Hi guys, new to this forum so i thought id give it a try.
Just a quick one on my having trouble with my trim adjuster strap on my Cabrinha Switchblade IDS 2009 12m.
I pull the black line, and it seems to adjust the strap just fine in that direction.
When i pull the red line, the strap just pokes out at right angles (ie doesnt fully extend) as if its seized up. I then have to pull the black line to get this kink out again.
I can only pull the red line once, but i can pull the black line many times.
Anyone else know of or get this problem and how to fix it?
cheers

Hi Yeatsie,

I am pretty sure this is so you don't dump all your power with one pull of the red strap, by pulling once, then let, go and then pull again to release more.

They do tend to misbehave after a little while. Rinse in fresh water and when dry try rubbing some wax on the webbing. It should free it up. Worked for me. If there is any sign of wear like frayed sections then replace the whole thing. I've had one snap a few years ago. The trim straps only last 12 months if you're on the water a lot.

Thanks on the washing and waxing of the strap tip , i'll try that.
Its pretty new gear as i only bought it Feb and as i'm new to the sport and only had my first lesson in Nov last year and been travelling alot i've probably only been out with it about 12-18 hours in total.
I dont think anything is worn or frayed but i will take a look to be sure.

Also, does the position of the bar relative to the center lines running through the bar matter when i am adjusting the trim strap longer/shorter?
ie. if i pull on the black line when the bar is further away from me will it give a different trim to me pulling it when the bar is closer?
This wasnt really explained well to me, or maybe i missed it.

cheers

Hi Yeatsie,

Pulling the trim strap adjusts the front lines (middle lines only). When you are moving the bar up and down, this changes the lengths of the rear (outside lines) relative to the front lines. There should be no difference of pulling the trim strap if the bar is pulled in or pushed out.


KR

Select to expand quote

yeatsie said...

Thanks on the washing and waxing of the strap tip , i'll try that.
Its pretty new gear as i only bought it Feb and as i'm new to the sport and only had my first lesson in Nov last year and been travelling alot i've probably only been out with it about 12-18 hours in total.
I dont think anything is worn or frayed but i will take a look to be sure.

Also, does the position of the bar relative to the center lines running through the bar matter when i am adjusting the trim strap longer/shorter?
ie. if i pull on the black line when the bar is further away from me will it give a different trim to me pulling it when the bar is closer?
This wasnt really explained well to me, or maybe i missed it.

cheers

If its anything like the old Naish above the bar system, you can pull on the depower handle to 100% in one hit but you need to pull on the "repower" handle a few times to lengthen the trim straps out.

Often it is easier to pull on the depower when you have the bar all the way in, as you have the kite loaded up a bit, it puts a bit of tension in the front lines and stops you pulling the kite towards you rather than pulling the straps through the buckles. You will notice that the point at which the kite stops flapping moves closer to the chicken loop as you pull the depower on.

All this stuff is true, they work a bit smoother with some tension on the lines. I forgot to mention - make sure you check that the webbing is not twisted as it runs through the metal buckle under the neoprene sleeve. This will seriously hamper the working of the trim strap. Not sure how it happens but I've have seen a few twisted webbings over the years.

If all else fails go along to your local kite shop and get them to have a look at it for you. This is an important piece of equipment and if it does not work properly it can turn a good day into one that's less than average.

Isnt it a rachet type system?

you can pull on all the depower in one go with the red (might have the colours wrong)
but have to let it off a piece at a time. with the black

my first one only lasted 6mths

I have exactly the same problem. I have a new 09 xbow (9m). And when I pull the red trim all that happens is the trim strap pulls in and then sticks out like a bow.

I also have a 07 Contra and that one worked much better. When I pulled the trim strap it would rachet back into position and you could do this 2 or 3 times and really feel the difference.

With the new one it just feels like it's not really working. I wasn't sure if it was just a new design or faulty. It's always done it since the day I bought it so just assumed that was the way it's supposed to be.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ozones use a cleat. Simple, effective, no fuss.

Thanks everyone for the info on this, really appreciate it.
Had noticed that putting a bit more tension on the bar made it easier to haul in the trim adjusters, thanks.
Wish they would explain it a little better in the Cabrinha manuals as its such a frequently used component during your session.
@DaryllF Glad i'm not the only one confused with whether the red (depower) trim line should be a one-or-many pull mechanism?
@KIT33R I'll check the webbing as you suggest

Does anyone on here have an 09 crossbow or switchblade and find that their trip strap works as the old Cab kites did? Ie you can rachet it back and forth a few times to depower or power up?

If it is supposed to work like that, then I'll have to dig further into why mine is no good or take it back to the shop.

I fly 09 crossbow IDS.I havent flown cabs before this one.
My depower strap works fine,pull the black one and it lets the strap out in increments(bit by bit). Pull the red one and it brings the stap in in one go(not bit by bit) if this is what yours dose,it is ok.
The trim strap is just that,a trim strap,used to TRIM not give the kite more power or less power but to adjust where the power is on your bar when you sheet in.
If you are riding with your arms fully extended reaching for the bar,pull on the red strap so you then can ride holding the bar closer to you.And the opposite with the black.
Did that make sence?Someone else might be able to explain it better.

All your power and depower is in the sheeting in and out of the bar.The trim strap lets you set how far you have to sheet in to reach full power.

I love my cabrinha kite but,I hated the depower strap system (mines a 2008),the best thing you can do is piss ot right off ,I've made up a 2:1 depower system with a jam cleat attached to the swivel where the front line meet.The origional strap set up lasted about 3 weeks ,the new ones been going well for nearly 1 year,the new set up is 100 times easier to adjust and has heeps more adjustment....

@Rattlehead - can you post a pic? Would love to see ur jam cleat setup 4 ur trim adjustment.
Ok, so it sounds like the red depower trim control is just a one-shot adjuster.. cheers 4 that Lotofwind. Sort of makes sense, you probably want gradual adjustment to move the bar further away (up) for power control, but fast-adjust to bring the power control closer to you.
Was just confusing me as i'm sure when i did my training in Botany Bay it was on a SB2 and i remember having to crank the red line alot to let the trim out near the end of my session :)

think I have a picture on my other laptop will try and dig it out for you!

Not the best photos but the only ones I have of this kite.You can see under the origional cabrinha neopreen cover (just under the swivel for the front lines) there is a jam cleat .Its a trapeze cleat of a sailing skiff/dinghy.It has a inbuilt pully at the top where the rope changes direction.

Setup........... It has a hole at the top,this is shackled to the front line swivel and covered by the neopreen cover(this is totally optional ,I thought it looked cool?)
It also has a hole in the bottom , This is where you attach the rope power/depower line ,It is tied with a bowline on the bottom of the cleat ,make sure to tie a figure 8 knot and attach a stopper ball about 100mm down from cleat ( this stops the bar going all the way out of reach and hitting the underside of the cleat .it also servs as a rest stopper for your bar ,while your cruising along you can reach up slide the ball down to the top of the bar where you want it to rest and hey presto the bar will sit there locked until you push the bar up or slide the stopper up .from the stopper ball the rope goes though the center of the bar ,then get yourself a single pulley and a piston clip ( This set up is on my big kite 14m so I don't unhook off this kite ,I use a piston clip Its a swivel clip used on spinnaker sheets and halyards on yachts and has a built in quick release which attaches straight to your harness just make sure you add a small lenght of rope with a ball on it to pull the safety,If you want to use the origional cabrinaha chicken loop you can you just have to carefully cut back plastic sheathing over the dyeema center line rope so you can tie it to the pulley).

After passing the rope through the pulley it goes back up through the center of the bar and all the way up to the built it pulley at the top of the jam cleat where it changes direction back through the cleat and back towards the bar .Here you need to work out where you want your maximum power setting to be ( I simply measured the max power setting lenght of the origional strap system ) then you need another figure 8 knot and a stopper ball , this stopper ball is the max power setting if you let the rope all the way out ,this knot / ball stops it at your max power setting , If you didn''''t put this knot in and just kept letting out rope you would get too much power in the kite and if you tried launching like this you would end up getting lofted......not good so don't forget the stopper and the max lenght of the rope....

After the stopper ball I have about 200mm more rope then another stopper ball this is where I attach my safety and with the little bit of exta length you can easily reach the depower strap with out leaning too far forward.

This system is silky smooth and has loads of adjustment ,also the centerlines 6mm speectra is like $2.00 per m and I have 2 or 3 spare ones cut to lenght ready to go should I see and wear on the centerline . (with over 100hrs of flying I had to change one after I noticed it was freying ,I found a bur in the stainless bush going through the center of the bar . a bit of filing with the old dremal sorted this out , second rope nearly done the same amount of work and shows no major signs of wear....)

shopping list you will need
1. Trapeze cleat (Ronstan I think and get he one with the inbuilt pulley) $25
2. swivel piston clip ( this is optional ?) make sure it has a decent quick release !$25 -
3. 6mm rope get one with good abrasive properties . you'll need 3m to start with ,that would be heeps .If you want spares get more and use only what you need.$6-$10
4. 3 stopper balls suit the 6mm rope.$2
5. 1 small d shackel to attach top of cleat to swivel below front lines.$2
6. single pulley .$20

all bits available at your local marine shop , I had all the bits accept for the cleat and rope...
http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-1151-ronstan-series-30-bearing-blocks.aspx
www.biasboating.com.au/p-658-ronstan-alloy-trapeze-v-cleat.aspx
www.biasboating.com.au/p-1104-swivel-bale-snap-shackles.aspx