friday am?

[BigR]

hmmm....

the cabrinha's have had this mod built in all along.

must be I mistook what they were actually for all along..... Duh!!!!

[inferno]

naish had a front line release a few years back, thats how i used to self land my C-kites

Yeah, I think you are right Raul, Cab has had this from the get go on their bows (nice)
I am definitely not claiming to be the "inventor" of this "mod".
The fact we even have to mod bars made for bridled kites to have this does sort of puzzle me (??!!)
I guess self landing isn't a high priority in design for most, although front line for safety makes more sense to me as well. (but that's just me)

I think I do know (at least one of the first) who thought of this though -- Jeff Weiss.
He showed this modification to me about 7 years ago, back in the days before the Cabrinha Black tip, and just before the Wipi Airblast was released.

It was obvious as a better choice for self landing C kites the first time I saw him use it. Still though, landing with the rear O-shit on a C-kite wasn't all that hard (front and rear line attachments were fairly close, and both on the wing tips of the kite) so I just stuck with that approach.

The difference is ten times more obvious using the front line as opposed to rear line for self landing of the bridled kites vs. the C-kites though (at least to me) and I wouldn't even try self landing a bridled kite without the front line technique (in terms of keeping my kite 100% injury free).
The placement of the front line on a bridled kite is ideal (more toward middle of LE than on the old C-kites) for self landing, compared to a rear line. The front line attachment pulls the nose of the kite down to the ground and points the kite into the wind.

The rear line just pegs down the back of the kite, letting wind under the LE and not pointing the LE into the wind.
The only way I feel confident landing with a bridled kite with the rear O shit is to "crash" the kite and force it to stay, not so good for your kite.
Maybe that's what is happening to you on your landings, Sean.
Anyway, just some thoughts. I fully anticipate seeing you guys carrying your 3 foot tent stakes and doggie anchors out to the beach still!

[Sean B]

Originally Posted by Skyway Scott

Maybe that's what is happening to you on your landings, Sean.
Anyway, just some thoughts. I fully anticipate seeing you guys carrying your 3 foot tent stakes and doggie anchors out to the beach still!

Yeah, pretty much. I'll give that mod a try, but I still plan on using doggie anchors for the most part! haha

[bayflite]

yo sean,
i got lotsa sail tape(black / white) you can have as much as you want.
if your gonna tape it i would put the tape on the inside of the LE sleeve as well as outside.
scott,
it's way easier to just grab the CL and unhook than messin around with one of those QR doohickies. Imagine if motorcyles had a donky dick w/a quick release.
l8r

That mod is primarily for gently self landing my kite on the beach.
I wasn't really discussing quick releasing in a dangerous situation or anything by pulling on that line.
That would just steer the kite one way real quick if you did that hooked in (YIKES).
The technique I use for self landing actually requires to unhook prior to doing it, btw.
I don't pull a QR or anything to self land.
Does night riding seem possible any time soon, Bayflite?

[Sean B]

Thanks for the offer bro! I'm in Palm Harbor, so I'll have to meet you on the water somewhere the next time i'm in st. pete. Black/White works fine for me, I don't care about matching colors. I just want my 16m to get me through one more season.