Im a beginner that has been dipping my toes in the water for a couple of years but made little progress mainly due to not drinking hardner regularly enough AKA s*$t scared)

This season I am biting the bullet and getting in the water as often as possible with suprising results (I can actually kite a little!!!!)

The weekend just gone produced even more pleasing results with some fast rides, holding my grounsd (mostly) and even some turns without teabagging...Milestones I say!!!

Problem Im finding is that when Im finding the speed too much and wanting to back off a little by sheeting out and moving the kite up in the window, the bar is almost too far away to have a good too handed grip on. On some occassions I have let go with one hand which was OK but not a completely satisfactory solution for some one of my skill.

Kite is a Core GT 10.5....Appreciate any help or just to be told that there is in fact no solution.

BTW...To those beginners in South East QLD who have not tried Boreen Point...I say get up there and have a look...15-20 k since last Thursday...no crowds..no tide..shallow water. Some say a little gusty at times and they are correct but Im thinking being able to cope with gusty winds being as valuable a skill as being able to kite in light winds...Just a thought..Thanks for your help.

hey mate,

Sounds like you are overpowered. Just pull on a bit of depower and it will bring the bar closer to you, you will not get as much speed with the kite depowered either. Somtimes its a fine line getting the depower right with the gusts on the day.

If you edge a little less or veer down wind a touch you will loose a bit of power in the kite to regain control on a really big gust.

Can't say anything about the core but on the North bar you can adjust the throw on the bar through a vario cleat (or some other name) to suit your build. The book shows you how to do it, but from the look of yours you can only vary the attachment points on the kite :(.

Have to agree on Boreen point, just started this season and it was instrumental in getting me up and going. Problem is it always seems to be 5 - 10 knots less than what you get on the coast so I have switched to North Shore (N -> NE) and Buddina in (NNE -> ENE). You seem to get a bit more wind around at Buddina. Rode my first wave in yesterday without making a total arse of myself, was awesome.

Still too newbie for the swarms of kites in the estuary and the current in there is pretty unforgiving. Anyway if you want to setup a down winder or muck around in the surf with let me know.. If I'm not working I'll always be keen!:P

The problem doesn't come from your bar or the length of your arms. If I look back at the graphs from your area on the week-end it seems you didn't get much more than 20 knots, is that correct?

Assuming you don't weight 50kg or less you definitely shouldn't be overpowered in 20 knots on a 10.5m kite, in other words you shouldn't be riding super fast and out of control with your bar sheeted out.

So my conclusion is that if you weigh 70kg or more and were overpowered on a 10.5m kite in 20 knots, is that your lines are out of tune. Over time your center lines stretch and become longer than the back lines, this means that you have to hold the bar further away than usual and you lose the ability to depower the kite.

The video below will help you to understand how to tune your lines, even if it's for a cabrinha bar the same principle applies for any other bars on the market. If in doubt ask and experienced kiter to help you or go to your local kite shop for help.

Hope this solves your problem

This is all great feedback... Thanks...The assumtion re windspeed over the weekend was correct...tad over 20 knots...Am about 80kg in the morning...

Havent watched the bar tuning thing yet but seems to make to sense so will do asap..

Thanks again for helping out here

Consider a seat harness if you haven't already, it will pull the chicken loop and bar a little lower.

Cbuloto's advice is good and check your line lengths, the GT's and ESP bar are both getting a bit old (I've got two) and I was getting uneven line stretch. Not sure about being over-powered though, at 20 knots I'm on my 9m GT (@86kg) and usually have plenty of grunt to play with?

Grissly

After checking your lines as in the above video... if youre not using full power - then simply adjust the front lines down 1 or 2 knots closer to the bar. make sure the depower is NOt on when adjusting..

That will obviously bring the bar closer and you making life easier - its what we do when theres lots of wind and forgot to take a smaller kite.

Always have someone on the beach ready to catch the kite again when experimenting to keep it safe.

Have fun

Unless you unhook, it's a good idea to shorten the chicken loop. It increases depower range without poo-stance. It is not an issue in steady wind, only when gusts hit.

I have the same problem as grillsy, Thought after some time it would sort itself out like everything else but a year and a half in and I can't fix it. Riding normally and arms outstretched I'm only half way up the depower lines. Only way to reach the full depower is to ride one handed or hunch over into poo stance. My trim pulls in the front lines above the depower so that doesn't help. Is it posture or is that how everyone kites maybe? I've asked people on the beach but they have no idea what I'm talking about and look at me funny

Ha bloody Ha
Fancy showing a Cabrinha set up when describing the problem of trying to reach the bar!!!!!!!!!!
The Core 10.5 is a LOT easier to reach compared to Cabrinha. I have both and the Core is a breeze compared to the long throw of the Cabrinha (Switchblade anyway)

My experience has been the same, and I soon discovered a narrower board enables you to edge and control matters more easily.

I chopped some length out the middle line to bring the bar closer, BUT be careful though, to still retain enuff depower or else ......

I had a mate and we gave him the nick name of "short arms and long pockets"

Wouldn't buy the first round of beers and aways went missing when it was his turn...