Very Cool Concept, good luck coming up with
a viable prototype. Along similar lines, check out this thread on the Best Forums for
a camcleat DIY 5th
line setup. This rig removes
a lot of the need to
grab any lines (although not entirely of course)
http://forum.bestkiteboarding.com/viewt ... t=5th+line
I was thinking about your design and I like the T end, but how about
a long straight section with another larger T at the opposite end. In the middle of the straight section you could mount
a small open faced Cam cleat on the PVC as
a temporary stop. I found
a very small one at the sailing shop that will grip kite
line (has not been tested under very heavy load yet though). This would eliminate any moving parts that could fail. I also like the idea of integrating
a line manager head onto one end of the T. Cutting slots in the PVC may be
a quick and dirty way to do this. Way to get the creative juices flowing. Kite lines are the one of the most dangerous parts of this sport (aside from lofting). I am also
a climber and have used the technique you describe with climbing rope to descend before, three wraps around the back provides enough friction to support up to 200lbs (roughly) and maintain good control. I believe the tool you were referring to is commonly called an "Ascender" it uses
a jaw like mechanism to
grab the rope when force is applied opposite the direction of travel creating
a self locking design.
Looking at your design, I really like the fact you can load the
line on the end piece without actually touching it just by rotating your wrist around. I must ponder some design ideas of my own...
The "Swiss Army Tool" idea sounds very appealing.
I would like to see the following integrated into
a single device personally:
Kite Knife
Line Grabber (with brake)
Line Manager (For storage)
LED Light in case you get caught out after dark.
Small Streamer to tell wind direction (packs inside PVC when not in use)
EPIRB (Just dreaming now, this would really increase the size too much, but it could mounted inside the hollow PVC)
What other tools are people interested in?
Ken