Tech talk: Should I kite surf with a leash?

What’s up everyone? Welcome back to another Appletree Surfboards tech talk video. Today we are going to answer a question from one of you guys.. Should I kite surf with a leash?

Why shouldn’t I kite surf with a leash?

You shouldn’t kite surf with a leash, and there’s a really good reason for this. When something goes wrong while kite surfing, you do not want to have your board near. If you get pulled up and the board follows you, it will hit you in the head. The leash can actually wrap around your feet, wrap around your lines. It can cause all kinds of trouble. So basically don’t do it.

But what if I lose my board?

A surfboard will float downwind quite quickly, much quicker than a twintip. So body dragging back to your surfboard, even if you jump and you get really far away, should never take a really long time. If the board gets grabbed by the wave it can be a bit further, but even then it’s still quite easy to get it. We do advise people to get brightly colored boards like this one. They’re way easier to find.

But why the leash plugs on an Appletree surf board?

As you can see here, we do put leash plugs in our board. So why do we put leash plugs if our advice is not to use a leash? The only time that you want to put a leash on your board is when you really don’t want to lose your board. So either when you’re for instance riding on a rocky point break. Where if the board washes in it will end up on the rocks. Or if it’s like.. Actually that’s the only reason when there’s a strong current it can be beneficial. But in general, whenever you can remove the leash, do not use a leash when you’re kite surfing. Even people using roll leashes on twin tips, it’s really dangerous. So don’t do it.

Wait.. there are some exceptions

The only time when you do use a leash, is when you’re foiling. Because a loose foil board is such a hazard for other people specifically, not only for yourself, but other people can get hurt. In that case, yes, use a leash because other people’s safety is more important than your own in that case. In all other cases, don’t use a leash when kitesurfing.

That was it. Hope to see you next time in another tech talk video. Let us know in the comments down below what you think, what’s your opinion about using a leash while kitesurfing? Do you kite surf with a leash and why? We can have a vivid discussion there. We hope to see you later in the next tech talk video and don’t forget to check out our channel to see more tech talk videos. Thanks, cheers!

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