Warning - All Kiters Should Read This
 

Proper care and inspection of flat kites is essential. Inspect bridles, if they show excessive wear or color loss, REPLACE THEM. Do not use the bridles until they break. I heard about two bridle failures today which both resulted in powered up out of control kites which had to be released.

This is avoidable.

Worn bridle lines can break and potentially jam in pulleys. Powered up, out of control kite behavior may result in some instances. In these cases the only option to the rider may be to set the kite free. Riders should regularly go over where these attachments are and how to set them free. The time to figure this stuff out is NOT during an incident or accident.

Older flat kites and used flat kites may be more prone to such failures. Ignoring wear is a very bad idea. As kites age and people fail to do regular preventive maintenance the occurrence of such failures may increase.

1. Inspect bridle lines, replace them if excessive stray fibers are present, the diameter changes much or if much color loss has occurred.

2. Push the bridle sleaving together and closely examine for wear.

3. Pull the bridles back and forth through the pulleys to verify free movement BEFORE each session. Wash pulleys off with fresh water.

4. EXPECT TO REPLACE bridle lines and pigtails every 3 to 6 months depending upon wear.


Guys this is nothing more than reasonable inspections and preventive maintenance. Failure to do this could result in damage to your kite or to you.

Yesterday alone, I've heard about several cases of bridle breakage and out of control spinning, powered kites in various parts of the world. The kite have had to be set free. I suspect there may be more of these in the future as kites age and people fail to do proper preventive maintenance. People sometimes use things until they break. You don't want to do that with flat kite bridles. Heads up.

SCARY thought, But defiantly a factor with Bridle/pulleys.


I was a "C" kite owner until this past year when I switched to SLE's . FANTASTIC kites IMO. But they do appear to require a bit more maintenance. I noticed bridle wear after 10 hours worth of use. This is something that had me concerned @ first. But I've recently purchased upgraded pulleys and EXTRA bridle line and will be watching closely for wear/deterioration.

Are there ANY other areas to pay attention to Rick? ( Bridle attachment points, Bridle knots.......) other then the obvious

Yes, the flat kites do offer a lot in better performance attributes but you don't want to have breakage or failures during operation. I have been speaking with some retailers who commented on some wear at bridle attachment points, i.e. the nylon straps. One guy mentioned that some of the pulley housings, likely a bad production batch, can sometimes fracture along lines of bubbles accidentally cast into the plastic. Not much you can do to avoid that aside from carefully examining the pulley housings along with everything else. We really load gear up in kiting and as a result it will wear out. Riders need to step up their PM to work to avoid problems.

Good subject.

I had a similar incident happen to me when a bridle line snapped near the shore. The kite was looping like crazy and I almost ditched it. Luckily I had someone on the beach to grab the kite.

I have since replaced all my lines that the pulleys ride on. Cabrinha uses spectra line which is not very abrasion resistant (needless to say) . I purchased jacketed 2.8 mm line and sewed loops to make the larks head. I made the loop, then sewed through both lines and tied an initial knot really tight. Then I sewed through both lines probably 15 to 20 times and then another tight knot. Clipped the excess leaving a small piece. then melted the fray with a lighter. Be careful not to burn completely through the thread or the knot.

You can find the "sail repair" nylon line, needles, and various sizes of jacketed line from West Marine or Boat US. Its an easy fix while sitting on the couch. And as of this week, it doesnt appear to be worn a bit.


Bob Wetherington

Pulley Replacement Recommendation?
 

Anyone have a recommendation for pulley replacements? I noticed that the pulleys on my brand new '06 Waroo 12m do not spin freely even though the kite has not been flown or even touched the beach. Would a pulley with 1200 lb. breaking strength be sufficient?

Cheers,
Jake

Doesn't sound good Jake and not all that normal either for new gear. If it is still in warrantee I would say to contact Best immediately they will take good care of you. They may still be a good first contact on this even if it is out of warrantee. Are the pulley wheels metal or plastic on your kite? Nice Avitar btw.

The pulley wheels are metal. I checked them thoroughly to see if there were any nicks that would abrade the lines. They are very smooth. The body is plastic. The wheel and the shaft are one piece that turns together - no ball bearings.

I purchased the kite on Ebay so I don't know if Best would even consider a warranty issue. I'll contact them anyway to see if they have a better replacement.

Thanks,
Jake

Sounds like a good approach. I think they went with plastic pulley wheels in 2007 to try to reduce the rate of line wear that may come with metal pulleys. Of course metal pulley wheels offer some advantages too but may trade off more rapid line wear in some applications.

Not a lot of easy answers with heavily loaded, moving kiting gear. We need to do PM with this stuff. Assuming that it will last forever without maintenance is a bad idea.

Hi from the great (shitty) north. All the pulleys etc are small racing sailboat blocks from either Ronstan, Harken, Holt etc... Go to West Marine or any performance sailing store online like Layline, Annapolis Performance Sailing etc.. I wish I was down there w/you guys!