Today I want to explain to you in two simple steps how to act in case the front-lines of your kite bar have stretched.
First of all, let’s start by saying that, in the majority of cases, after using your kite and therefore the bar, for around forty sessions at least, the front-lines of this one will almost certainly be stretched. This is because the front-lines are subject to a greater stress than the back-lines and therefore they tend to stretch over time. This stretching effect is amplified in case you happen to go out kiting overpowered, so the front-lines are even more subject to stress.
The first thing to do is to check if the fronts are longer and then operate in this case.
Roll out the bar and make all four lines clear. Once they are clear, maximize the depower trim and, with the help of a friend, stretch the lines by tightening the bar to the low stop. Once this is done, the four lines should all have the same length: if this does not happen, the fronts are stretched. There are several methods of solving the problem. Some experts suggest to attach the bar only from the back-lines to a fixed point and pull hard in order to lengthen these lines, but in my opinion this method is not properly good, as the lines have a memory and after a few sessions the problem will arise again.
Conversely, I recommend two very simple alternative methods:
1. Shorten the front-lines (if your bar allows it) by the difference with the back-lines, from the pivot point, as you can see from the photo below. In fact, it is enough to tie a knot in the lines in order to compensate for the difference.
2. If you are not able to shorten the fronts, then you can lengthen the backs. You just have to create, or have them created by your trusted sailmaker, some pigtails with the necessary length to simply hook them to the back as you can see from the photo below.
These two solutions will allow you to solve the problem permanently.
Aloha WindBuster and… see you next time!