Caution Kites Mayhem factory QL setup (Beware)

[poul]

Good to be aboard... after all, it is our back yard.

[perukite]

Poul-

Thanks for jumping in here and contributing so quickly to this topic (under 24 hours).

My intention was not to down your kites, cause I own one and love the thing to death - it's upped my game faster than any other kite I've ridden. I was just trying to make more of a public service announcement since I was thinking about this accident and figuring if there was any net positive I could contibute to overall safety in the local kite community. Your rider, I think it was cornfed, was the one who stopped me one day and showed me the different ways to rig the safety system on my new mayhem - very much appreciated that he would step out and take the time just to help someone out. I apologize for associating your kites with this tragic accident as it was in no way directly related to the event.

It appears the kite involved in the acident was a naish and it was a problem associated with the board leash and rider error and not anything to do with kite brand.

I've since noticed a few other people on the new mayhem, stopped to chat with them and share our stoke with the kite - then checked to make sure that their QR was set the right way. Everyone I pointed it out to had not even relized the setup was configured in such a way and were happy to know about it. It's good to know this was a factory problem with a few shipments of kites and not normally how you would put them into the hands of users.

Again, sorry for associating your kites with this accident, thanks for stepping in so quickly, and congrats on designing such a high performance kite...locally.

[poul]

Hey, no problem. I just wasn't sure if this was just one of another brands henchmen, out to try and slam Caution, it wouldn't be the first time. Sorry, I'm not up on who's who on the forums. This topic was just brought to my attention.
Hopefully I'll be a little more up to date on the Bay Area forums soon. As I said before, this is our back yard and visa versa, and we would be stoked to get a bigger group of riders in the bay.

Thanks for helping spread the word on the releases...

Poul

[OliverG]

Poul,

Thanks for stopping in, check in from time to time. The sites all about sharing information, news and the stoke!

Ollie

[adamT]

Small hole fat rope.. Normal "Grandma's" sewing string doesn't work... I used dentalfloss.

[liv2kitesurf]

The accident that took place at Sherman Island is terribly unfortunate and we at Caution extend our condolences to the rider, his family and friends.

It goes without saying, safety is incredibly important to us and those that choose to ride our kites.

As I understand, presented here on the forum, the accident does not appear to be a result of a Caution safety system, the rider was on another brand. As the eye witnesses seem to indicate, it stems from an unfortunate rider error combined with a hazardous combination of conditions, board leash and kite size.

As Perukite pointed out, relating it to this tragic story (?), there are three different setups for the Mayhem safety system, each for a different style and/or level of riding, and the choice is ultimately up to the rider. We initially had our 07 Answer kites come with the line through the chicken loop, to ensure the safety of other riders around. A number of riders were riding without leashes, once the QR was activated, the kite would become a flying hazard to anything down wind. In 08 we decided to include a Handlepass leash with every complete kite, thus eliminating the need for the line going through the chicken loop. Yes, Perukite is right, there were a couple shipment that went out with the system hooked up the old way (still kills the kite though). There was one extra step to completely disconnect 100%. Once this was brought to our attention, we immediately had the factory change all remaining kites, and sent out a video to our distributors, detailing the correct way to send the kites out.

If you have any questions about the proper use of the Mayhem quick release system please check the video section of our website for the Bar Setup Video or contact us directly.

Once again, our deepest condolences to those that were affected by this tragic accident.

Sincerely,
Poul

Great response and responsiveness (both here on the forum and apparently in terms of correcting the mistaken setup from the factory) on the part of homegrown yet international kite brand.

I have been more and more interested to check out the Caution kites again (I have owned one a few years back) since they seem to be a great kite for local condition and responsive to rider needs (especially locally). The local development of kites would seem to afford the greatest chance of kite designs most highly adapted for local riding conditions and styles. (Obviously, it is also always great to support the local economy, when the goods you need can be gotten there).