Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

For all foil kite riders
Herman
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2074
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:09 pm
Style: My Own.
Gear: SLE, foils and C kites, TTs, Directionals, Landboards, Buggy.
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 217 times
Been thanked: 524 times

Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby Herman » Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:20 am

Many older foils had what I call top hat safety systems, which is a top hat collar/latch pin just below the trim strap. If you pull the top hat down to release the pin the front lines extend a metre or so to a stopper which puts all the tension on Z thus braking the kite and backstalling it down. If you put a long throw on the bar it makes the top hat harder to reach.

Therefore my question is, has anybody tried attaching a flag line, that passes through the chickenloop in the modern way, to the top hat? If they have, has there been any accidental releases because of the friction between bar and flag line?
Last edited by Herman on Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

evan
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1159
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2004 5:48 pm
Kiting since: 2002
Local Beach: Brouwersdam
Style: Hydrofoil - Big Air
Gear: Infexion bars
Brand Affiliation: Infexion
Has thanked: 12 times
Been thanked: 330 times
Contact:

Re: Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby evan » Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:40 am

Never seen this setup in real life. Isn't it more reliable to attach the flagout line to the brake strap/both backlines to achieve the same effect?

Herman
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2074
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:09 pm
Style: My Own.
Gear: SLE, foils and C kites, TTs, Directionals, Landboards, Buggy.
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 217 times
Been thanked: 524 times

Re: Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby Herman » Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:59 am

^^It may be reliable in that it will stay put but I would prefer not to have the weight of a leash on the break handle or the increased possibility of a brake input from a tangle while ducking under the bar or boolgy looping etc. I really don’t like leashes to break handles, unless it is just for cruising.

User avatar
Hardwater Kiter
Frequent Poster
Posts: 408
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 1:43 pm
Style: Rough and tumble
Gear: Ram air and single skin Foil kites. Long skis to truck, short skis to huck.
Brand Affiliation: www.hardwaterkiter.com Authorized retailers of Flysurfer. Ozone, HQ kites and Gin kites.
Location: North Conway NH. USA
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 13 times
Contact:

Re: Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby Hardwater Kiter » Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:27 pm

Don't attach anything to the stall handle/brake. It's messy, doesn't improve safety function and causes more problems than it solves

You can junk the top hat safety and add a FLS (front line safety) with minimal effort and cost. A stopper ball, a stainless ring, possibly repurpose the line from the top hat system. Without knowing the specific bar it's hard to say what specifically needs to be done but usually, it's easy to do.

Herman
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2074
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:09 pm
Style: My Own.
Gear: SLE, foils and C kites, TTs, Directionals, Landboards, Buggy.
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 217 times
Been thanked: 524 times

Re: Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby Herman » Tue Jun 08, 2021 1:34 pm

Thanks Hardwater Kiter your advice could not be sounder. Seems a shame to junk this top hat system, from an old Montana, as it is really a sweet little system for it’s type. But I am sure you are correct to say it would just be better to replace it with an FLS. No doubt I will end up using the bits and pieces somewhere.

User avatar
edt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7309
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:27 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Michigan
Gear: ride hard, no regrets
Has thanked: 529 times
Been thanked: 658 times

Re: Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby edt » Tue Jun 08, 2021 1:39 pm

seems kind of weird to use the top hat safety instead of pulling the strap just additional complexity over the flagging line maybe I'm missing something.

Herman
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2074
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:09 pm
Style: My Own.
Gear: SLE, foils and C kites, TTs, Directionals, Landboards, Buggy.
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 217 times
Been thanked: 524 times

Re: Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby Herman » Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:08 pm

Edt, the top hat is just a safety. I can’t remember the last time I actually used one.

The top hat is your primary flag out, although there is no actual flag line as the load just goes to the rear lines, and the secondary is the chickenloop completely releases everything and so you don’t have a leash. You have to train the brain for this and be careful not to grab the top hat when using a front line pull to recover a stall. But it is simple enough.

If you ran a line attached to the top hat to a leash below the chickenloop it would enable you to use the chickenloop as the primary safety………..

User avatar
edt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7309
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:27 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Michigan
Gear: ride hard, no regrets
Has thanked: 529 times
Been thanked: 658 times

Re: Top hat safety - rigging a flag line

Postby edt » Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:53 pm

Seems complicated. I remember the old cab black tip c kites from 2003 had this same system and if any seaweed got into the recon system it would death loop. I like the true fifth or front line flagging better. It's simple and won't death loop.


Return to “Foil Kites”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests