Bent Spreader Bar

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1530 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

Hopped on the river about 10 yesterday and rallied up to the bridge and then up towards the hatch. I had not been on my rally's much so I was riding down wind and playing on the swell having a blast. Out ran the kite and it touched down. Went for the quick relaunch and boom, snap and my safety pops and I see my donkey dick come off the the bar and go flying far far away.

Oh shit I say!!@ Hummnmmm

pull my safety line back in and reset- chicken loop still in one piece. hook everythign back up to my chicken loop and go for the relaunch and my bar comes flying off my spreader bar which I thought was weird even though I had no donkey dick anymore. This time the kite inverts and my lines are crossed !!! Mythbuster - kites fly the same if they lines are crossed BS!!!! Go for the relaunch again and the chicken loop fly's off again so i real it back in and get it set up again. This time I say i have never launched unhooked or seen anyone do it but I had no choice as when I looked down my spreader bar from my mystic harness is bent up with a twist!! Now I know why the chicken loop would not stay on the bar as it was bent.!!

What I noticed with the lines crossed is that I could not get the kite to the side of the window for a nice easy launch. It would go to the side but stop about 20 feet short of the window. I was not used to this so I did a little reverse type of launch i used to do with my RPM's and boom the kite was up and I was going.
Anyone had anything like this similar happen to them!! going to bend the bar back and head to floras for the next week!!!!

Great day; super steady wind up above the bridge at about 30 and a great crash course in riding unhooked which I am not experienced at, no spreader bar to use as it was bent too much. this made it a little interesting when landing as when i went to bring it to the side of the window the bar popped off. The landing went well but I could see how it might not have been !!

I am still shocked that my spreader bar bent and that my donkey dick just flew off. I could feel a little pressure on my board when the chicken loop came off but I did not think all this would happen!!

any ideas or insight!!!!

going to take a pic of the spreader bar now!!!

knotwindy · Since 25 Sep 2011 615 Posts Addicted

yup, if you hit 'em hard enough they bend
and bending it back won't last long, don't trust it much.

SalmonSlayer · Since 27 Nov 2005 648 Posts Addicted **CGKA Member**

it has happened to me. Most likely it was already bent a bit from a previous session or two. This is a good opportunity to turn this bar into a sliding spreader bar and expand your gear choices

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

Once you fatigue a metal it is done. Not much strength left! Get a new bar. I happens to every thing in the end.

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1530 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

SalmonSlayer · Since 27 Nov 2005 648 Posts Addicted **CGKA Member**

Nak · Sat Aug 03, 13 10:10 pm

Quality control in China... Shit like this happens some times. Don't ever trust that hook again. You could bend it back, but it will just bend again. It probably bent a bit at a time till it reached a point where the angle gave enough leverage and it just went "poof"! The steel used was almost certainly not what was specified. There are ways to heat treat the steel, but in all honesty you're better off just getting a new spreader bar. (Unless the whole idea of learning metallurgy and playing with fixing this sounds fun enough to offset the time and money it will take...)

Most of us don't preflight all of our gear, and we really should. Check your spreader bars from time to time as well as your kite & lines. Measure the opening of the hook. ANY increase is bad. If the hook is opening, the steel is the wrong steel. If it bends a little, it will bend more. When the angle opens to a critical point, it'll go the rest of the way in a heartbeat. Once a hook starts to open, toss the spreader bar; it's now garbage.

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1530 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

Thanks guys for all the insight. The beauty of the situation is that I got a quick lesson in riding unhooked down wind in the swell. Effin fun as shit but a little uncomfy when inexperienced and unexpected with that situation. The weirdest thing was the water start without being hooked in. Just a little different:-)!!