anyone seen this on their Cabrihna?
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Depower strap snapped.....
Ive had my SB3 12 for 4 months, and this happened yesterday.
I've used the kite probably 2 a week since Ive had it. I dont ride hard out.
I'm wondering if this is normal wear and tear - or could it be something caused this?
Luckily when it happened - it just meant I was suddenly riding fully powered up with no option to depower.... also made self landing bit of a nightmare because I couldnt reach the centre lines - and I was the only one on the beach, and it was blowing 21knots +
The SB3 is a fantastic kite , and this is not intended as slagging match on it.
I wouldnt change this kite for anything else out there at the moment.
Just trying to gauge if I have been doing something wrong - or its normal wear and tear (which in case could be a design fault)
Mark
Had mine 7 mths, prob used 2-3 times per week haven't noticed even any signs of fraying.
I do wash my bar ..........my misses says too many times:)
Is the cleat thingy sharp? This could be a fix.
actually, just remembered that my kite got trashed in a few waves on Saturday and I was pulled quite a distance in as I didnt get the kite to relaunch.
Kite was fine - but obviously the journey in , ie being pulled by the kite and waves took its toll on the strap.
If it got trashed in the surf, check your line lengths (they may have been stretched unevenly). Also check the bridles etc.
Thanks
Matt
same thing happened to my sb1 a couple of years ago; ditto my lf assault 1 which pretty much had a similar set-up. i did wash my bar and lines in fresh h20 after every session. this is where the cleat style power strap (a la north rebel, jn) is better in terms of holding up against wear and tear, methinks. it's also pretty simple to replace the depower rope when it's worn.
I have heard of several people snapping their SB3 depower straps here, recently, with very little use . It may be worth you talking to who you purchased it from.
I have broken 2 of those straps in the last 12months. It seems to be caused by sand getting into the strap then grinding and wearing evertime you make adjustments.
A thicker strap may be required - but please cabrinha do not change this setup style 
Rinsing out after a session may help but it is not easy to get the embedded sand out of the fibres or the strap. I now try to avoid ever putting my bar down in the sand
thats better than where i snapped my depower strap, mine snapped on the quick release at the chicken loop at only 3-4 months old..The metal just sheared off..
Replaced buy warrenty..also had the whole depower override clip replaced as fell to bits...
Top kite though....Waiting on the 09 version for a 8metre...
mine snapped today.
luckily i was half depowered already as it was 35 knots.
ive had it for only 3-4 months but do use it 4-6 times a week and unhook alot.
does anyone know if this is covered by warranty.
ewan
2 times with me...recon they go after 100-150 sessions...pain in the arse. The strap always heads towards full power during session..............strap needs work.
Love the new fabric though....my 12m SB3 is not dead yet, and I am giving it a regular beating.
Hi Bigmark100
If a depower strap goes that early in the peice it would be worth checking with the dealer and see if they can do a warranty on it (good luck with that some brands are better than others here).
Also advice about rinsing lines is really good, but you would be even better to grab a bucket big enough to lay the entire bar in and soak for at least an hour after use. This gets all the sand & salt out of the lines. Its the salt crystals on dry lines/straps which do the damage.
We do this with our school & demo bars and they get heaps of use (6 months 6hrs a day 6 days a week). Have not had a line go, depower go or anything else so guess it works.
Have Fun!
Just got a new one today.
apparently you need to wrap up your lines so the depower strap is completely straight and has no twists then i should never really break.
ewan
not much of a power kiter myself i still have the old cab element 12 and contra 14 and would like to change the 12mtr. to a sb2 owned by a friend who only used it twice which is in terrific condition and at 400$hmmm....question is, how different is the sb3 to the 2
i might be missing something here...cheers
Last weekend saw me break and wait for it..............no. 3 of these straps two last year and one this year. 
Sand sure is the culprit here,
Because of the neopren cover covering the buckle it is hard to wash all the sand out of the webbing in and around the buckle.
Best thing to do is cut off the neopren cover and get rid of it to expose a nice shinny buckle that you can wash out properly.
The buckle looks better exposed anyway its one of the high grade componets that you paid for, may as well see it!
You will be suprised how much sand gets caught up in that neopren cover even if you are allways washing your bar out after every use,the water just never gets in there to get the sand out.
Im sure all Cab dearlers will replace your damaged one free of charge.
Make sure you check and replace yours if you own a SB before you find yourself in a situation that could have been avoided.
Regards
Luke
The other thing to check here is the sharpness of the teeth on the buckle where they engage the strap. I'm onto my 5th SB, never had any problems with a strap breaking BUT, I have noticed there is a bit of variation in teeth sharpness. One of my SB2's had really blunt teeth and the strap would slip, and I can see some variations in the teeth on the SB3 8m and 12m bars.
1 more thing to check.
Well I will gather up all my broken straps and head down to the retailer to see what happens.
Will report back....
