I bought this bar to use with my 4m ozone depower prototype kite I bought from this forum. The kite was claimed to be like an access model. I have never flown an access but the prototype is low lift and very stable and very depowerable with this bar. The last time I flew this setup it was super windy. With a stake at the bar end in front of the landing web/grab-line the kite did not want to sit still. Also, at the end of my session, I was not able to land the kite with the landing line (fully pulling the line and unhooked from the harness it still would not go down). I probably should have lowered the kite at the edge of the window instead of trying to kill the power with the kite in front of me. I ended up pulling the top hat and the kite dropped. I put the stake in and when I got to the kite and grabbed an edge, it flipped up and over and I was caught in between the lines and bridle (fear/panic set in immediately!). I was able to quickly get the kite crumpled up and in the bag luckily.

Questions:

I like the top hat safety feature. Would this bar work with a 9m slingshot ranger? Or any 4 line depower foil? My ranger can be difficult to land when windy sometimes. The ranger bar does not have pulleys like this one.

Do my problems addressed above with the 4m ozone prototype sound like it was just too windy or might there be some other factor I am not aware of.

see attached photo of the bar

Jason

Yes that bar should work with the ranger.

Also, I have a ranger 12 and it's overall.....not garbage but it's close. Try to replace it soon with a better kite. Slingshot didn't make an awesome kite with the ranger, and it's couples with a bar that is just not safe, so putting the top hat style bar on the ranger 9 would be an upgrade.

When kite is down but can fill and be powered up, be careful when approaching it, or letting others approach it. If I land a foil in the manner you describe, I walk to it well clear of the lines, and then throw my sandbag on it to keep it down while I begin to pack up. Once it's weighed down, I would go reset the top hat, then wrap my lines as I walk to the kite, then package the kite and bar carefully, and get it in the bag.

i have that bar from a 7.5 frenzy minus that nice chicken loop, mines still neanderthal
id be a bit worried about the line strength...
surfer kites are rated much more than what came on my stock foil