downwind to you.

Todd

[CaptainArgh]

You don't need reel leashes any more. (there are long debates on the forum you can search)
Those were popular when the kites were much MUCH worse at relaunching than today's kites which pop back in the air really easily. It used to be that newbies would spend so much time trying to relaunch a kite, that the board was way out of sight if/when you ever got the kite back up in the air. Half the time you'd self-rescue with a rats-nest of lines and wouldn't be able to body drag to it anyway. Those were the old days.

If you get anything, get the Go-Joe. But all your real friends will make fun of you. Anyone that does not make fun of you is not your friend, they are an enabler.

(It actually does work well for the stated purpose, but not having it will force you to learn to body drag quicker)

[Danydan]

Like others said, you need to learn to body drag... You can of course delay that basic skill but you will have too soo er than later, when you start jumping for example...

[Danydan]

Like others said, you need to learn to body drag... You can of course delay that basic skill but you will have too soo er than later, when you start jumping for example...

[JaZone]

I know how to body drag , but I'm just not that good at it right now. I find myself missing the board a lot when the water is really choppy. And , sometimes I can't see the board when I body drag away from it trying to get upwind of it, just gets frustrating , and I get tired going back and forth trying to retrieve my board.

I guess , maybe I'll get a Go Joe , for now, until I get better at the body dragging.
My friend, that I kite with, says I'm not keeping the kite low enough, but I'm always afraid to put it too low and drop it in the water.

Ideally , what position should you try to keep the kite ?
And, I should be in front of the kite , right?

I do apologize for asking , since I know I should kind of already know this at this stage, but I just want to try to pinpoint what I'm doing wrong.

I do find it a lot easier to body drag upwind when I'm coming towards shore, it's the initial body drag going out that I have trouble with. I don't have a reference point when looking out to sea , so I can't really tell if I'm making any ground going out, and I don't want to go so far that I lose sight of the board. This causes a tendency to not go upwind enough , and when I come back in , I find myself passing the board upwind of it, and then having to body drag out again and come back in again.(I don't know if I'm explaining it enough so people know wat I'm saying, lol)

[KYLakeKiter]

Sounds like you will like a GoJoe just fine. If it helps you keep reference with your board better and sometimes pushes the board downwind for you then why not. I am sure that everyone on here who said to learn to body drag better has experienced crashing and getting dragged downwind and had to spend much more time than they would have liked dragging back to their board. Don't worry about what the cool kids say. Do what makes your day on the water more enjoyable. You can also use a swim float or small inner tube on your handle, but the GoJoe does stand up taller and work better.

[Brenkie]

Go without both, as advised by all others. A leash is a bungy that will catapult your board in the direction of it's bungy. Which is your body, and when you're in the water it's your head. I won't consider a leash an option. Your kite will keep you up and floating when needed. When it's down and you're restarting your kite you do not want a leash that connects to your board. Definitly.
There's one exeption, that's when you're surfing monsterwaves and you need a floatationdevice to keep you safe. But I think that's not the case.

The Go Joe makes it easier to spot your board but do you really want that on your board?
You can retrieve your board perfectly without it, just learn to bodydrag upwind.
To help yourself spot your board you can get a brand new flashy colored board, or repaint your current one. Or... Mount it with bright colored fins.

Good luck with practicing up-wind dragging.

[Life_Is_Awesome]

I came close to drowning because of a leash, and it was a reel leash too. I was fairly new to kiting and fell off my board and ended up putting my kite into the power zone only slightly. Really, it was not a hard loop through the power zone, but just a little dip. The kite pulled me downwind and my board floated behind me. When the leash got under tension, it caused my board to submerse and with me still connected to the kite, the board dragged me completely underwater even though I was wearing flotation. I was under the water for quite some time and completely out of breath by the time I finally managed to get my head above water. In retrospect, I should have pulled my release but I was new to kiting and not thinking. Stay away from the leash is my advice. 9+ times out of 10 you will find your board if you lose it anyway. Just not worth it.