Rigging up a bar for a foil.

Appologies for the cross post but I think I need both groups input on this one.

I want to put a bar on my 10.0m² Jack-Foil and would like to know what sort you would all recommend.

For those of you that don't know the kite, it's a high aspect ratio (5:1) race style foil, the same as the gold one here http://www.jack-kites.co.uk/jack-foil.htm .

Now this kite really does need brake lines to turn so I think that rules out most, if not all, of the standard kitesurf bars which have brake lines to the middle.

So do I make my own bar with power lines rigged to the middle and brakes at the end, do I buy a bar similar to a PL C-Quad bar or will a dedicated kitesurf bar with brakes to the middle work ok?

Is there anywhere where I could test a bar? Thanks to one of the newspapers I'll be at Camber Sands for the whole weekend May 2-5 staying in some dodgy holiday park, so would either like to buy before this or test and buy while I'm there.

I know Coastguard Kites no longer have their Fairlight shop but do hooked-on-kites fly at Camber? If there's anyone here that sells bars etc and is likely to be there at some point over that weekend I am up for buying a suitable bar and all lines if you can bring one down for me to test.

I'll also be at Streatham Common Kite day on April 20th, so the same applies.

Thank you.

If it makes any difference, this is going to be used in the water for

I think you've used one of these, is this sort of thing is what I want http://www.powerkiteshop.com/accessories/ flexifoilvpskit.htm ?

I assume the brake lines fix to the ends and powerlines through the loop in the middle. You then control the power of the kite by sliding the bar back/forward.

If this is the case then the description on the site seems the wrong way 'round, quote 'By pulling the bar towards you, the Blade II will power up, producing even more pull than the same kite on a normal bridle. By pushing the bar away, the power is dramatically reduced.'

Could you describe how this works? Is there a way of locking the bar in one place?

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Every kitesurf bar I've ever known has the brakes to the outsides and the powers through the middle - doesnt that cure your problem entirely?

I found my eolo doesnt turn properly when I just use the brakes to turn, so I made my own bar and put the brakes on the outside and the powers at the 1/3 points of the bar - that gives pull on both the power and the brake of the same side. Works a dream now.

Have a look at this bar: http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=3381 It works great with big kites. It steers with both front and brake lines. Front lines go to outside of the bar and the brakes do a crossover through the pulleys. The bar featured also has sheeting (the loop in the center of the bar). Pulling on the crossover part applies both brakes to bring it down.

A friend built one (minus the sheeting part) for his 9m Ozone Little Devil. The kite spins on a wing tip now in very little wind. He finally loves this kite. Other bar configurations did not make him happy.

That looks ideal, pulling ~twice as much on brakes as on powerlines, but I would certainly want the the in-flight powerline:brake adjustment as I need to put more brake on my kite once it's powered up to get the most from it. I'm now looking for some of those nylon clamps/pulleys and they are becoming very hard to find. Looks like I'll have to knock next door and get some made for me.

So, do you reckon this would work?.......

I'd use some bicycle seat pin clamps at the ends, something like this but not quick release http://www.cyclesmart.co.uk/products/prodpage.msql? SAP708A . Cut a slot in the end of the bar and put a pulley in the clamp spindle, so as to feed the line down the centre of the tube. The good thing about cycle seat pin clamps is that they have a lip on the end which would stop the clamp from being pulled in to the centre of the bar.

In the middle I'd use a similar thing but with no lip and two pulleys next to each other. The lines would go through the bar from each end then each one would go round the centre pulleys and then have a knotted loop for connection to your harness. You would then be able to push the bar forward and pull the bar back for brake to power line adjustment.

The only problems with this that I can see is that if you weren't harnessed up the knotted chicken loop would pull tight to the centre pulley so you would have to set this at max power, i.e. a little brake. Also the chicken loop could rotate around the centre pulley and change powerline lengths, but they should sort themselves out anyway.

No, I suppose you would set this to braked (either stationary or slightly backward flying) so you can hold the bar with the kite on the floor, hook up harness, then push bar forward to take off.

I could also use the quick release type clamps, as shown above, at the end and cut one side of the handle away so I could use for line storage.