Oceanus kite reels: I still see them

[beebad]

Barring all responses of the image of the guy loosing teeth caused by the reel leash. I still them and people tell me the concerns are unwarrented.

Who out there uses one?

[SENDIT!]

Back around...2002, I guess, I was using one when I first moved to Oahu. My friends there had warned me not to use them, that they weren't safe, upwind bodydragging was the way to go. I waved them off, told them there's nothing to worry about this, I've been riding with one for a year or so with no problems. Then I managed to crash hard, getting dragged on my back, kite looping over and over. The board dug in (tombstoned) and the leash unwound to it's full length. Then the board got yanked clear of the water and shot back at me. Being on my back, I had a clear view of the board almost hitting me in the face. As I ducked away, I felt it scrape past my head on its way by. Once I recovered from that crash, I went in to the beach and took that leash off. I learned to upwind bodydrag and never used it again.

I see lots of people with their leash still attached to the back of their harness, despite the fact that they never have/never will unhook to do a handlepass. Just because you see people doing it, doesn't mean it's ok.

*PS Caveat here is using one to bodydrag out past the surf line, then taking it off to ride.

[BigBafana]

Just to set the facts straight for both of you and all the rest wanting to bash Oceanus, sendit, are you speaking of the Reel Leash by Oceanus and have you set it up in the proper fashion according to their instructions?

It seems odd that you sendit are saying that you got ‚tombstoned‘ which should never happen or even be able to happen if you connect the leash to the fin screws. Only if you connect it to the handle or somewhere close to the middle of the board would you end up in that position. Secondly the leash does not have any bungee action. It’s a solid nylon leash which when extended gets pulled back in a controlled slow action. So have any of you two really had some experience with it, the Reel Leash, or a similarly made one which had a bungee type cord? Those would spring back at you unlike the Oceanus one.

I had the Reel Leash as a beginner at a spot with a strong current and therefore used it back then. As often as I fell, far, long, long and flat, with speed and full force, I never once had the board ‚shoot‘ back at me. It was always a controlled constant and mostly slow return, espxecially when submerged in water.

I honestly think a lot of bashing occurs because people don’t differentiate between the Reel Leash from Oceanus and a different make that looks and acts similar but has the bungee action.

Also sendit you’re talking about 2002. perhaps they did have a bungee type leash back then. But the latest leash does not. The oldest review/ad that I could find on YouTube was from 2008, and that was also the time they presented a new version of the leash, the same type of model that I described above.

So please be clear on the facts and tell us again which exact brand you were using and if it had a bungee action cord or not, and did you connect it to the board per instruction at the fin?

So what are still your concerns about the latest model of the leash? The only concern would be that the leash or board would wrap itself around a solid object, over water or underwater, but even here my leash back in the days (also around 2008 somehwere) had a predetermined breaking point string that was connected to the solid nylon leash and the screw ring. So under certain tension that would probably rip and disconnect in the above emergency situation (here I don’t have any facts but I assume the company tested it).

[Eltreato]

http://kiteboardleash.com/

Pretty sure I recall this website is registered to Ocean Rodeo despite finding nothing on a whois lookup. They wouldn't have any reason to discourage leashes would they? /s

Oceanus has been making those reel leashes since at least the mid-2000s, they were hot garbage then just as they are now, if they load up fully extended and your kite goes the other direction, there can be a serious price to pay, this goes for any leash.

[BigBafana]

http://kiteboardleash.com/

Pretty sure I recall this website is registered to Ocean Rodeo despite finding nothing on a whois lookup. They wouldn't have any reason to discourage leashes would they? /s

Oceanus has been making those reel leashes since at least the mid-2000s, they were hot garbage then just as they are now, if they load up fully extended and your kite goes the other direction, there can be a serious price to pay, this goes for any leash.

You are the prime example of those that seem to have no experience with the actual Reel Leash (I keep emphasizing the actual brand and not just any leash with a reel, such as a dog leash or other lesser models) as your arguments are so generalized and lack any sense of personal experience especially regarding a latest model of the Reel Leash. Do you, Eltreato, have personal experience with the Reel Leash or are you passing on stories that others have told? ‘Kite in one direction, board in the other direction...serious consequences’....generalization and insinuating a dangerous szenario without any details. Please explain the physics behind that in regards to the above mentioned product which doesn’t have a bungee cord but a stiff nylon strap and a shock cord to dampen an initial pull by the board in your described scenario.

That is the exact website which is total garbage regarding the Reel Leash as it speaks about general leashes with a reel action but not the actual brand and model Reel Leash made by Oceanus. Added to that are also testimonies of people stating that their photo is on the website but their injuries were caused by powerboat accidents and not a leash (it’s on seabreeze).

Just to be clear, I’m neither for nor against the product, I just hate product bashing by people without substantial arguments or experience with that product. In this case I do have experience with Oceanus’s product and had no issues with it whatsoever, and I think as a beginner with plenty of crashes, kite yanks and unwanted kite loops I should’ve lost all my teeth by now. The board never came shooting back at me once. It’s not fair to the companies that do make solid products.

[Kamikuza]

Still see them here but basically if it wasn't in Japan, it hasn't been invented so until J-kiters start losing teeth they'll keep using them.

I have been thinking that they might be useful when foiling; hook it in if you have to let go of the board to futz with the kite, might be handy to secure boards that are fond of drifting away.

[matth]

Board leash? no thanks. Besides the fact the board can take your head off, I don't want to deal with another line that I can get tangled in...Plus I can't remember the last time I got separated from my board.


I do love a good game of lawn darts after a few cocktails though..

[OzBungy]

I don't know about losing teeth or any of that with a reel leash, but ... 99.99999999% of kiters do just fine with no leash at all. What's "special" about you that you need a reel leash?

I understand some surf kiters use a leash because they surf at a sketchy break with rocks and cliffs downwind. Arguably getting separated from your board could be more dangerous than using a leash. I would assume people riding in those circumstances are expert enough to make an informed decision. In which case there's nothing to discuss.

Using a leash as a matter of course? Refer to paragraph 1.

[BigSky]

I used the Oceanus when I first started kiting. I found it super helpful when learning because it allowed me to focus on the kite. However I feel it also made me lazy around acquiring solid body dragging skills. I certainly had many violent wipeouts and never once even had a close call with the board shooting back at me; it just slowly crawled back to me every time. It worked so well it was hard to give up at first. I did get harassed by the PC brigade for my offense, which was made even worse because it was hanging from seat harness

[badgb21]

I wear one/carry one from time to time, mainly;
kiting alone
strong current
Sharks known to be around
- All dependent on conditions though.

Learning I wore one and a few times it wrapped around my body, not a nice situation. I think the later ones you can detach from the harness with a quick release type buckle
I connect to fin screws and learning it caused me to get dragged under the water, if the kite was dragging me, as the board went under and created resistance, not nice!
Never had it spring back at me, but I'm old and sedate rider

Has been useful a couple of times carrying it, not clipped on. when kite had problem or helping others, I could clip in and forget about board.
Have seen others lose too many boards, so has been handy to clip into in rough seas where you can't see your (matt black!) board.