Naish bar snapped in half !!

jeremy · Since 18 Aug 2006 276 Posts Manzo & HR Obsessed

Wiped out on a bottom turn, was pulling myself through the breaking wave and the bar just broke in half. I came shooting out of the water with each hand holding a bar piece. It was pretty weird having the steering lines free from each other, in each hand. I ended up letting go of the bar end with my left hand for some reason, and then the kite just slowly drifted right and crashed. If this happens to me ever again, I'll try and fly the kite back in, it's a bit different holding each steering line like this, but it should be possible to get back to shore.

Anyone else have a bar break like this ??

Anyone managed to fly a kite with a bust bar like this successfully ??

Pretty wild the metal broke, it was a 2009 bar in pretty decent shape.

moondog · Mon Jul 04, 16 7:19 am

This happened to a friend I was kiting with in baja. He was 50 yds from shore so he did no flying with his new setup. On closer inspection, it broke in the same place and was corroded from a life in salt water. I don't remember the make of the bar.

wylieflyote · Mon Jul 04, 16 7:28 am

You live in Manzanita, you have a 6 year old aluminum bar. Are you rinsing the salt off every session? Seems like a reasonable life-span for this frequent immersion of aluminum into salt. Wonder if some research into all carbon would be a benefit for your kiting lifestyle?
The newer Naish Fusion bar is constructed with "Double Density EVA with Memory Core" whatever that means. I'm very happy with my 2015 Naish bar... but eeee-gawds it's costly.
Sorry, never tried flying a kite two-handed.

Matt V · Mon Jul 04, 16 9:01 am

Yup...Saltwater is bad. I have re-finished a few depower through holes of kites that the owner never bothered to rinse with fresh water. It sucks as you start out with disassembly, then wash then 400 grit sandpaper, ,then wash, then 600, then wash, then 1200, then wash, then 0000 steel wool, then wash, then fiberglass rubbing compound, then wash again. It is a PITA. So now I am pretty anal about getting the salt off of my bar. After every session, my bar gets rinsed with fresh water.

By looking at the Naish bar in the picture, it looks like the EVA covers the outside part of the through hole. This would lead to some saltwater staying on that part under the EVA unless you soak the bar for a day or so.

But, I do not see any signs of corrosion at the break, though the pics are pretty low res to see clearly.

Over all, I think it is like others have stated. Lots of use will wear out a bar. Aluminum is particularly susceptible to repeated stress fatigue. But how would a kiter ever know that it is time to throw away a bar?

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

I bought my first bar from Will at Floras in 2000 and I'm still using it
carbon fiber with my stainless insert for the chicken loop,

It's the most comfortable bar ever, handgrips held just fine, only thing I had to replace was the CL insert and it floats Rolling Eyes

Kmun · Since 05 Jul 2009 264 Posts Obsessed

I now ride the latest generation Naish bar. But, four years ago I snapped that old generation in three places. The central aluminum piece was intact but the composite at the bonded at both aluminum tangs failed. This fail was completely my fault. In fact, I was very fortunate it failed when it did or my body would have endured a super stupid load.

I overran a kite on a swell, and the kite did a beautiful looking level slackline back flip. I thought “gee I may just get lucky and fancy-fly out of this unscathed.” However, smoke’n 40 mph winds with a huge sag of slacklines followed by a full and level stall to back flip developed explosive loads as it instantly re-powered hot, right down the eye of the window. I was dreading the pending yank. When the self-destruct frangible safety systems activated. Including snapping the flag line. The whole deal poof…"Say BY!" A wise move would have been pull the chicken loop after the kite flip but before it loaded up.

I’ll entertain any manufactures gear but, for ergonomic reasons I still prefer the Naish bar design rational. Naish bars works great for one handed riding.

I like the idea of adding Oh-shit handles on the steering lines. Anyone know of instructional videos of the Slingshot Oh-shit handle recovery protocol?

Pete · Since 29 Oct 2007 843 Posts Opinionated

A friend of mine broke his Naish bar of a similar vintage, in a similar fashion, although his bar was only a few months old. He sold all his Naish gear shortly thereafter.

Anthony · Since 07 Oct 2008 362 Posts Salem Obsessed **CGKA Member**

During my beginner learning phase. I had a Naish bar that broke for no reason in Maui and a Best bar that broke in half from the swivel failure that put all the power in the bar lines on the sand bar. For a while there I thought I was jinked and did not go back for a year.