2009 Eclipse Bar

[eastcoastkite]

OK Im going to answer some questions and try to put this release debate to rest.

First let me start by saying There is nothing dangerous about the releaser, the problem is a few people did not adjust the rubber band and make it tight and then hit the release when they were ridding- how did they do this??? probably they unhooked and when hooking back in they pushed down the trigger release.. The releaser does not release on its own its just very easy to activate. After tightening the rubber no one person had an issue with the releaser. Its so easy to reset anyway.

So for 2009 we took made a new releaser without the trigger, now it will not release any other way then by the user pulling the BIG red ball in any direction.

People asked us for push away 360 releasers for 2009 like the ones you see on naish or some other brands - I said ok they are good and would save us a ton on money on production so I was all for it!!! But after some testing we could not use this style of sytem without major redesign- here is the problem I found push away sytems jam up with sand and the more force the kite has the more strength it takes to release- test prove this. Some of push away systems even allow the user to release the kite but then the loose the CL- like the cabrinha style releaser and finally they are very difficult to reset on the water.

You may Consider the 2 most popular push away style releasers:

Lets say your doing a lesson with Naish smart loop or something like that-and the bar was wet and someone laid it in the sand, now a beginner goes to use the kite and has a problem they are worried( they are a beginner!!) as they try to control the kite the wind is gusting past 30 and they get draged away from the instructor. Now the beginner panis and grabs the the releaser.....well because the sand jammed it up its now very hard to release - but too bad they already got dragged into a hard object 2-3 sec is all you have sometimes maybe less. - I saw this exact situation last week. Why did it happen because sand coated the releaser and added allot of friction making it impossible to release then add the extra wind speed and you have a problem.

Situation 2- your an experienced kiter ridding the waves with your cabrinha bar, you dove your kite too low and a big monster wave eats it.... well unless you release your kite it will probably get torn to pieces. So you release your kite the waves passes and then knocks you on your ass, while hauling your kite into white water- you are breathless having a hard enough time getting by in the waves. You allready lost your board and need the kite to get you back to shore and recover your board. So you grab your bar only to find that your chicken loop has fallen off your harnes and now you have no possible way to reconnect and ride unless its unhooked and fully powered. So your trapped in the ocean without your board and kite and only your swiming ability to save your ass your only hope it to use the kite to trap the waves power and drag you to shore- you loose a 700 surf board and trash your 1800 kite. Even if you did not loose your CL you would have a really hard time trying to reattach the bar probably you would not be able to and you would face the same situation. Clearly I had something like this happen to me- let me tell you it SUCKED!!

The Eclipse release releaser solves all the above issues and retains the safety design of a 360 releaser while taking that concept to a new level. Sand/mud or whatever has no effect on its ability to release, wind speed again has no effect on its ability to release . French safety tests prove this. For 2009 the release is so simple to use and does what you need it to do when you need it to.

The only criticism for 2008 was the releaser was easy to activate( if you did not tighten the rubber band) its an easy solution and all users should do that, unless they are a total new ridder- For 2009 this is changed now you cant make a mistake and release it accidentally. However you will be able to release it in any situation when you want to.

Here are the facts Eclipse invested over 6 figures on releaser design for 2009!! That is no small sum. Other companies use the same releasers for the past 4 years to save money or use a rudimentary release system which anyone can make with a sewing machine- (ok we are guilty of that for 2007) those systems work for the most part but have flaws that we cant live with.

[kiteattitude]

Comment on the 2008 quick releaser:
the reason why you could experience unwanted releases is that you inadvertantly hit the trigger. This can also happen if your leash wraps around the chicken loop. In fact, this may be the main reason.
So if you attach your leash to the ring next to the chicken loop (and not to one of the bar end rings), hook your leash onto the left side of your harness and have the trigger/safety handle on the right. Then, you will considerably reduce unintentional releases. Guaranteed.
The 2008 quick releaser can hold 300 kg, so it cannot release until you (or your leash) hit the trigger.
For 2009, we redesigned the shape of the quick releaser above the trigger to avoid unintentional releases.

Donatien