Importance of Bar tuning

[Steve-O]

I wanted to start a thread on bar tuning. This is an important thing to do whenever you get a chance. An improperly tuned bar can cause your kite to behave strange and take away range that your kite has. In my experience, I notice center lines stretch far quicker than outside lines. I think the reason for this is more stress is placed on the center lines as those are the lines connected to your harness. The outside lines sheet and steer the kite and do not have as much stress and stretch.

If your center lines are longer than your outside lines due to stretching, this will cause the kite to be oversheeted. Effects of oversheeting include stalling, kite falling backwards, or simply a kite that does not fly as efficiently therefore limiting its low end potential. In high winds, a kite that is oversheeting can stall and fall backwards then immediately power up leaving the rider feeling very uncomfortable if not safe. You also will need to push the bar farther away to experience depower and put you in a position that is rideable, but not comfortable.

Checking your lines is easy.

Attach the endpoints to a fixed object. I tie a line and pull it through all the pigtails that are attached directly to the lines. Not the removable pigtails.

Extend the lines until they are tight, and make sure the kite is fully powered with the trim strap. With the bar sheeted all the way in, all the lines should be of the same length. You might find you cannot pull the bar all the way back, and your center lines are slack. So your center lines have stretched and are longer than your outside lines.

If this is the case, you might need to add pigtails to make your outside lines the same length as your inside lines. You might need to attach to different knots on the kite to make up for the unequal lengths. There are lots of ways to lengthen and shorten lines, but the bottom line is, they all need to be equal.

If you don't do anything, you will oversheet the kite. You are loosing performance. Your are loosing lower end as well as the ability to use the trip strap to depower the kite as much as you could when the kite was new.

Many kiters are unaware of this issue and fly kites not tuned and create problems in there riding. Not to mention it can make the kite unsafe.

There are some great videos on YOUTUBE showing how tuning is done, and great articles as well in kiteboarding. com. SEARCH "TUNING KITEboarding bar." As you will see in the video, the short term solution is to use your trim or depower strap. But the long term solution is to make adjustment using pigtails or lack of pigtails to even all your lines.

We offer free tuning at the shop, so call me and set up a day and I can explain and show you how its done. Or hit me up on the water if I have time.

All bars are different but most bars share alot of common factors. Feel free to add or ask. That is why I started the thread. Bad tuning=bad flying kite=bad for you.

After this run of wind we have had, I am going to take this down time to check all my bars.

[Danimal8199]

Tuning is important, I agree. If you unhook alot as i do it is equally important to have a well tuned bar so that when you do unhook you kite maintains its power and stability.