WA
155 posts
has anyone ever had there chicken loop come off with the (not sure of the proper name) tail through it. mine come off the other day and I had it set up on a spinning bar so once it pulled through the kite just blew away and I had to swim about 700metres back to shore mean while two guys just watched it get blown onto the beach then up onto the rocks, luckily two other guys came to the rescue an grabed it. now there is a big tear through the canopy and little nicks in several spots allong the leading egde the bladder is still intact though. Not sure if it can be repaired, the tear is either side of the second strut from the left and it goes from just under the leading edge right through to the trailing edge. the other thing I am unsure of is all the little nicks in the leading edge I am sure they wont last long. It is a new 06 kite and is it worth repairing or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new one. ( that would mean no expensive xmas presents this year)
88 posts
It shouldn't be too hard to fix.I've had to fix things like that a fair bit.Its just the unpicking thats a pain!!!
If the rips in the canopy are not on the seams usaully that's a bit easyier.
WA
4263 posts
What brand of 06 kite is it ?
Was the chicken loop standard for that model ?
Maybe you forgot to poke the chicken-bone down thru the hook when you launched ?
In the rush to get in the water, sometimes things are overlooked.
Regards
'slave
WA
155 posts
it is (was) 12m 06lift I am more worried about the nicks in the leading edge I think that they would just end up giving way aswell then I would forever be repairing that kite. not sure how easy it would be to repair them as there are quite a few in several spots along the leading edge. I am possative that I put the tail through as I had been out for about 4 or 5 hrs before this happened and I had been practising boosting and jumps all day, and it wasnt the first time I stacked it.
NSW
295 posts
What happened to the safty system / leash, shouldnt have that saved the kite?
WA
155 posts
if you have it on a spinning bar system and the whole chicken loop goes you lose the lot. If I had pulled the safety on the chicken loop the leash stays attached to the chicken loop which is still on the hook on the harness. Its always the way the wind today would have been perfect for that kite, I am up in karratha and its blowing a nice 18-20kn
QLD
485 posts
Cut a harness line in half and attach to your spreader bar and poke it in under the chicken loop - 99% better.
NSW
4188 posts
that sucks. The spinny system on that bar means that if you drop the bar when unhooked, then everything is gone as you are no longer attached to the safety.
check out the new Airush spinny system which is now on the spreader bar - that should resolve the problem of riding with a spinny leash AND being able to unhook and still keep a safety.
some kite repair tape inside the leading edge should be enough to keep it together and stop the nicks blowing out, but getting it in there is another matter.
88 posts
Pezza
If the l.e. has nicks in it you will just have to get someone to unpick those areas around the nicks and then patch and stitch them. The kite should be ok after that.
VIC
38 posts
is it possible to claim this under waranty, if the chicken loop broke.
or am i just not understanding this, did it slip of your harness?
WA
155 posts
tothepoint the one that you looked at is there new one which is obviously an optional extra because the one that came with mine doesnt look like that. my safety leash for my spinning bar system hooks on just in front of the chicken loop. I have three airush kites and they all have the same system, I will be changing them to there new system that has the swivel on the harness. I assure you it was hooked up properly as I said before I had already been out for about 4-5hrs so I think if there was something hooked up wrong it would have happened before it did. I think it was just a one in a million chance of happening, but it did. I was just wondering if any one had the same thing happen or had heard of it happening.
VIC
42 posts
It happenned to me several times with my slingshot, while relaunching in the water. The tail thing is flexible, and if the chicken loop got twisted off the bttom of the hook it just bent the tail and set itself free - which is a real f@#%er, 'cause it just dumped the kite into the waves (in my case the safety remained attached, but there was no relaunching after that, just several hours of untangling lines)
My Cabrina loop has a stiffened bit in the tail so it can't flex and let the loop off the hook. If that is the problem with yours, I suggest inserting something (eg dowel) into the tail to stiffen it.
Cheers
Andrew
WA
463 posts
Hi Pezza,
That really does suck. I think I use the same system, the big loop with the camel dick and the leash to a little metal ring just above the loop.
I think it must be a fluke of a thing as the tube you put through your harness is usually quite long and shouldnt fallout by accident.
Seems like it did though. I would defintaly get it repaired, im sure it will hold up.
As for doing unhooked moves with that system, its not a good idea unless you have a secondary safety leash. If are going to unhook, take the safety off the ring and put in on your harness. Then if you drop the kite, you wont lose it. It shouldnt tangle as the twists should undo when you unhook. Either that or use a suicide, which of course has its own issues.
NSW
4382 posts
Pezza
Go and see Neil Taylor at Hold the Line kites in Wembley, he can do the big tear in the sail for sure.
Let him give you a quote on the LE, or do what I did to a kite that was dragged over finger coral.
Glue all the holes and nicks.
You need to get clear, flexible, waterproof, polyurethane glue from a camping store, or auto repair supplier. The camping stores ell tubes for around $12 called "Seam Grip"
Make sure it is polyurethane glue!!
Get some large stickers, put the stickers on your car, board etc, but keep that shiny paperlike backing material!!
Get some fused dacron scraps from Neil, or buys some leading edge tape, that he uses on his stunt kites, it is black unfortunately.
Cut suitable sized patches with rounded corners and apply the glue to them, put them on the kite, with a piece of the shiny sticker paper over it, then put a couple of phone books on top and leave it for 6 - 8hrs, overnight is best.
Peel off the shiny sticker paper, and voila, you will have a completley spotty and repaired leading edge, as strong as new!!
The kite I repaired over a year ago is still flying!
Cya and
Goodwinds
Steve McCormack
WA
92 posts
I've had that happen on the 04 model but not with the longer hose they use now. its not a pleasant feeling watching the kite dissapear into the distance.
I have attached a short suicide line to my chicken loop just uncase it ever happens again. It hasn't yet.
Alternatively buy a spreader bar that has a hook with flared ends. That will prevent the chicken loop twisting off.
WA
224 posts
Hi Brett,
Speaking to you on the phone earlier I obviously didn't understand your explanation of what happened; I thought you meant the power adjustment strap broke where the chicken loop line ties in under the purple loop, hence I's at a loss as I've never seen that happen on a new bar. Now I undrestand what actually happened:
1. To help you with terminology, Airush tends to call the piece of plastic that fixes your chicken loop to the spreader bar to enable the spinning system a "camel's dick", others just call it a "toggle", or a "black plastic bit of tubing".
2. Pulling through can happen. As mentioned by someone else on the thread, the initial batch in 04 were too short so quite a few pulled through, but they were replaced with longer ones and we haven only heard of a few occurrences since then. These few occurrences with the longer "dick" have all occurred (to my knowledge) when the pull of the kite has been at an exceptionally unusual angle to the spreader bar twisting it into odd shapes e.g. beginner with a too-big harness which caused the hook to ride up considerably and allow the "dick" to twist loose, other example is riding blind hooked in which twists the chicken loop and cause the "dick" to pop out.
3. You probably weren't aware of this as the kite was picked up for you, but all '06 kites will have the new trigger release. Production has been a bit behind on these so they weren't ready to be included in the kites. It will be posted to you as soon as they arrive. (For anyone else reading this, make sure your retailer has your current address to make sure you receive it). The spinning system that clamps onto the spreader bar is an optional extra which you can choose to purchase when they ultimately arrive too.
You can also call the shop tomorrow and talk to the guys to see if the Loft can help with repairs if Neil is unable to. All the best,
Jess
WA
155 posts
the thing is I am not trying to blame any of the equipement for this happening I love the kite and the gear that airush have, I am willing to exept that these things happen. Just to clarify though I did bye the first 12m 06 lift from the store. It is the second one that I purchased since I ****ed the first one that I had sent to me. Its just that I am up in karratha at the moment and couldnt go without the kite while I waited for it to be repaired, if I was unhappy with the equipement I would never have gone and brought the exact same product again. I am going to bring the brocken one down to perth in a few weeks when I come down. Just to clarify so people dont get the wrong idea, I never wrote this to blame anyone or anything I was just curious If it had happened to anyone else.
And one other thing both of the ideas in point 2 that you mentioned jess are very possible but not the same as what happened to me but very similar it might be easier if I explain it when I come in next as it is very hard to explain things in text or verbally without demonstration ( over the phone).
I have since gone and hooked my safety leash straight to my harness and done away with the spinning system till I get the new one that goes onto the spreader bar.
