Looking for a reel bar

[Ivel]

Anybody have an old reel bar sitting around? I am looking for one to use on my kiteboat. Pm me if you can help out. Thanks

[tautologies]

nice. I was thinking that would be ideal for that setup too. Then you'll be almost completely self sufficient?

[tomatkins]

Original Reel Bar by Cory Roesler, for use with the Kiteski reeled in 2 lines.

Flowbys bar ratcheted in 4 lines and had a 15 foot sliding safety.

John Bellacera's bar reels in 4 lines on a double bar arrangement.

How may lines and how far out do you want the kite to go?

[tautologies]

Let me know if you need a crew. maybe we should set up a if it floats it goes downwinder....

working on getting the kiteoahu site back up again.

[DrLightWind]

I have these 2 original 1 modified
and 1 of my own design the Auto UnReel-ReeReel Bar.
I think I'm going to keep them for antique as reference or experiments.

DrLW

[Ivel]

Well I was unaware that there were more than one reel bar out there, all I have seen is the one like DrLightWind's first posted pic.
I am looking to reel in 4 thirty meter lines. I use a very old peter lynn foil that rocks because of the auto zenith, but if I put it in the water the boat drifts faster than the kite making relaunch impossible, unless I have someone with me or an anchor. What I would like is to be self sufficient so I can go single handed, and to make launching off the beach easier on crowded days, and make for the possibility of a boat launch. I have used inflatables with the kite boat but have found I prefer the foil.

Those unreel bars look kinda cool, but they wouldn't work for my setup as I ditch the bar itself and just run handles off the back lines, essentially I rig it up like an asymmetrical spinnaker

What I would really like is to get it setup again where I can steer purely by weight placement, when I had a Prindle18 my buddy and I could go out without rudders. One person would fly the kite and the other would move back and forth to steer us


@tautologies I am super busy at school right now, looking to get it running well over summer break as I am almost never in Kailua town anymore. The boat is on the beach, its the yellow Hobie 14, take it out whenever. I think caveman uses it occasionally

[Laughingman]

No wonder bars are so damn expensive. They are still trying to pay off all the R&D and designing of the original bars.....!
Talk about K.I.S.S.

[Bille]

...
I am looking to reel in 4 thirty meter lines. I use a very old peter lynn foil that rocks because of the auto zenith, but if I put it in the water the boat drifts faster than the kite making relaunch impossible, ...

You can make yourself a Drag chute to slow down the drift of the boat, make it from
possibly 3,2oz Dacron or better, probably with a diameter of 1.5M - 2M might do.
To retrieve it, have a cord to the center of the canopy which will reduce the diameter
to -0- when pulled.

I purchased a 21ft Hobie and plan to turn it into a kite-boat. I got a quiver of Venom's
that should work fine. Gonna put a swiveling Captains chair where the Mast should be
and put foot activated controls to the rudders.
Basically Bastard-ize a Beautiful, and one of the Fastest production beach cats ever made:
it'll Be FUN !!

SO just encase your a sailing Purest -- i Won't tell Ya about the 18ft Hobie Hull i'm placing
in the center with the out-board in the back for those Up-Winders. And the Bimini Top
for camping !!

Imagine a Slow Down-Winder with a 19M PL on 50M Q-power Lines ...
I'm Gonna make my Own real-in though, (like the Flowbee Kite Reel); set it up with a
12v motor that runs off the main boat battery, you know -- the same power source that
makes the Stereo Blast ?
I'm even setting the retractable Center boards up on 21v Motors. Yea & it's even an
electrics start 15Hp 4stroke out-board ! May go BIGGER later as long as it weighs
less than 150lb.

The Guy that sold it to me ; NO Way would he let me have it if he knew what i was gonna
do to it. He was All Proud & telling me he use to pass water-skiers with it, as it has a Hull
speed of near 25knots

Bille

[tomatkins]

Here is a picture of John Bellacera's Bar patent...

[RickI]

This is going back in time, but I don't recall anyone (kiters at large) being totally sold and in love with their reel bar. Having a functional safety was a big problem for many of the units. Some were limited to two lines, the Flobee model was expanded to four lines. Being large, heavy and bulky were other problems. There may well be a future for new and improved reel bars in kiting but it doesn't look like they have much of a past. Using existing bars as originally configured in the present day doesn't strike me as being a good idea.


Circa 2001 to 2002. In these days quick releases were very new and highly unreliable across the industry. Have no idea about the model that came with this one.


Ironically, this "precision" hair cutting system ala vacuum cleaner accessory was a broader success from the same designer.


Cory with his kiteski bar. Back in the day, this was about it for options for some kiters. Today we have a lot more variety. As I recall Hung Vu developed an add on safety line flagging system to this bar. Still, it was heavy and much like kitesurfing holding part of a bicycle frame. Raphael B with F one loaned one to me to take to Maui in 1999. Fortunately, it never left my suitcase. Most of the trip was spent on 3 and 4 m Wipika two line kites in 20 to 45 mph winds.

p.s.- NICE bar collection Bela, you will be able to endow a museum someday with some excellent kiting artifacts!

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