Page 1 of 2
Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 10:25 am
by icebird
I recently switched to one pump...
With the new found speed of rigging, I just can't seem to get into the habit of clipping off the struts.
The inflation valve would have a real hard time coming undone with the setup I have now. I have seen some swims on that account but never personally with many hard crashes.
I was wondering, do you actually bother clipping off all the struts, just the center, or none?
Obviously there are safety implications and at the very least one should clip them off during a self-rescue.
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:40 pm
by william_rx7
No never. Nothing will ever go wrong..., ever.
You sir, are a clearly a genius. Bad things only happen to other people that aren't as smart as you.
Think of all the things a genius like you can do with an extra 5-10 seconds that you'd save by not clipping the struts off..
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:50 pm
by Starsky
I never clip em.
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:27 pm
by Peter_Frank
Agree - they are not useless, no, but almost useless and just a pain...
I NEVER use them on the water, ever never, and have actually taken the clips away on my big kites, as they are so much faster to deflate without this PITA
The ONLY situation I use the clips, are those days when I pack down (maybe a rain wet kite), and want to dry my kite in the shower, or go out at another spot.
But then again - your chance of rigging same size at another spot is very small, so no need really.
So I prefer NOT to have clips on my kites, and hardly ever use them except for drying a kite easier
Peter
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:40 pm
by Tiago1973
i clip the centre strut, just in case.. the others i leave them open
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:01 pm
by ChristoffM
I used to think it is overkill to clip them. I am glad I went for overkill when my leading edge popped (exploded is maybe a better term) far out and left me swimming for a long time. The leading edge started to fill with water and the kite was very heavy to drag despite the buoyant struts. I cannot imagine the drag if the struts were not clipped.
I always clip at least two of my struts since then.
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:06 pm
by edt
i went for a swim several times last year. always clip my struts. mark an instructor has never blown out his leading edge in the water, and never clips them. He tends to ride a surfboard and a small kite while I am riding as big of a kite I can put up and smashing it pretty hard.
depends on how you ride -- if you are mowing grass u dont need to clip the struts. if you have old gear or are smashing the kite clip 'em.
clipping one or two struts lets you wrap up the kite and float it in if you smash the leading edge
The people who never clip struts are people who have never had to swim in with a bag of laundry from a 1/2 mile out.
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:17 pm
by Peter_Frank
I disagree....
When riding waves, it doesnt matter as close to shore and you have to ditch the kite anyway.
When riding twintips you are not far out either, so not an issue here.
Then we have raceboards and trips - and here it can make a difference, true.
But I still say "let the kite be a lost kite" in the very rare case it happens.
We have land close by no matter where we go, as we are surrounded by bays and small beaches etc, all over - so not an issue really, not even on a raceboard a bit out.
Curious - why do some want to ride far away from the shore ?
But some has a very different coastline and wind conditions, I know, so maybe necessary ?
Peter
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 6:04 pm
by Tiago1973
edt wrote:depends on how you ride -- if you are mowing grass u dont need to clip the struts. if you have old gear or are smashing the kite clip 'em.
interesting, i don´t clip them exactly (except the centre 1 just in case) because i smash my kite a lot, and from time to time it goes through the washing machine as well
rational being the leading edge stitching will last longer if i let the struts open
maybe it´s just a psychologic thing, who knows..
Re: Struts off?
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 6:09 pm
by edt
in tawas some days depending on the wind you have to ride upwind to the point it's about 1/2 mile. It's near shore but you're not allowed to walk on the beach because of some kind of endangered bird, if you walk there kiters will get banned. Then in brest bay the launch is at a marina, but to get to the butter you have to ride downwind a half mile and it's all private property fenced in sea wall to the water edge there except a tiny little beach.
Must be nice to always be riding near your launch. Pretty sure a lot of people have to launch where it's legal and then need to ride out to the location where the waves / butter whatever you are looking for is.
At Ford lake there is a tiny launch and no downwind or upwind exit. If you fail there, you are swimming period, water is deep everywhere. It's not a long swim but if you have struts inflated a 400 meter swim won't take more than 45 minutes but with a bag of laundry it can take hours.
Even if the water is only waist deep there is a huge difference being able to roll it up on the struts and carrying a big sack of wet laundry. If you've ever had to do it, you would understand.
Tiago1973 has the right idea if you like leaving the struts open, just clip one, it makes a huge difference.
I tend to think clipping the struts makes the kite survive a wave smashing on it better. If you leave the struts open the waves can squish all the air out of half the kite and put it into the other half like rolling up a tube of toothpaste but if the struts are closed, there's a limit on how far the air can travel, but not really sure on this.
I think if you have never clipped your struts, it's ok to keep on doing it, something about how you ride or where you ride means you don't have to go swimming. Oh, and if you normally don't clip your struts, remember to do it if you go on a long downwinder.