I've been meaning to dig out all the kite junk I have around here and get it to good homes. I KNOW I have what you need. Snag that trim strap from Bobalooie - it's the same as the one I started off with (now passed on to another kiter). I have lines and an Airush bar around here. The only thing you'll need to find are the rings for the safety system and a chickenloop. The rings are easy - go buy a small choker chain from your local pet place, grind the chain off and keep the two end rings. I might have a CL here but can't say for sure.

U2U me if you wanna frankenstein something here. Shipping from Canada may be a bit more $$ and will take 2 weeks but if your alternative is nothing and it's not too much for shipping I'm happy to get another Arc airborne.

u2u me address and I'll send you all the parts (a bar and a depower strap - minus leaders) with a 20m set of lines if you don't mind pansh. All you need then is either some paracord or thin climbing rope for the leaders. I'll send you a diagram on how to set it up along with some pictures of the bar and strap. I used to have a vI 13m unmodded - my first arc - it's a really nice kite to learn with. 11mph and it will get off the ground and 15mph will get you moving.

i have a chicken loop to donate... if you still need it :Ange09:

Wow, gosh guys This is awesome! I really appreciate everything! I still have that 55cm peter lynn bar for fixed bridles, it's definitely salvageable... I do have quite a few questions though... First of all, how would I go about drilling a hole through it? What about a "free bar"? I also have some questions about the depower line and trim strap. How exactly does the trim strap go on? I think some diagrams would be of enormous help. Thanks so much for everything... I'll send/reply to U2Us in the morning. It's 3:30 a.m. and I can't sleep.

Okay, the time is now 4:15 a.m. and I still can't sleep. :Ange09:

Lets get this a bit sorted out...

@macboy, flexiblade
Does "bar" refer to just the bar without anything else, or bar complete (or at least with some guts in it)? Also, I have a set of 20m lines already Flexi, so you can hang onto those. Unless you really want to get rid of them.

@bobalooie
I have a feeling I'll be needing that trim strap.

@cheezy
Sure! Of course I need a CL! What make is it? Does it come with depower line?

@macboy
If I don't ship the parts to you, I'm sure I could get someone on the phone to help me out a little.


Okay, so collectively, we have... 1 chicken loop (depower line?), 2 bars, 2 trim straps, leader lines.

What else do I need? Uhhh... stopper ball. I can buy one of those cheaply. If not, they aren't hard to make. Same with depower ring. Anything else? And honestly... I still have my doubts; I've never done this before, and I'd be much more content with finding a good price on a bar that's already assembled and is proven to work, and that would get me out and flying much sooner... but, I'm willing to give this a try if I have help from someone who knows what they're doing.

1. you don't need a stopper ball.

2. you don't need the cl line to go th rough the bar. i used a FREE BAR for 3 years until I tied a center ring onto my bar and ran my cl through there.

3. The bar that you have should work great. take everything off of it. attach leaders (36 inch) on each end with knots on the end. LARKSHEAD the steering lines to the knots.

someone will send pics when they wake up i'm sure. if not, i'll try to take some today.

I like having the stopper ball, just because it's convenient. Hmmm. So I guess all I really need is a CL w/ depower line, flying lines, and the trim strap. Well, and some metal rings. About those rings... so one front line leader is attached to a ring, and then the flying line is passed through that ring and larksheaded onto a different ring where the leash attaches, correct?

CL has the de-power line attached. i actually have two donors, not sure of the make. when i get home from work i will look at them and you can have the better one. No problem.
Seanny, don't be so quick to spend your money. you have a golden oppurtunity here young padawan. you are on your way to being a Jedi...

I've already decided to go for this I don't think it will be all that difficult. Drill hole -> insert CL -> attach trim strap. I will however have to buy new Q lines, unless anyone has some 27m lines they don't need However I am still but a grashoppa.

My rear line leaders are 2" short... now what...

2 inch Pig tails should solve that..............................aj

If your bar is composite you will need to mask off the area you intend to drill prior to prevent splintering..................you could creative structural integrity issues as well by drilling....................without metal inserts your bar hole will eat away/chaffe your depower line....................I would recommend a proper bar............AJ is correct........................listen to him, he's been on ARCs a very long time....................................

I welded segments of parachute chord to the ends and made sure they were secure. The rear line leaders hold much more than my body weight. Tri, I have metal tubing that should work.

If you already have 20m lines, why not just buy this airush bar and some 7 m extension, that's what I have, and when the wind blows hard, I remove the extension and fly my kite on 20m lines. You will have something you will have confidence in it and will last many years,

Matt

I agree with Tri. Rather than drilling take one of the bars offered and sell the fixed bridal bar you have.

DO NOT DRILL A BAR.

Most bars are assembled with internal reinforcment to support load and allow for line pass thru. And structural integrity could depend greatly on the lay up process (assuming it's carbon) and whether it's altered.

If you remove too much material (alloy or carbon) from a bar you will probably regret it later.

I think everyone would agree that in this arena everyone puts safety as the foremost concern when kiting. Drilling holes in equipment and introducing that element of risk to save a few chips is counter to what we as kiters should strive for.

If things go bad you may not get hurt but you may injure someone else or destroy someone's property. We are all representatives of the sport.

Okay of my soap box.:wee:

The Airush bar is cheap money for a bar that works very well with an Arc. Tons of adjustablity and good safety. A lot of bar for the money. They're not the lightest thing going but that's the kite's problem.

Other wise accept one of the correct bars offered. Although a new bar is always nice with a new kite.

If need be I may have a bare new Slingshot bar that I could let go cheap and maybe an old stripped Surefire bar that I can let go even cheaper.

Getting mixed messages here. :puzzled: My original plan was to just buy a complete bar. But then people told me it'd be better to take the bar I have and make it into a depower bar with parts they'll donate. So I pretty much did everything I could to the FB bar to make it depower. All it needs is a CL and depower line. I adjusted the bridles, drilled it (it's hollow alloy), etc. Now I'm being told this is a bad idea. Is it really that unsafe? I honestly don't think it lost any structural integrity... kitesurfer made his first bar from a kayak paddle? Which one is it??

I'm just going to finish making this. The bar did not lose any structural integrity, I can almost 100% assure anyone of that. I took off the front line leaders (salvaged them), took apart the rear line leaders, and made them exactly 36" long and confirmed that they hold more than my weight. I drilled a hole 3/8 inch across (plenty of room for 3/16 or 1/4 inch amsteel spectra) through the center of the bar and welded in a segment of copper tubing to provide a clean path free of burrs for the depower line. I've got some metal rings for the safety system, so now all I need is a stopper ball, the CL/depower line, trim strap, and some 7m extensions. As far as I know, I have the CL and trim strap on the way...