I had kiteboard day from hell about a month ago. It was my last water session, but we won't go there... I have a busy schedule and iffy local conditions haha.


Anyway, it was a gusty on shore day and I dropped the kite near the shore and rather than attempt a risky near- shore water relaunch, I decided to pull safety and flag onto the fifth line.
Not sure exactly how it happened, it happened really fast, but it seemed like the bar got twisted around or some thing because the wind grabbed the kite under full power upside down for a second the fifth line got stuck in the holder on the chicken loop assembly.
I guess it's a good thing it broke since it flagged out safely after dragging me down a crowded beach about a foot. But let it be known that my heart was firmly in my throat that moment.

My question is, is this now an unsafe setup or am I ok? I have tested in pretty strong winds so far just static in the soccer field and it behaved as expected. I hesitate to try and put it back in the holder since it looks like it would grab more and maybe slice the 5th line. The hole in the bar seems to work fine as a guide but I may be missing something in my evaluation.


Any HQ experts willing to give some advice?
Thanks!

Quote:

I hesitate to try and put it back in the holder since it looks like it would grab more and maybe slice the 5th line.

That's your answer right there. If you aren't 110% confident in a safety feature of your kite, get it repaired.

At the very least, I expect HQ would like the piece for a post-mortem stress analysis.

ATB,
Sam

I would send HQ a message and ask what they think is best? I'm not sure how old the kite is but that seems like a manufacture defect? I expect it wouldn't hurt to tell them just for R+D purposes as well ?

Thanks for the insight guys. I will definitely get in touch with HQ and ask their advice. I won't be taking any unnecessary risks with a kite this large... At the very least this part will need repair.

I bought the kite from an HQ dealer in the spring :-(