Bar interoperability

[magbre]

Hi all,

I have 2 Naish bars (2016 & 2018 models) and am wondering what other brand kites would work well with these bars? I know there are issues mixing high V and low V bars and kites but is that the only concern when mixing brands? How do you know which brands & models have high / low Vs?

I assume I'm been very optimistic in asking if there is a list compiled anywhere

Thanks

[StellaBlu]

I can't speak specifically to your bars, but the only two mainstream brands that currently use a high V are Core and Duotone (including the old North kites, but not the new North kites which are low V). If your lines are equal length they should work on most low V kites.

I think either Real or MacKite published a compatibility chart somewhere.

[Kerplow]

here you go - download/file.php?id=79058&mode=view

[knotwindy]

Also, make sure that the bar travel is long enough for the kite type and size. If the bar doesn’t travel far enough when you push the qr the kite might not depower fully. And for performance make sure the bar travel while hooked in is enough to slack the lines, different kites have different travel distance needs from full power to slack. But most current kites and bars are interchangeable if they are low v, single line safety and reasonable throw. Some need pigtails to swap knots/loops.

[Da Yoda]

I'd also recommend avoiding these specific F-One kites. They're designed to perform best with high-V front lines and their Lynx bar has an adjustment for them.

Bandit & Bandit-S & S2 / Bullit / Breeze v1 / Trust

I will note that I know several kiters that fly Bandits with a low-V bar and seem to have zero issues. You may have to experiment if you get an F-One.

I've used a Naish bar with other low-V tuned kites and it worked great for me. I did have to reverse the pig tails on one kite and also adjust the line width depending on the kite size. I had one small kite where I wish the bar was a bit narrower, but it was still functional. I just had to adjust "myself" to compensate for the quicker reaction.

[magbre]

Thanks all for the replies!

From that chart it seems a Naish bar should work with everything apart from Core, North & F-One. Ocean Rodeo requires "using manufacturer's supplied adapters" which I'm not sure what that means. But most kites are usable.

Now my next bit of research is what's a good alternative to the Pivot

[Kerplow]

Thanks all for the replies!

From that chart it seems a Naish bar should work with everything apart from Core, North & F-One. Ocean Rodeo requires "using manufacturer's supplied adapters" which I'm not sure what that means. But most kites are usable.

Now my next bit of research is what's a good alternative to the Pivot

This chat is from 2015, so back then Duotone used to be North. You need to doublecheck if its usable with current North brand kites

[leeuwen]

Ocean Rodeo requires "using manufacturer's supplied adapters" which I'm not sure what that means. But most kites are usable.

I think that refers to the use of loops vs knots. So you might need to switch pigtails.

Also there are some converters for high Y out there (line splitter) to convert low V to high Y.
Not sure how great they work the duotone bar has them but also have some reinforcements on the lines where the line splitter goes so it might cause extra wear there?

[knotwindy]

Back in the day Ocean Rodeo did not use equal length lines so in the newer kites the rear bridle lines needed to be different lengths when you used a newer bar as they did change to 4 equal length lines eventually. And they supplied a number of different rear line lengths with the kites to adjust for the differences. If you know how to trim a kite while flying it in the air it is simple to figure out. If not, have someone show you. Basically, with any kite you start with all 4 lines equal length at full power, put the kite in the air in light wind at 12 and sheet in the bar all the way. The kite should stay steady and slowly just barely start to back down. Easier to be show on the beach but a good skill to have regardless of the kite type. This is just a general rule as there is a lot of room for personal preferences as you get better. And if you are going to use the same bar with more than one kite any adjustments needed should be done on the kite bridle, not the bar side lines.

[iriejohn]

Back in the day Ocean Rodeo did not use equal length lines so in the newer kites the rear bridle lines needed to be different lengths when you used a newer bar as they did change to 4 equal length lines eventually. And they supplied a number of different rear line lengths with the kites to adjust for the differences. If you know how to trim a kite while flying it in the air it is simple to figure out. If not, have someone show you. Basically, with any kite you start with all 4 lines equal length at full power, put the kite in the air in light wind at 12 and sheet in the bar all the way. The kite should stay steady and slowly just barely start to back down. Easier to be show on the beach but a good skill to have regardless of the kite type. This is just a general rule as there is a lot of room for personal preferences as you get better. And if you are going to use the same bar with more than one kite any adjustments needed should be done on the kite bridle, not the bar side lines.

Last week in about 10 knots of wind did this with a friend who has 7m/9m Ozone Enduro V3s and Ozone bar (25m lines, low V) but bought a 2021 Duotone Evo 12m and wanted to fly it on the Ozone bar. I ended up putting 4" (10cm) pigtails on the Evo steering line attachment points and a knot on the sewn part of of the Evo flying line attachment points, thus effectively lengthening the steering lines by about 5-6" (12.5-15cm). Later watched the kite on the water, friend said that it flew and handled perfectly.

Edit: in about 10 knots of wind