RRD bar V6 modification

[Longwave]

I have a V6 bar with a new Obsession. After having issues with the kite keeping on looping after the safety being released (line wrapped around the kite) or the kite just staying floating on his leading edge and pulling constantly even with the bar gone , I would like to change the safety system to a one line system.
Any experience or advice about a bar safety modification??

[salvino]

Hey, besides flagging issue how do u like the V6 version? Have u flown any earlier versions for comparison?

[Longwave]

Salvino, the V6 bar is very comfortable, very neat, and well designed, a top quality bar ( the V5 was already very good. My wife is stuck to RRD kites since the type 9, I just don't like to see her with flagging issues (I got issues to! And other kiters around can see there is a problem and after comparaison on the beach we all agreed that the safety is bad). RRD should put an effort on the safety, their kites are great, they look like no others and the brand have a very specific identity.
But there are other brands, with very good kites and with better safety conception .

[ronnie]

I haven't seen an RRD V6 bar other than in pictures but it seems similar to the Cabrinha IDS.

If you look at 3 minutes into this video, they are recommending walking toward the kite to get it to drop onto its back from the LE down position. The suggestion in the water would be to swim hard towards the kite. This is to produce some slack in the rear and front lines to allow the wind to push the kite onto its back while friction holds the centre of the kite.

If you look at 30 seconds into the video, You can see him pull in a bit of the flagging line before the kite hits the ground. This is to get the same effect instead of walking or swimming towards the kite. By pulling in the flagging line, he gets the kite to land closer to him, so when he releases the line as soon as it is on the ground or water, the friction will keep the centre of the kite there while the rear and front lines have the slack to let the kite drop on its back. So you get the same effect as swimming towards the kite without the effort.
You can try this out and check if it works in regard to getting your RRD to drop on its back.

As for switching to flagging on one front line, the main problem is usually that you have connections in the flagging line and that these connections require a bigger hole to pass through than the line with no connections that is needed for flagging to two front lines.
This Nobile swivel had a 4mm hole in the centre for flagging to both front lines and I had to use cobalt drills to drill it out to 6mm (minimum size) to allow the connections of a single front line flagging to pass through. You also need the stretched out width of a kite length of flagging line for a single front line flagging system (8m?) whereas only 3m or 4m long flagging line is needed to flag a kite out on both front lines. The flagging system to two front lines works best on a bow shaped leading edge and the kite tends to get stuck LE down if the LE is too C shaped.

Its quite complicated to make the conversion to a single front line flagging system.

[Longwave]

Thanks for your input Ronnie, I believe that RRD should put an effort in develloping its safety system. So far, and as long as my wife wants to keep her Obsession I 'll try to modify the bar and make some tests before she uses it again.

[ronnie]

Thanks for your input Ronnie, I believe that RRD should put an effort in develloping its safety system. So far, and as long as my wife wants to keep her Obsession I 'll try to modify the bar and make some tests before she uses it again.

Good luck with it.
Parts that I tend to use for a conversion to single line flagging are a Naish Universal swivel.
http://www.24-7boardsports.com/naish-universal-swivel/

Slingshot CSS bungee.
http://www.board-worx.com/kitesurf/acce ... wards.html

and I use flying lines with a small end on them which make it less likely for the connections to jam, such as these from Switch kites.
http://switchkites.com/parts/kite/flyin ... neset.html

I usually Brummell splice 2.5mm dyneema for the flagging line.

[BillyGoatGruff]

I have just had a good look at my V5 RRD bar and it looks easy to do. I would add a "Naish swivel" where the front lines attach. There is a loop that you can pull through the "Naish swivel". Then run a thin line through the bar and through one of the existing steel loops on the chocken loop. Should be a 5 mintue job and a single line flag out.

I am not a fan of the double front line flag out either. I posted a while ago and was told that the "F-One bar" and "Mutiny bar" work fine on all RRD Obsessions, they are both single line flag out bars.

[Longwave]

Good to know ! Thanks. I'm going to use a Switch swivel (http://switchkites.com/swivel.html).

[ronnie]

Good to know ! Thanks. I'm going to use a Switch swivel (http://switchkites.com/swivel.html).

I was interested in that swivel too.

This video shows putting lubricant into the swivel and spinning it with a drill to loosen it up.
The swivel also isn't in stock.
It left me wondering if there is a problem with it.

[Er Presidente]

Strangely enough kite magazines in Germany rated the rrd global bar as one of the safest.
I know what you mean. I wrote in previous topics how uncomfortable I was with double line flagging system. But a single line flagging system can be equally dangerous.
North and Cabrinha who supposedly have more money to spend on r&d than RRD choose double line flagging for their 4 lines kite.
It really depends on the bridle system. If you have a bridal system where the pulley allows the attachment points to travel toward the centre of the kite, then a two line system should work fine.
I have a RRD religion and when I tested the system it works fine.
Maybe the obsession has a more arc type profile which prevents the lines to travel into the centre.
I am still shocked RRD doesn't have anybody (employee, distributor or dealer) officially addressing the questions.