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How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:58 pm
by AndrewG
Seem to spend a lot of time upside down with the spinnaker tangled round the forestay, which takes ages to undo. It seems to get caught on the elastic that goes from the spreader tips round the forestay. Has anyone tried removing this elastic or does that make matters worse?

Andrew

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:07 pm
by Rick
There is a couple of tricks here.

#1 biggest issue is old kites tangle worse and when they do tangle they are a swine to untangle.

New kites seem to suffer less because the cloth is slippery; and if they do tangle they untangle easier because the cloth slides.

This issue occurs more on the sea as when the boat is going up & down in the chop the kite is getting wrapped around the forestay; the elastic is there to try and stop this so I suspect removing it will make things worse.

First solution is to stop falling over; easier said than done. Watch Sten's DVD lots of times.

If you do fall over and it is choppy try and get some sheet tension asap to prevent the bulk of the kite balling around the forestay, then get it down ASAP. This is all easier with a new kite.

A new kite gives the most benefit when you are learning ... trying to learn with an old knackered kite is making life hard for yourself, (I don't have shares in Hyde) :wink:

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:17 pm
by nsdakin
Anybody found the spray coatings worth the money?

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:33 pm
by paul manning
My recollection of re-proofing spray and products such as fablon is that they do work to an extent but cannot replace what was there.

The elastic from spreader tip round the forestay to spreader tip is to prevent the spinnaker going inside the forestay when gibing in light airs.

Definitely pull on the sheets as soon as you can following a capsize and get the kite down ASAP. It's worse in a sea than flat water.

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:06 pm
by DangerBoy
The coatings make a massive difference on a kite that's starting to get waterlogged, but as guys said its still not as good as a newer kite

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 1:06 pm
by bristollad
try getting it in the bag asap do not try doing from the centre board as it will make the boat spin head to wind causing the kite to wrap even if you get the kite half in the bag it will solve it

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 2:45 pm
by Rick
Depends how you capsize ... and how deep it is i.e. is there a risk of inverting and digging the mast in the seabed.

If it is a shallow venue my priority is always to get on the board ASAP to prevent inversion then get the kite down.

If it is a deep water venue then sometimes better to be in the water by the main jammer and pull the kite down first; the boat may start to invert whilst you do this; then get to the board and pull it up.

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 2:50 pm
by nsdakin
Can anyone recommend a decent spray they have used? I guess it cant harm to use a coating on my old kite, though I'll probably look to get a new one as well for the season ahead.

I tend to always try to drop the kite while standing on the daggerboard purely because I find the boat has pretty much inverted by the time ive got the kite down, so capsize recovery is much longer! I rarely get the kite all the way in though, perhaps 3/4 before it snags if im lucky, so I get the rest in after i've recovered, mind you I have not tried this approach in a strong breeze so am imagining I would get in to trouble in a breeze & solent chop!?

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:57 pm
by Rick

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 7:51 pm
by paul manning
I've done it again, just to correct myself, I mean fabsil not fablon!!!

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 9:24 pm
by campervan
As a group we have used fabsil a fair bit and I recommend it. Worth putting on with a garden sprayer, but the sprayer gets wrecked by the silicon and doesn't keep, so usually we have done three or four spins at once.
Elastic round the forestay-I sailed for a while without it. Then upwind, the loose spin halyard worked its way in between the forestay terminal and mast, jammed when in tension and I couldn't raise the kite on the water. Certainly made me reinstate the elastic.

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 8:48 am
by Rick
campervan wrote:Then upwind, the loose spin halyard worked its way in between the forestay terminal and mast, jammed when in tension and I couldn't raise the kite on the water. Certainly made me reinstate the elastic.


That means you halyard was too long or your elastic take up too slack.

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 12:01 am
by Musto Musto Man
Hi There,

I have just re-coated my kite with Fabsil, and while it may not be as good as a new kite, it is much better than it was.

I had a nightmare of a tangle one weekend and had to capsize again on purpose, like I really need any practice!!, and swim around to the front and untangle it. The next week I hung the kite up in the garage and used a manual pump spray bottle to coat the kite on both sides, then let it dry. The next weekend the kite came in much easier, irrespective if I was upright or upside down. (I tried both, purely for scientific purposes :lol: )

My experience is that this will last about half a season if you sail every weekend, then you will need to redo it.

Re: How to stop the kite tangling in a capsize

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:13 pm
by GER170
have had a lot of trouble with this myself in choppy conditions, havent found a fast solution, but one that works:
-get on the board ASAP to stop Inversion, the aim is to get the hull to swing downwind of the sail asap
-Do not touch the kite halyard!
-I am not 100% sure wheather its best to leave the kite Sheets alone or pull the underwater side tight, any comments?
-the kite will be the slowest to drift in the water and will be well upwind of the rest of the boat, that way it is well clear of the forestay
-Now sheet on the main sheet "block to block" and cleat to stop Inversion during kite recovery
-uncleat the kite halyard and recover the kite from the board as fast as possible (you could probably equally well do it from the water)
-under no circumstances interupt the recovery, if you do, the kite will get wrapped around the forestay.