Dear all,
Any advice for a relative newby?
I've got a north trust 5 line bar, but am having troubles when I've got the deposed trim adjust of line pulled out to deposed the kite as much as possible: the excess line dangles and wraps itself around the bar at just the wrong moments! .
I know there is a bit of Velcro on the deposed trim line to try to stick it still in one place - but it doesn't stay stuck on for very long before coming free and getting into mischief!
Any suggestions?
When I'm powered up with the line let out a bit it's not long enough to cause problems.

Richard

Stupid predictive text, deposed--> depower!

Hi Rich

I have a couple of 2011 North 5th element bars. Used to have the same problem. I bought a roll of whipper snipper plastic cord from bunnings, the stuff that is about 2.5mm thick. Then put a length of it inside the depower rope.

So you want to pull the depower rope through further than you would in use and cut a length of plastic that long, make sure the ends are rounded so they do not catch. Then push the depower rope together so the strands open up and carefully slide the plastic cord down the middle. When you are done the end of the depower rope should slightly thicker, make sure it still works in the cam cleat, mine worked better afterwards.

If I remember right this is basically just a copy of what the 2012 or 2013 came with. When you are kiting it will dangle but not twist around.

That said if it is that old of a bar and lines I would replace the depower rope, you can make one yourself from 5mm amsteel and brumel splice, but going to a local kiteshop and buying a new north one might even come with the plastic inside and save you a heap of hassle and make sure it's done right. Might be a good idea to check line lengths etc at the same time.

That might all sound a bit confusing, but it does work. You did not mention where you live but I am sure if you do some one can recommend a kite shop close by.

Good luck and good winds

It's not just a north issue, all clamcleat style bars will suffer the same fate. Pretty much all of them will have some way to secure it from swinging. Magnet,Velcro or some type of secondary cleat.

Your just not meant to be ridding a kite with that much depower pulled. For sure you need to pull that much from time to time in survival mode or heading back in when overpowered. But like you have noticed the excessive length has safety consequences.

You soon work out that if you require that much trim pulled to ride comfortably...... Go in and pump up a smaller kite.

The much simpler solution is as mentioned above, to switch to a smaller kite. Though I have done it many times myself in the past, if you are flying with enough depower to have it dangling that far down, the kite will not be preforming as well as a smaller kite.

Guess that is why I have a 7,8,9. Kites are always more fun to fly in the wind they are designed for.

Yep above is spot on. If you are riding with the trim pulled that far you should be back in the beach changing sizes until you learn to spill power by moving the kite to the edge of the wind window. I hardly touch mine, slight adjustment here and there and I ride my kites always near their top third and sometimes beyond the specified range. Only in survival mode does that trim get in any work don't in it and that's to get back to the beach. Even then I'm careful to only let out as least as possible. A totally depowered kite is a crap and dangerous kite. Get of it!

Thankyou everyone! I understand much better now - I've been trying to use my 9m and 12m neo's for all winds but recently it's been a bit too blowy for that. Maybe I need to look into getting a 7m too.
Rich
Ps - I've unwittingly invaded your Australian site, sorry! I'm based in the south west peninsula of England. Hope you don't mind!

Jam the black Velcro end between the 2 chicken loop lines above the cleat. It will stay there, its just a bit harder to reach.

G'day mate welcome to the forum, yea +1 for the smaller kite both of my two worst kitemares where on a fully depowered neo 9.

In 2013 North tried and failed to fix this problem by putting red cord inside the depower line. After a few months the plastic starts to come through the line and jam the cleat up. Not sure what they are doing now...

So I've got a 9m and a 12m neo... Would a 6m or a 7m be the best to complement this? Would 6m-->9m be too big a gap?

Surfboard or twin tip riding? I'd go the 7.

Twintip at the moment, though I'm keen to get on a surfboard as soon as I feel I've got the skills not to lose it up the river!