its happened twice now that i have stuffed up a jump, and the lines have gotten really slack, and one of the lines have got caught between the bar and the foamy cushion bits on the line right above the bar.

this causes one back line to be about 30 cm shorter than the other back line, and the death spiral starts - boo.

Does anyone know what they are actually for ? If not, im ditching them.

I dont like the spiral of death.

Ummm - I could be wrong but I always thought they were to keep the lines away from tangling around the bar itself? or at least to reduce the chances.

I have a Best BnL (cheap and very nasty)which doesn't have these or a 'stiff' sheath (oh cut out the double entendres?? ) around where the line terminates at the bar.

I have had this happen a few times now after a big stack. All has appeared ok and realaunched only to find one of the lines wrapped once around one end (so about 20cm shorter). After a huge skid inducing hoik to one side (followed immediately by f**kn ell f**kn ell!!!) and compensating by twisting the bar to get kite in nuetral i have sorted it out (minding not to get fingers caught in lines under tension).

I am now more aware and check this every time before and during relaunching. Oh and I also seem to be stacking less so i'm not trying hard enough obviously!

My other BnL has a sheath and has never had this happen.

Definitely floats, no doubt about it.

A sinking bar will not help you out at all.

I can absolutely say they look pretty cool but aren't they a bit overkill? When would your bar sink? You're hooked in to it usually and if you are unhooked and drop the bar you usually have a (suicide)leesh don't you? And for the pulling the backlines, it's not like it's barbwire without them..

Huh??!?

1st of all why would you go out 1km out on open sea?

2nd, ditch to safety?
You mean unhooked and let go of the bar?!? Pull the quickrelease? Why would you pull the quickrelease 1km out on open see? What can possibly happen there that makes you have to pull that? It's not like your gonna hit land or anyone else for that matter and if you HAVE to pull the quickrelease when you are 1km out on open sea you shouldn't be there in the first place.

3rd, Don't you still have a leesh connecting your harness/arm/leg/whatever to the bar? If you don't, you should..

4th. If you don't then the kite flys away so I think finding the bar at the bottom the least of your concerns.

5th. I don't know about yours but my bar i hollow so it still floats even without the floaty thingies.


Conclusion. Your arguments doesnt hold, sorry mate.
Case closed.

quote:

---

Originally posted by DaveSpruce

Modding is the key my friend, mod away. If you don't find the bar/kite/board working the way you would prefer it to work, mod it. Done it alot and it really helps. As far as I know those are for floating yes. May I ask why you get the lines that slack after a jump that they could tangle around the bar?!? Sounds very strange..

---

ok sorry to get back on topic , anyway:
it doesnt happen often, but every once in a while when i know im gunna go face flat on the water coz my board has ended up behind me on the landing, i think i must put the kite too far behind me to compensate, and it just stalls coz its gone past the end of the wind window. then it drops out of the sky. its at this point where its fallen 15m in front of me, but the lines are longer than that so they float around till the kite goes downwind and tensions the lines.
its at this point i notice that the lines can swim around the float and get caught between the float & bar.

some kind of sheath would be good. seen them before on the nova's.

anyways - back the dropping the bar 1km out to sea. (never gunna hit the bottom (even without floats btw).

1km is sh!t all
ride normal for 2 min and you are easily over 1 km out. there is a mark out off leighton (the far off one not the close in ones) thats an average distance out and a good couple km from shore