G-Arc front line snaps

[KiteSmurfer]

How does the G-arc behave when a front line snaps???
Does it remain well powered or does it depower enough to be managable without releasing????

The reason i ask is my leash is attached to a front line, if that line breaks what do i do?? i don't want to risk ditching my kite totally...

I carry a line knife so i could cut the back line on the same side and obviously the kite would completely depower - but this would take time.

Has anyone installed a release on the back line next to the bar that could be deployed??

ANy ideas or suggestions are greatly recieved.

chris

[R]

Hi Chris, If your front line snaps the kite will not fly. Arcs will fly with a snapped back line but not front as the kite will loose shape.

[F12-Flyer]

basically if shit goes wrong its gunna go wrong. I would say its going to go in some sort of spiral with about 40-70% of the usual power best thing to do would be to hit the breaks real hard so that you have majority of the power on the rear lines this give you much more control over the kite because you have full controll of the rears. then asses downwind obstacles if your in trouble disconnect but if all is clear basically just hold those breaks tight and get it low and to the edge if possible but the kite will properly turning so it will come down and hit the water anyway then disconnect completed and just hold on with one hand swim away from the lines to one side and towards the kite. once you have some slack in the lines between you and the kite you can start winding them onto the bar then its just a matter of reaching the kite and swimming in.

Although I havent tested this but I had a left rear line (pulled out of the bar) on my F12 in about 20 knots while heading through the power zone bascially it just started turning right but to stop it from turning fast or looping I sheeted right out. this effectively loosen the breaks so the kite almost stop turning and then slowly came down at the edge of the window and hit the water.

Hope that made sense I guess someone else would no first hand whats gunna happen but In theory it should work.

Rod

[F12-Flyer]

or the kite could just loose shape LOL

Ive snapped my chicken loop and the kites gone almost no power but 3 lines might be a bit different.

[Arcsrule]

If you use a free bar, then you can just turn loose of the bar and the remaining fron line will act as a leash.

[KiteSmurfer]

I use the standard PL bar as supplied with the kite.

What is a "free bar" and do you still have depower adjustment on it??

[chicagokitesurfer]

The free bar is a bar setup with the rear lines attached to the bar, and nothing else. The trim rope/loop does not run through the bar, or attached to the bar in any way. Therefore, the bar can depower the kite up to the point that your arms cannot be extended any further.

V
Chicago Kitesurfing

[KiteSmurfer]

do many people actually use this set up?? - sounds a bit akward to me

Has anyone actually had a front line snap and can tell me what happens??

i know arcs don't fly on back lines, i just want to know how f**ked up things get.

[theflyingtinman]

Has anyone actually had a front line snap and can tell me what happens??

I had the leashed front line diconnect on my G18 a couple of weeks ago in very light wind. I had it rigged with 10m extenstions and the connection knot slipped through as I was making the power stroke for a water start. The result was that almost immediately the rear line on the same side snapped as it took all the load on that side (I use 600lb fronts and 300lb rears) and the kite came down very nicely.
That's not guaranteed to happen of course
If you are concerned about it rig up a temporary QR on one front line and release it on soft sand with no obstacles to see what happens. Make sure you test it on the unleashed line so you still have the option to release to leash after releasing the other line if it gets ugly.

Steve T.

[Arcsrule]

My free bar is as described above except : I have a 8 inch tether attached to the center of the bar and the other end of the tether has a stainless ring that my "chicken" line goes through. So my depower is still limited to my arms reach and for all practical purposes is still a free bar..
and as for the breaking leash, this happpened to me just yesterday. My leash has a trigger snapp shackle on each end. One end attaches to my bar and the other end attches to a front line ring (sliding ring system). I don't know how it happened but my shackle opened accidentally causing my leash to be activated. BUT!!!!! both ends of the leash broke off...as there was no trigger snap hanging on my harness and no trigger snap hanging on the ring. Puzzling how that happened! Anyway, when this happened, the kite instantly started flying on the back lines and stalled down backwards as I was still holding the bar. Before the kite touched the water, I grabbed my chicken loop and hooked it back into the shackel and the kite went back to zenith. no problem as long as you hold the bar.