something like an overgrown one of these. would be fine for untwisting, but could push through it when needed.

i have used the clip off of the one pump connector (the tube between the leading edge bladder and the struts) and it works quite well. The clip i have has multiple settings so is already is easily adjustable for how much pressure the bar needs to hold or force it. It holds nicely against the depower rope or tube type.

Funny you should mention that...this is the issue that got me started... all the wear from sliding the stopper balls, and having the 2 line systems jam the rope in the bar hole. Here is my most successful stopper ball, for a one line kite, which I used on the PU tube of the Cab powerline, for about a year. Here are some pictures that show the type of wear on the tube. you can see the grooves. The grooves are not from the screw cutting into the PU tube, but are from the edge of the PVC insert, that I used as a liner. The screw pushes on the PVC insert, not on the PU tube itself. I ended up taking out the plastic handled knob (picture shown on page 1), and just put in an Allen screw, and left it at a moderate pressure adjustment level, where the ball would slide it the bar was pushed up hard.

The lack of success of this system led me to try another solution for the "stopper problem". I came up with a possible solution using the systems described on page 1, where there is no wear on the powerline from a sliding stopper ball... no need to keep sliding the stopper ball up and down, and having it jam rope into the hole in the bar. Here are some pictures of the one line ball and the wear it caused. I would never tighten the ball down tight on PU tube, because it might tear the tube loose from its attachments to th CL or power line itself.

Like this? Does it wear the power rope where it jams against the bar? Nice idea.

Yeah it needs to be above the bar trim.

Starsky,

I appreciate your help, moving this thread along... thanks for your honesty, directness and humor!

I have to agree with you, as far as category (1) and (2) go, but not on (3). At the beginning of my first post, I noted 3 categories of "stoppers"... which I will restate here:

SPECIALTY STOPPERS:

(1) Non-moveable, dead-stop category: Kiters who "throw-down" Old School. They want a solid stopper in order to do tricks like the "Deadman". Many stopper systems, on the market, today, satisfy this group of kiters.

(2) Moveable, low resistance stop category: Kiters who only want a 'partial' stopper, so that they can spin the bar, or occasionally rest their arms, but want the stopper to slide, when a gust hits the kite, or when the kite hits the power zone.

(3) Shock absorbing, automatic reset category: Kiters who suffer from 'tennis elbow', kiters who like LONG sessions, kiters, who are tired of having their powerline being chewed up by pinching and sliding action of the hole in the bar, kiters who use heavy bar pressure kites, kiters, who get tired of manually resetting the stopper ball, after every heavy gust, weak-armed kiters, etc.


The goal in all the "tinkering" projects which I have presented in this thread... is to create a stopper system that satisfies the category (3), which has, as yet, as far as I know, not been approached by any manufacturer. The manufacturers have done a good job, as you state, on the "normal" stopper ball devices, along with the reduction of bar pressure through kite development, and that is good enough for most kiters... but not good enough for the kiters whose needs and desires fall in category (3). I have presented a number of ways to possibly satisfy this need of aging, injured, or long distance kiters, among others, and hope that these rudimentary prototype devices, which I have presented, will inspire others to improve and refine such concepts... and in time, add something of value to at least one special area of kiteboarding.

I think most of the future advances in kiteboarding equipment will be in SPECIALTY areas, and will apply to only a segment of the kiting population, rather than to the broad spectrum of kiting needs. We are seeing this, as an example, in the specialty of kiteboard racing equipment.

For this reason, I would like to see individuals continue to tinker around, modify, and invent stuff...this could be just the beginning...plus it's fun.

I cant see how it is going to be automatic if you want the stopper to be at any position you choose as you would have to activate it?

You can see DrLightwind's Spinlock stopper here.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2323909&hilit=spinlock&start=10

Ronnie,

Thanks for digging up that thread... I had forgotten about all those ideas. It was nice to read the discussion between you and John Bellacera. If anyone has experimented with the ideas that I have presented in this thread, it would have been him. It is odd that none of us played around with the "recoil stopper" idea, before this.

Good question about the "automatic" part of my projects... the only part that is automatic is the "recoil" or the "BAR-pushing-back-into-the pre-gust-position". The 'above the bar recoil-stopper' device could be set to any position on the power line, by sliding the upper part of the device, just as you would slide any other type of stopper ball into the desired position.

This is the kind of project that you are famous for tackling... I hope you take an interest in this... you would, as usual, add a lot. You certainly have a good memory, and excel at presenting pertainent information on a variety of kiting issues... thanks again.

Note: Here is a use of a spring-loaded device, like the ones I have suggested:

Settle the issue of just "how much bar pressure" there is on each model kite. Here is a picture of the type of "tool", similar to the old-fashioned air pressure guage, which is used to check tire pressure, where the calibrated stick slides in and out. This device would have a expansion coil spring inside the 2 tubes, and the kite tester could hook it up below the bar, like the devices, I have presented...and just look down to see exactly how far out the inner tube pulls out, while riding the kite.

Just an example of the "unintended consequences" of tinkering around with stuff... in this case, the consequence might be good, rather that the more likely and unexpected kitemareish type.

I think the best gust handling would come from the kite deforming. If it worked well to have a bit of elastic in the rear lines then I could see the gust handling stopper working.

I do think a stopper you could switch on and off at the bar would be ideal and I did look at the idea - usually something which jammed the powerline in the hole through the bar. Difficulty is in keeping the safety systems working and allowing you to still spin the bar.