If you have not seen this notice yet you should read it. It is important to note that people need not panic here. Generally speaking, if you have been using your 2008 SLE Bar without issue it is unlikely you will have a problem as the only issues we have heard of so far have happend quickly.

That being said, it is also important to point out that Ocean Rodeo will provide, free of charge, replacement swivel assemblies to any rider who wishes to replace their swivel. Please simply contact the dealer you bought your kite from, they have all been made aware of this concern.

What’s life without a little drama to spice things up, right? (Who’s with me?)

John Z

Bar

What is the defect exactly,because my swivel does not work all the time,my lines are twisting a lot…

Thanks

Dan

Same problem here. Swiffel does not always spin. So the lines stay twisted. Does it have to do with the problem mentioned?

I’m with you John.

I’ll keep a close eye on my swivel assembly nonetheless.

ps. Skyped you with a short question the other day just in case you missed it.

andy

Thanks for the free of charge replacement part but.. your post was missing some vital info such has you have not told us the issue….

“issues we have heard of so far have happend quickly.”

What is the issues we should be aware of ?

Re: Important Notice: Potential SLE Bar Safety Concern

Hello

My kite 10m Rise Venturi, already bought .. Now I saw Ocean Rodeo site, some problem bar SLE 2008, how do I get the equipment change that with this defect. I have to pay freight? I live in Fortaleza-Ce, Brazil :(  :?:

Thanks!
:D
[quote author=“Johnz”]If you have not seen this notice yet you should read it. It is important to note that people need not panic here. Generally speaking, if you have been using your 2008 SLE Bar without issue it is unlikely you will have a problem as the only issues we have heard of so far have happend quickly.

That being said, it is also important to point out that Ocean Rodeo will provide, free of charge, replacement swivel assemblies to any rider who wishes to replace their swivel. Please simply contact the dealer you bought your kite from, they have all been made aware of this concern.

What’s life without a little drama to spice things up, right? (Who’s with me?)

John Z

The issue is that there is a chance that a few of the latest batch of 08 SLE bars can be equiped with a swivel that can break. Mind you that it is a very VERY small percentage of bars that were affected by this issue. When this happens it happens in the first few sessions. If you are using your bar for 2 months or something you should be fine however you can request a new swivel @ your OR dealership which will be provided by OR.

If the swivel does not untwist the lines, this does not mean your swivel is prone to this breaking-issue. Clean the swivel and put some drylube in it and it will untwist your lines again.

Thanks Wouter - sorry for the delay in responding. I have been on the road. Andy, I don’t have my skype here with me as it is on my work computer.

Cacuagiar, no worries. If you want us to send you a swivel we will make it happen. However, as Wouter said if the swivel has been used for the last couple months it is unlikely to have an issue.

The issue is simply this: 0.3% (so far) of the swivels sold have failed, meaning broke in half, immediately after being put under load. This sucks for the person involved as it means a body drag back to the beach with a rats nest of lines. If you have been using your swivel for a while and have not had an issue I would not worry about it. I kited under the Golden Gate last night and had full confidence in the bar I was using.

John.

In my opinion OR is dealing with this issue very well. The same swivel is also used in some other brands and up to now I heard nothing about warnings or offerings to replace swivels. Responding in a fast and honest way is what I love about this company.

Thanks Wouter…  :oops: ... we try.

OR do a great job

I agree with wouter !!

OR do a very good job !!

Mirko

Yes me too, OR are the best at customer service/care by a long shot!

Hello ..

No 2 months .. was 2 hours, minimum .. then stop wind .. yet it rains ... JUNE next month, vai better wind .. understand? But Gennaro Filho vai to pieces ... OK!

Thank you wouter and Johnz ..

Good Winds :D

Hello,

I am happy to see that you are upgrading the swivel. I would like to add that the swivel failure is not limited only to new bars. After 2 seasons of riding on an OR bar, my center swivel broke - the ring snapped open. That is 150 lb rider, no high stress moves, and rinsing the bar after every use.

I’ve been very satisfied with the bar so far and I’ve just received a new 08 replacement one. I’m a little put off by buying the bar just before an upgrade that I’ll have to do myself again (went through the same process with the stopper upgrade) but I am glad to see that the product improves.

To that effect I’d like to give you some customer feedback (2 years on the bar, summers are off, so about 1 year usage 2-3 days per week):

1. Upgrade the swivel - judging by the pictures in the instructions, the new beefed up swivel might still be undersized on the rings. They fail because the lines with lark’s head knots wrap around them and keep them wet with oxygen-deprived water that kills the stainless steel. The rings could have a larger thickness and diameter that would also facilitate easier rotation in the knots and inspection for rust.

2. Remove the sheath that covers up the swivel and pulley. It is not as efficient in protecting the stainless steel components from the sand as it is in keeping them wet. I think it does more harm than good; the sand gets in there, and it is hard to flush it out. A lesson from sailing would dictate arrangement with easy visual inspection of the gear, ease of cleaning, and no potential for water traps.

3. Although I really like the visual design of the bar (red/black/white stripe and logo), the neoprene comes off with use and time. Then instead of a simple job of gluing it back, it becomes a major project to glue the white stipe in there so it doesn’t bulge up against the red piece, etc. In short, the hand’s grip and twisting motion works those individual pieces off the bar and it’s just not easy to repair.

4. The cleat on the chicken loop is a finger crusher. On two occasions that the chicken loop unhooked from the harness I ended up with one finger bruised and one fractured from the cleat flying up to the bar and hitting the fingers wrapped around the bar. I don’t have a suggestion for reducing the impact force but I can testify that it is not a fun experience, each episode took me out for a week. I realize that people may laugh about this point but the pain is still there after 2 and 4 months now, respectively.

5. I’ve just noticed on the 08 bar that the ohshit handle on the outside lines is not there any more. I apologize if there is a thread about it somewhere but I’d say that I heavily depend on that for self landing and for self rescues in the water. If there is an option to add that please let me know.

6. I’ve been told that the loops at the kite end of the lines were upgraded. Excellent point, mine are worn out by the kite’s pig tails as those are the ones in contact with more abrasive material as well as being constantly manipulated at every session when putting on/removing lines.

Overall, again let me say that i am happy with the product in comparison with the industry and i hope that my comments will add to the improvement process to make it the best kiting bar out there. Thanks for all the fun on the water.

peter

Peter!! - You are awesome man. Let me address these one at a time.  Thanks for such a detailed posting! This is exactly the type of feedback we appreciate.

JZ.

[quote author=“Peter”]1. Upgrade the swivel - judging by the pictures in the instructions, the new beefed up swivel might still be undersized on the rings. They fail because the lines with lark’s head knots wrap around them and keep them wet with oxygen-deprived water that kills the stainless steel. The rings could have a larger thickness and diameter that would also facilitate easier rotation in the knots and inspection for rust.

Quite honestly you are the first person I’ve heard of having the actual ring fail on them. You are correct though, they could be bigger and we’ll look into that. I’d like them to be bigger simply to get more leverage to make the swivel actually swivel when the lines are twisted.

[quote author=“Peter”]2. Remove the sheath that covers up the swivel and pulley. It is not as efficient in protecting the stainless steel components from the sand as it is in keeping them wet. I think it does more harm than good; the sand gets in there, and it is hard to flush it out. A lesson from sailing would dictate arrangement with easy visual inspection of the gear, ease of cleaning, and no potential for water traps.

This is an interesting point indeed. I believe the only reason for that cover is aesthetic, so it could be removed. I’ll point this out to Rossco.

[quote author=“Peter”]3. Although I really like the visual design of the bar (red/black/white stripe and logo), the neoprene comes off with use and time. Then instead of a simple job of gluing it back, it becomes a major project to glue the white stipe in there so it doesn’t bulge up against the red piece, etc. In short, the hand’s grip and twisting motion works those individual pieces off the bar and it’s just not easy to repair.

Again, an interesting point. I have to admit a certain degree of ignorance on this as I tend to replace my bars so often (I sell my demo gear to most shops I visit with and am into new gear pretty quickly). This is excellent to hear though and will be taken into consideration for sure.

[quote author=“Peter”]4. The cleat on the chicken loop is a finger crusher. On two occasions that the chicken loop unhooked from the harness I ended up with one finger bruised and one fractured from the cleat flying up to the bar and hitting the fingers wrapped around the bar. I don’t have a suggestion for reducing the impact force but I can testify that it is not a fun experience, each episode took me out for a week. I realize that people may laugh about this point but the pain is still there after 2 and 4 months now, respectively.

Now, this one is really unique. I’ve yet to have that happen to me. I assume you’re riding without the donkey dick in place? I am pretty sure that the new moulded chicken loop will address this as it will snap in place under the bar and not flip up sideways and hit your fingers. You’ll have to get back to me on this. The new CL’s will come out in August and will be made available as an upgrade to existing bars.

[quote author=“Peter”]5. I’ve just noticed on the 08 bar that the ohshit handle on the outside lines is not there any more. I apologize if there is a thread about it somewhere but I’d say that I heavily depend on that for self landing and for self rescues in the water. If there is an option to add that please let me know.

Nope, 2008 bars all ship with oh sh!t handles on one of the 2 front lines. If your bar is missing the handle let me know and we can get you one.

[quote author=“Peter”]6. I’ve been told that the loops at the kite end of the lines were upgraded. Excellent point, mine are worn out by the kite’s pig tails as those are the ones in contact with more abrasive material as well as being constantly manipulated at every session when putting on/removing lines.

Yes, for 2008 we went to HD 650lb test lines that take this abuse much better than last year’s lines. Still, lines and moving parts wear out over time so visual inspection is warranted and replacement of damaged parts is a good idea. We advocate replacing the trim line every 6 months, every 3 if on a very fine sandy beach or using it more than 4 days a week. Likewise for the chicken loop and the pulley lines on the kite. Similarly, the flying lines should be replaced atleast every 18 months, preferably every 12.

[quote author=“Peter”]Overall, again let me say that i am happy with the product in comparison with the industry and i hope that my comments will add to the improvement process to make it the best kiting bar out there. Thanks for all the fun on the water.

peter

Love the feed back Peter. Thank-you!!  8)

JohnZ

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times….  We’ve been blessed with a lot of wind on the prairies the last few weeks, and the 8m rise is my new favorite kite (formerly the 12m, until I got used to the speed of the 8).  Anyway, I’ve had my bar and lines out about 20-30 times since April, about 2/3 on the 12 and 1/3 on the 8 (both on factory settings).  Anyways, I’ve had some pretty amazing sessions, the last one was really good too, but ran into some troubles with the swivel. 

On a relaunch from the water (wind 20-30knots) I barred away as per usual as the kite lifted off the water and suddenly I had no front lines, and almost immediately I lost a back line and had a flag for a kite.  So Iwrapped up, swam in (the drysuits are awesome even in freshly thawed lake water!)  and took a look at the damage.  So yeah the swivel snapped, but the back line (bottom one on the relaunch) tore the webbing in half.  So I have no attachment point 3 on one side.  I’m going to try the 1+4 settings in the meantime.  Does anyone have a good way of repairing or a good place to send the kites to for repair??  I’m attaching some pictures of the damage and swivel differences…

broken swivel compared to new swivel

new swivel and old swivel

ripped webbing

I went to our local dealer and got the “upgraded swivel” and replaced it on the broken bar and also on my other bar just in case.  Kudos to the guys who have to thread the depower line through the stopper - I could use some pointers for next time I have to do that!!!

Any tips, pointers, suggestions would be great.  I think my own recommendation is to replace the swivel regardless of if it goes on the first flight or not, cause it ends up being a lot of tension on those back lines with potential damage to the kite.  I don’t know if this is covered on warranty or not…. maybe someone can pm me if it is.

Thanks!

Ryan