Ocean Rodeo Go Joe Leashless Kitesurfing Board Retrieval Device

I've got three of these for my three twin tips. I'm an experienced rider-- back rolls, board grabs, jumping 20-30 ft in the air, etc. I go as hard as I can at age 42.Pros:1. I will never lose a board with this on.2. It blows back to you much faster, so less time wasted body dragging.3. We're kiting lakes where I am. Sometimes downwind of you is all private property, and/or limited shallows. If you become separated from your board here, it can be a huge pain (requiring jet ski or SUP to traverse the shore looking for it) assuming you get it back at all.I can't believe how often experienced riders lose boards. Or even spend 20 minutes body dragging looking for their board until someone else points to it or grabs it. Last fall I lost my board in the middle of the lake, body dragged in and waited. The board eventually showed up, so I was lucky. Killed the session tho.Why doesn't everyone use these?Cons:1. These things are not cool. Old school guys think they're ridiculous. (Keep in mind these guys still lose a board occasionally--it can happen to anyone.)In my area, I'm MAKING them cool. People tease me sometimes; I just laugh with them. Having one on allows me to go for it as hard as I want without any worry about losing my board. I experience no side effects from waves, or wind while I'm in the air, from using them. Why would I NOT use one here?A surprising number of people still use leashes. I would not consider a leash myself.When I go to Padre on the lagoon side, or this winter when I'm in shallows in the Caribbean, I won't use them. But on downwinders or in bigger waves where it's easy to lose sight of your board, I will.I've had my three for a year and they are all working great. I've ridden about 100 times since I got them. I've told my friends to feel free to make fun of me all they want-- I'm gonna keep using them. I'll be on the water shredding and I'll never have to replace a lost board. :)

Well, here is my story. My previous GoJoe served me well for two years. It didn't constrain me in any movement whatsoever, but retrieved my board all the time and/or made it very visible even in waves.Now, because I never rinsed it with fresh water and got into a couple of accidents this year, my old GoJoe eventually came off of its base mounting.Sure enough, before I bought a new Go Joe we had to go to that beach with some serious waves and sideways wind.And, without a working GoJoe did I lose my old board that day.My old board didn't wash up on the shore anywhere we looked, perhaps because the wind sideways that day.Moral of the story: even if you are totally fine with body-dragging for minutes and minutes, even if you are totally cool with crashing, or even if you almost never crash because you aren't really pushing yourself to try new things anymore (or because you are just awesome) ... in all of those cases a small investment in a GoJoe buys you a lot of faster retrievals and just piece of mind.Plus, it's relatively cheap and you don't really have to deflate it when you pack (you can just keep it inflated or semi-inflated).All said, I think it's smart to have a GoJoe on almost any board from day one, at any level of experience.

Looks great with my board, and has held up over the past 6 months. After inflating my kite, I take the pump and inflate this all the way. It not only helps flip my board over in the water, but helps me to find my board, and helps bring it to me. I'd recommend for all new kiters.

Four stars because the "longer" screws included are EXACTLY the same length as standard board screws, and so are completely useless. If you get this you have to find different SS screws to mount it. Apart from that it is a great product and works like a charm :)EDIT: A new one ruptured at first use. I had to get the bladder out and... what a joke. This bladder is almost condom-like in appearance and strength. Ridiculous. Downgrading this to two stars.

I love the Go Joe, the reason I had to give it a single star is so that it would be read. The screws that come with it are to short to work with most board handles, which means you will need to find a hardware store to get the correct length screws and the right size to work with your setup. This proved rather difficult for me and I was not able to use my Go Joe for some time while I hunted for them. I don't believe the Go Joe will work with most board handles out of the box.

After losing my board (I got it back two days later thanks to some great, honest people), somebody recommended this. Works great. Didn't have any issues installing on my North board. If the screws don't fit just swing by ACE and pick up the right size/length SS screw for your board. Thumbs Up!

Love this thing as a newer Kiteboarder. It has saved me so much time trying to find my board. I've spent as much as 30 minutes before dragging around looking for my board before. I almost gave up on my board once when I couldn't find it luckily someone else saw it and grabbed it for me.I now can look around quickly and see my board even in waves. I have yet to have a problem finding my board since putting this on. It makes it so easy to see.

This is the second Go Joe I bought, and I really like the product. I didn't give it a 5 stars rating because it is a pain to install. (maybe with a different brand it would be easier. I own a Cabrinha X-Caliber)They send you "longer than standard screws M6 metric" but it is the same size as the one on the board, so you will have to go to the hardware store and find a M6 that is really longer. Also, the Cabrinha handle is smaller, so you will need to make a hole on the very hard plastic in order to have it installed.On the water it is great. No need to go after a sometimes hard to reach board or using a dangerous leash.

As kitesurfer beginners we dropped the board quite often. It usually floats upside down (i.e. dark surface upwards) and is hard to spot amongst the waves. Go Joe makes it float the right way up and is visible from a considerable distance. It also acts as a small sail to help the board float downwind. No more aimless bodydragging in the hope of spotting the board or even going ashore to spot it from slightly higher ground. Even though we've improved, we still use Go Joe now. It is easily fitted between board handle and one footstrap and comes with instructions, slightly longer screws (in case the existing ones are too short) and a puncture repair patch. Brilliantly simple and effective.

Easy to install. Have not tried it in the water yet. Looks great!