How many of you did definitively lost a board?

[pmaggie]

I think I really risked only one time to definitively loose my board (I was so lucky that two lifeguards found it the water and bring it back to the beach!), but quite every sunday in my home spot someone looses his board.
How many of you definitively lost it? Why?

[DvB]

I've only ever lost one board. My brand new North Select (used only once). I checked it in at Johannesburg International Airport, and it never arrived in the Seychelles. Ever. No intermediate stops, no connecting flights, no reason other than incompetence or dishonesty.

A mate of mine lost his board kiting in front of Pearlies in Langebaan, after a bad wipeout he was separated from his board and couldn't see it in the chop and glare. He body dragged in, and a bunch of us combed the area on the water afterwards, but it was never found again, at least not by us. The current that flows there probably had a hand in that, as it can get up to 7 knots in the channel.

I donated an old Jamie Pro to an ex girlfriend, and that went missing in the Breede River, also for good, after she wiped out and couldn't get back to the board. I miss that board...

[Kamikuza]

Lost my Flyradical L at the lake. I think it washed up the river and someone picked it up and didn't bother taking it to the only kite shop within 300km

A better question would be, how much do we miss the gear we've lost that is out of proportion to how good it was?

[Starsky]

How can a board wash up river?

[BWD]

Board upriver? Tides, eddies, wind perhaps?
I lost a board when my kite death looped a dozen times. Was a 5th line c kite, the 5th got trapped in depower cleat.
The board crossed a river mouth, found on a beach 3 weeks later and eventually retrieved.
Boards have amazing migratory habits.

[NHKitesurfer]

How can a board wash up river?

Tides....almost all rivers which empty into the ocean flow upriver (many several miles) as the ocean tide comes in. And currents can run 4 knots going upriver.

[Darkside]

A mate lost one of my boards in Hurghada in 2013 while getting spanked, also lost one of his shoes still in the foot strap must admit I was not best pleased but after he finished his 3 mile walk of shame and got back to the spot to sheapishly explain what had happent and I looked down to see his one shoe on I had to laugh . Ps never seen the board again or his shoe.

The following year while doing a downwinder the same guy gave a shout of joy while enjoying the Stoke and lost his front four teeth (we're false) I have never laughed so much specialy when another mate commented that there was a good chance some random fish could be swimming about with our mates grill in its mouth lol

[Laughingman]

Yep lost a Mako 150 wide years ago trying to help out another kiter while visiting Hatteras... it was NE so side off in the sound and a friend somehow disconnected his kite, I went out to grab it and I misjudged where my kite was while grabbing it and was yarded, lost sight of the board and never saw it again. took me what seemed like forever to get myself back to shore body dragging, then started walking down NC12 back to the house we rented... got picked up by a attractive young surfer girl along the way. Gotta love OBX

[t3rse]

I almost lost mine when my kite deathlooped and took me back to shore (side on). I got to shore in a mess of lines and the current was pretty strong so I had to swim for it, which was a very exhausting and unpleasant experience.

I saw a guy lose a board surfing an off-shore breaker on a sandbar. He dumped the kite and couldn't get it back it. By the time he made it back to the beach, the board was long gone.

I saved a guy's board in an estuary. He lost it and was body dragging back and forth looking for it. I was 400 yards or so further in and happened to see it passing by, snagged it up and went and dropped it off to the fella.

[Starsky]

How can a board wash up river?

Tides....almost all rivers which empty into the ocean flow upriver (many several miles) as the ocean tide comes in. And currents can run 4 knots going upriver.

Board upriver? Tides, eddies, wind perhaps?

First sentence of the post states it was a lake... no tides.

Eddies?? How far do you think those run upriver? If anything they make it easier to find a lost board. Wind???? seriously?

Down river leaving a lake maybe, but not up river.... unless maybe a salmon ate it.

Edit: I'm full of shit. Up river could just mean up the lake.... That could happen.


A buddy lost a nice custom board in Hatteras riding slightly offshore sound side. Came in and hopped off in two inch shallows a couple feet from land. Proceeded to drop his kite and de rig not even giving his board a thought until everyone else was landed and packed and about to walk up to the house. Lesson learned the hard way!