It can get expensive when your uni snaps and your rig sinks to the bottom.

I'm serious. ^^^
Surely a floating rig is not an impossibility ?

It does highlight the fact that kitesurfers do it with inflatables

fellas they dont sink tho twice i lost me rig and still found it floating.. the qustion should be why cant they make rigs that float so we can water start easier??

mkseven said...
(and since it's potentially $5000 you lose if you have to dump the rig from breakage, could be worth it).

$5k hey. ^^^
I'm thinking the INDUSTRY maybe doesn't really want you to save your rig from sinking.

*wink

waveslave said...

mkseven said...
(and since it's potentially $5000 you lose if you have to dump the rig from breakage, could be worth it).

$5k hey. ^^^
I'm thinking the INDUSTRY maybe doesn't really want you to save your rig from sinking.

*wink

your funny dude

Could you put a pressure trigger on a device that inflated when it sank? They've tried them for PFDs and there are some problems (unconscious people float face down before they sink) but you could do it on a rig without the same problems.

It'd need to be a fairly light device though - no point sticking a kilo on the rig because you want to save it because you spent so much on it because you bought the lightest components...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_flotation_device

From above link

The latest generation of self triggering inflation devices[3], however, respond to water pressure when submerged and incorporate an actuator known as a "hydrostatic release". Regardless of whether manually (pull cord) or automatically triggered, a pin punctures the cartridge/canister and the CO2 gas escapes into the sealed air chamber. However, there is a chance that these water pressure activated inflation devices do not inflate the life jacket if a person is wearing waterproof clothing and falls into the water face-down. In these cases the buoyancy of the clothing can hold a person on the water surface and avoids the hydrostatic release. As a result a person can drown although the life jacket is fully functional.

Alternatively - if the mast, boom and extension had air pockets sealed in, would that be enough. Rig weighs - mast 1.5kg, boom 3kg, sail 4kg, extension and joint 1kg. That's 10 litres of air you need to trap... 1m x 10cm x 10cm... that'll never work either...

Alternatively - if the mast, boom and extension had air pockets sealed in, would that be enough. Rig weighs - mast 1.5kg, boom 3kg, sail 4kg, extension and joint 1kg. That's 10 litres of air you need to trap... 1m x 10cm x 10cm... that'll never work either...

I guess that answers the question.

Confused. My rig floats.

I reckon the inflated bladder in the luff sleeve is a good idea for race sails...but then we'd be accused of ripping off an idea from the kities and we wouldn't want that would we?

Now here's a doable idea. Short lanyard connected to a modified UJ washer so it rotates, pocket in the sail's mast protector or aftermarket in a clip on mast protector like the old days, sail separates from the board and tugs on the lanyard at a pre determined pressure and PFFFFFT air bag inflates.

Then I ask myself, wouldn't the lanyard be suffice to keep the rig connected to the board? What happened to the UJ security strap in the first place?

Anyway it was fun playing with this idea....it would work though.

Confused also

My uni has a bit of downhaul rope with a breaking strain of about a tonne so it cant separate.
The Chinook cups are one pice billet so there are no bits to break between the board or mast and tendon

and if the worst happens, the rig will float for a couple of mins to enable you to paddle your board back to it and tie the two together before swimming in.

No probs.

It happens all the time, alot of good sailors here have dumped their rigs.

You can't always rely on specs i've had carbon booms shatter without possibility of jury rigging them, worst was a sail pulley exploding mid jump about 4k's out. I think I was more bewildered than concerned at the time though.

The inflatable bag is also a good idea, I considered making something similar for sailing at burrum. If the wind drops there when you are at the river mouth you have no chance of swimming the whole lot back... probably easier to go with the flow and end up in NZ. You could carry something like that in your harness all folded up, if you need to dump rig tie it. In worst case you get seperated from your board you've at least got something that floats you can use to stop exhaustion.

Mark _australia said...

Confused also

My uni has a bit of downhaul rope with a breaking strain of about a tonne so it cant separate.
The Chinook cups are one pice billet so there are no bits to break between the board or mast and tendon

and if the worst happens, the rig will float for a couple of mins to enable you to paddle your board back to it and tie the two together before swimming in.

No probs.

your uni idear reminds me of that pic in the funnie imadges thread . the fellas is carrying his gear out of the water with his mast base punctured thru the board . sticking out the bottom side ;;oops..

haveing a blader inside the mast pocket of a formula sail would make it extremely hard to rid as u need that space to push the mast in

Where are all these very expensive rigs littering the bottom of the ocean ?

I might have to go there and hire a trawler or a mini sub for a few days.

And, do all the rigs start to build up and make the waves break steeper or do the poles jut out of the wave faces and snare passing kiters ?