Thought my recent experience might serve as a reminder to check your lines:
I had to flag out after a foil session, as the dropping tide left a rocky shoreline. The flag out didn't work.....lines stuck somewhere. It wasn't a huge issue as the wind was only 15 knots, but it could have been serious.
Checked bar later and all seemed ok until I noticed a small 'swelling' on the flag out line, near the bottom. It was 'jamming' and preventing flag out.
Time to change my lines on that bar and I will check more often now.
Select to expand quoteReach said..
Thought my recent experience might serve as a reminder to check your lines:
I had to flag out after a foil session, as the dropping tide left a rocky shoreline. The flag out didn't work.....lines stuck somewhere. It wasn't a huge issue as the wind was only 15 knots, but it could have been serious.
Checked bar later and all seemed ok until I noticed a small 'swelling' on the flag out line, near the bottom. It was 'jamming' and preventing flag out.
Time to change my lines on that bar and I will check more often now.
What year and brand is your bar ? Most manufacturers have improved their bars in recent years to enlarge the inner hole allowing for easier flagging and therefore eliminating bottleneck issues.
Either way you make a good point to test the safety sytems once in a while, especially for older bars.
It's an ozone bar. Prob about 3 yrs old but well used. Its really my own fault for pushing the lines.
Something else to watch: I just found an issue with an old LF bar's QR. I was unable to open the QR at all except by destroying it by force with a screwdriver! Turns out the clam cleat on these is nicely bonded into the QR body, and the end of the trim line is secured into a tunnel between the alloy and plastic. Over time of course the trim line holds water and despite fresh-water wash after every use, the alloy corroded and swelled, bulging the plastic & making the QR inoperable. All looked good from the outside; maybe a good thing I tried to open it at home and not in a time of need.
Select to expand quoteReach said..
It's an ozone bar. Prob about 3 yrs old but well used. Its really my own fault for pushing the lines.
It would have pulled through and flagged out if there was a bit more load. We have never had a report of an Ozone bar not flagging out when required, provided its rigged with genuine Ozone lines and genuine Ozone flag out line. The exact same system has been in use for at least a decade+ now.
In stating the above though its important for every kiter to check that their bars flag out safety system works and there can be many reasons why some will not flag out.
Maybe so. It's not a complaint about the bar.......just a warning to check more regularly than I did.
