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Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

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myerscouse
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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby myerscouse » Wed May 02, 2018 9:12 am

After a horror experience like this on snow when my wife and I became entangled and dragged up hill toward a dry stone wall unable to release either kite !!!!!!!! Now I NEVER attach my so called 'safety leash'.
This means if, and when my foil jumps through my lines (twice now in four years of foiling) i can jettison the Kite if it becomes necessary. This is the lesser of two evils IMO

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby RadDrDuke » Thu May 03, 2018 1:24 am

Generally occurs when you fall to your heelside and back foot, launching the foil up and into your lines.

Happened to me the other day. Horrific. Just super dangerous and if it locks in you just have to bail out and pray.

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby fun2kite » Mon May 14, 2018 7:34 am

I have a gut feeling some bars are more prone to this than others.

Maybe large size bars (65cm) are more likely to get caught.
also think bars with shorter throw would also be more suseptible.

I have this Pansh chinese bar on my 19M kite, that got caught so many times, I refuse to use it again.
I also had my flysurfer bar get caught once or twice.
I never had my North click bar caught.

Anybody has an opinion on which bars are more likely to get caught?

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby fluidity » Mon May 14, 2018 7:43 am

fun2kite wrote:
Mon May 14, 2018 7:34 am
I have a gut feeling some bars are more prone to this than others.

Maybe large size bars (65cm) are more likely to get caught.
also think bars with shorter throw would also be more suseptible.

I have this Pansh chinese bar on my 19M kite, that got caught so many times, I refuse to use it again.
I also had my flysurfer bar get caught once or twice.
I never had my North click bar caught.

Anybody has an opinion on which bars are more likely to get caught?
Is that the Pansh bar with the 1:2 pulley gearing to increase the throw? Looks cool but I can see how it would be even more susceptible to getting caught!

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby Kamikuza » Mon May 14, 2018 10:38 am

Happened to me maybe three or four times, and the only time it was a problem was when I was in waves, and they pushed the board out of reach and the kite was making like it was going to loop uncontrollably. So I released the QR and that didn't help, so I ditched the whole lot. Cross-on at low tide, and very light wind, so I had a little float to recover the gear at the shore line.

Wasn't worried, but if the wind was up I would have been. But then, I wouldn't have been foiling. Or so underpowered I was struggling...!

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby tegirinenashi » Thu May 17, 2018 4:50 am

Happened to me once last year. When trying to release the board kite started looping, and I lost control. Luckily it hit the water after few rotations.

Made me to revise my learning strategy. First, the less number of times you fall, the less chances it might happen. The easy slow riding foil is invaluable in that respect. Second, if the board is slower, then it would less likely to have enough speed to shoot into your lines.

This is why I'm still on LF rocket foil. I have retried fast foil once more couple weeks ago, but watched with alarm the board craving get into the lines on every fall. My faster setups (happy foil and JNJ carbon high AR foil from aliexpress) are in storage for now.

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby NYKiter » Thu May 17, 2018 4:33 pm

Agree with this last post...having a slow dull foil helps...

Attempting aggressive turns while learning toe side appears to aggravate the occurrence as the board has a tendency to shoot out directly downwind onto the lines while the rider falls upwind....happened yet again last night in light winds #6 ....just have to keep one eye on the kite while untangling the mess.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8_uTQkkPZA&vl=en

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby haare » Thu May 17, 2018 5:17 pm

This has happened also to me 2 times. I think it is mostly a problem with high volume boards. Also tube kites might be more vurnerable because they are faster so it is more easy to crash them to water. I just ride my foil kite to zenith every time I crash. This cushions the impact and keeps lines safe.

I have 1 race foil with volume board. I have TT construction board with freestyle wing (spitfire). I have never managed to get my freestyle foil caught even though I do all crazy stuff with it.

So the bigger the board the more easier it is.

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby Pedro Marcos » Thu May 17, 2018 7:19 pm

Only happened to me in a dangerous way for 1 time, all other times the wind was not strong enough to be dangerous. That time with my 8m Flite in 20 knots, i released the kite after 2 seconds i realised the mess i was up to, the kite flaged and everything was ok.

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Re: Dealing with Foil Caught in Bar

Postby Peter_Frank » Fri May 18, 2018 12:39 am

I honestly dont think board size matters at all, nor the bar...

Small boards can shoot up and get caught when kite is low and you crash, just as easy as bigger boards in my experience, in fact easier as I believe we use the smaller boards in a lot more wind than the big ones, so statistically a lot more risk just because of this itself :roll:

I can not see how the throw matters, as you typically hold the bar while the board shoots up between the lines when crashing at speed downwind or in jibes/failed maneuvers at high speed downwind, particularly when kite is low as said :wink:

But it can also happen when trying something new, say a toeside 360 with kiteloop or similar, and the board might shoot up in the lines when you fail and have no idea about where you nor the board "is", because you can not do it (as I can not...)

I think the best thing is not to panic, and try to control the kite "calmly" even when caught in the lines, and get it down on the water slowly (OR, in lighter wind, get the foil free while flying the kite)

Now and then some has cut their lines when the lines come around their foil when caught - this can happen too of course.
I have been lucky to avoid this, nothing but luck I know.

It seems, with experience it hardly never happens nomore - but can only speak for waveriding and freeriding and maybe I am too conservative (not taking chances) and not learning fast I know.
I dont know about racing and freeracing, if worse or hardly never happens ?

It IS a sketchy situation when it occurs, having the "AXE" ready to kill you so to speak, if the kite loops :o

Must say, if caught in the lines I would not trust the flagging to work every time as it can get stuck in odd ways or even loop initially, and it might end up in a more dangerous situation than if you didnt - so also sketchy whether to release or not :naughty:

Best advice would be to wear a helmet IMO :thumb:

Problem with "Foil caught in bar" is, I believe we all have experienced this, but only a few times, and these situations are VERY very different so maybe not possible to draw any general conclusions nor advice :roll:
Except wear a helmet and impact west, eventhough I dont myself...

8) PF


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