Slingshot Compstick Bar - Depower Handle Broke

K2 · Since 30 Apr 2009 274 Posts Hood River, OR Obsessed

Hey everybody. I didn't have time to read everything on here but I wanted to make a quick point about riding without having your CL rope seated into the depower cleat.

Slingshot bars are not designed to be used with the depower handle fully pressing up against the butter box, or release system. You always want to make sure to seat at least a tiny little bit of the rope in the depower cleat. If you ride with the handle pressing up against your butter box, all the force of your center lines is pulling your CL rope up and away from you, and up into the release system. The angle at which the line has to bend up into that system puts tremendous pressure on the rope and cuts it. We put a little plastic grommet directly above the depower handle because we know that everybody won't listen to us. The depower handle itself can slam into the butter box if you don't seat the rope properly which could crack the plastic housing. However that grommet, when sucked all the way up inside your release system, cuts the rope when they're both jammed up insdie your release system. That's why you'll see people's ropes look like a dog chewed on them right near the depower handle. That's why beefcakes CL rope broke.

To be clear, never ever ride with the handle pressed up against the butter box. Always make sure to seat some of the rope into the depower cleat which is designed to hold it. If you don't, you'll have to replace your CL rope a lot more often than if you do. And you might end up breaking your CL rope like in this scenario if you don't put the rope in the cleat that's designed to hold that load.

Keep calm and carry on

Cool

dwaynej · Since 09 Sep 2013 207 Posts Stoked **CGKA Member**

I replaced my line using the "NAK method" and have additional length. Never have the line end against the cleat.

blancoh2o · Since 15 Mar 2005 1153 Posts Oregon Phishy

This is absolutely correct and is the same for other manufacturers as well. Always seat your trim line in the cleat and when you power up your kite don't let the stopper slam up against the cleat.

dwaynej · Since 09 Sep 2013 207 Posts Stoked **CGKA Member**

Here's Nak's double depower line modification post... Best mod you can do to a Compstick!

http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-31373.html

beefcake · Since 11 Jul 2007 140 Posts Stoked

Great info guys! Need to remind myself about the oh shit handles. K2 great reply, that makes total sense about the cleat, I always thought that if cleated I was depowering the
Kite by a couple inches, lesson learned! Btw slingshot responded to me and are gonna work it out. You guys rock!

Dangler no lottery ticket but I did go and get a tasty walking man!

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Your kite will most likely be oversheeted if you are flying it with that plastic part touching the cleat anyways. Get that kite trimmed proper. Also haven't ever had this happen in 10 years of flying slingshot gear, hope that they made it right for you though.

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1804 Posts XTreme Poster

^^^

This! About the only time I have been able to fly a kite at "full power" is brand new out of the box for about 15 minutes, at which point the front lines which are loaded stretch a bit, and I cleat off an inch or two thereafter to eliminate over-sheeting, stall, and loss of power and performance.

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4907 Posts Portland Unstrapped

funny - just assumed you always needed a few inches of trim to get things proper

- can see how you might mess that up...

but now thinking about it - you always want something in the cleat if you get lit up - you will be able to adjust vs getting no leverage...

Occupied Columbia · Since 12 Nov 2011 376 Posts Columbia City Obsessed

I didn't know about the trimline always needing to be cleated. Makes sense.
I bring in a couple inches past the cleat, to unhook, so the kite doesn't stall. but if I hook back in and don't let the trim rope out and try to boost I feel under powered.

Today I rode with the trim rope seated in the cleat which effectively shortens the trim 2 inches. It felt almost underpowered. but moving the goosenecks one inch up on the outside steering lines would counteract the 2" inches on the centerline because it is doubled on the pulley.

zig zag 158 · Since 16 Jul 2012 19 Posts Vic BC Canada

Ocean Rodeo also sport the "rear line re-ride" system...

I have broken two centreline connection rings between the swivel and pulley which sent the flying lines to the kite and the trim line/bar is all I had left...
I was able to disconnect the CL and pull a steering line to the kite and self rescue.

always good to tune your lines more often than not... could you have prevented this if the lines were tuned up properally.. cleated etc ?? Good idea to get some whipping twine and mark a spot for full power when you've pulled a little de-power and re-tuned...