Hey everyone! i went our sailing in my laser dinghy a month back in some sweet wind and managed to snap my carbon tiller extension clean in half! :wow: So i'm now left with 70cm of carbon fibre, and i thought to myself.. 'lets save £50 and make a bar for my kite'.

Ive done my research and am planning to make a copy of the flexi blade bar myself. what i dont know is roughly how long all the lines are on it. any one who can give me some detailed information would please me greatly!

My concerns are:

how long are the leader lines, and are the brake leaders the same length as the main ones?

should i put the pulley on the end of the brake centre line, and run a short piece of rope through it and tie the brake lines onto each end of this (as on the ozone samuria bar)

or run a line from each end of the bar and have the block run on that and attatch the brakes to small pieces of rope to the block like on the 'pulley bars' you can buy for leis?

i need some expert knowledge here because i plan to use this with my 7m firebee, which i would liken to a truck. (i accept it will handle worse on a bar than on handles) so i need to find out how to design it for maximum control over the kite.

This is going to be horrible for a firebee as they need constant brake attention to get the most out of them. If you insist on making a bar for this kite, I would strongly recommend some type of adjustment before the pulley (if you use one) so you can adjust the brake tension. Maybe something like a tie down strap you can adjust the length/tension quickly and easily.

Scoop

kk like a clamcleat that you use on trapezes on dinghys? what about the line length on the leaders and my questions about the pulley?

I would say a clamcleat would work great. The '03 Frenzys had them. Not sure about the later ones. As for leader length, I would make them something around 18 inches from the bar, and make your center lines about 18 inches including the clam cleat, when its just about center of the adjustment. This way you have a few inches in each direction you can adjust. I cant stress enough the importance of brake tension on these kites.

Also, you need power rings on your bee.

http://p088.ezboard.com/fkitezoneforumfrm25.showMessage?topi...

and

http://www.kitez4u.f9.co.uk/firebeepowerrings.htm

last one

http://www.stratus-design.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/firebee/

this last one has the best picture of rings attached, and there may be a length chart somewhere.


As for the pulley on the center line, I really cant tell you.. Im really not sure if you would steer on power or brake lines anyway.

Scoop

the pulley thing is just what ozone use on the sami bars to 'stop the brakes getteing pulled during agressive manouvering' ive sorted that.

ive had a thought, will the clamcleat be heavy enough to pull the brakes?

apart form that.. thanks scoop, youve been really helpful lately! its nice to get advice form someone who seems to know what they are talking about!

seems... hmm.. I guess I have some ppl fooled.....

check out this shizzle! homemade bar with lashings of duct tape!!

I hope the leaders are tied securly to the bar and the tape is just there to be sure it wont come undone??


Scoop

you are correct double bowlines all round

So, how is the homemade bar working? I am planning on making one of my own. Would it work better if the leader line that goes to the brakes would come through the bar and attach to you? Then the bar could slide up and down the brake leader line.

I suggest that you make a " crossover " bar if you make one at all. Search crossover bar. Try using Pablo as the user name he did a good drawing.

I can send a picture of mine if you need it.

If you must make a simple one like this be SURE that the brake lines can run back and forth freely when you turn. A small pulley is best.

I am sure a crossover bar would be best. I am not planning on using it much though. I just want to see what using a bar is like. Everyone says it is very easy to learn once you have mastered handles and I am sure that is true. But I am still curious. If I was planning on using it a lot I would by a nice one. I am just gonna make something simple to satisfy my curiosity. I am sure everyone is right when they say I will prefer the control of handles now that I am used to them.

I have a 1" steel ring that I will tie on the end of the brake leader to let the brake lines be able to move freely. I have a pullly to, but I will see what works best.

Thanks for the advice.

The ring may be a bit TOO heavy ????

I found that even the 3 small pulleys + extra line played on my brakes. The smaller the kite the more obvious the effect. A simple key ring may be better ? You also need a bit of line between the brakes so the rocking back and forth can be done without hitting a knot.

It is not so much the flying with a bar that is tough to figure out. You should find that easy. It is dealing with the trim + being hooked in that make stepping up to depower a challenge. Still, go for it! I learned a lot adding bars to my fixed bridles .

Ya, I am saving up for a harness. That will be my next purchase.

Sorry guys but I can't help but to think of this everytime homemade bar is talked about.

harry, here is one you gota see. Not suggesting it but it can be a simple project, if need be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_BTfswjjek

Quote:

Originally posted by Hardrock Sorry guys but I can't help but to think of this everytime homemade bar is talked about. harry, here is one you gota see. Not suggesting it but it can be a simple project, if need be. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_BTfswjjek

That's awesome.