Waroo Bar Failure - pics

[bryanleighty]

Ok .. I was able to retrieve my bar from the mangroves yesterday..

Now.. looking closer its definitely the screw that holds the bar cap in place that broke.. looks like it rusted away.

I attempted to remove the screw from the other side of the bar and the damn thing snapped off with 1 twist of the screwdriver.

You can clearly see the discoloration.

If anyone has a Waroo bar PLEASE check for this discoloration and replace those screws IMMEDIATELY. I bought this bar very early last year. I think besides Eric (E-bone) I was the second person with a waroo rig in this area. I am not sure if the early runs of the Waroo bar were any different or used different screws than current ones. Please check if you have one of these..

I emailed BEST and Simon responded immediately. He said " It might look like rust, but in the strictest sense it isn’t, it’s galvanic corrosion between the carbon and the screw, and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen it on a bar. I’ve seen it plenty of times on windsurfing mast hardware, but that’s unique for one of our kitesurf bars."

He wanted to know if there was anything different about our riding area ..something environmental that might have caused this.. I dont think I do anything different than anyone else around here. I emailed him back with details, but cant see anything that would help.

He is going to replace my equipment even though its well past its warranty. I think that is very commendable.

Here's the pics. Please check your equipment.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanle...7600210967082/

[Unimog Bob]

That is just poor quality stainless. I'm going to check my bar for sure! Thanks for taking the time to let the rest of us know.

Bob

[TampaBay Noob]

ditto...my waroo bar is the same as yours and is also showing signs of rust. I just figured it was normal. So would replacing those screws with a fresh set of stainless solve the problem more or less?
-sean

[bryanleighty]

i would think so..

take it apart and take pics of the screws and bar ends..

if this is an issue, it needs to be brought up.

[TampaBay Noob]

Will do. I don't have much use for the bar at the moment anyways. I'm trying to figure out how to replace my front bridles on my '06 16m since it snapped on me the other day.

[robertovillate]

BL,

Thanks for posting those pictures. I inspected my '06 45cm bar and it looks fine - no rust stains or sign of galvanic reaction. Maybe they had a run of bars with bad screws on the 55cm bars? The specs for stainless in China are probably not the best.

It just goes to show that failure of a part worth a few pennies
can be disastrous.

I think that's great that BEST is helping you out on this. Kudos to them.

(If you ride backside Skyway there probably ARE some environmental
hazards unique to Tampa Bay - I've never been there but that's what I've heard)

[Steve-O]

Can't figure out for the life of me why all kite companies don't use marine grade stainless....just doesn't make sense. All stainless is not the same. I am sure it is cost, but I am sure none of us would mind spending just a bit more to have marine grade stainless as part of the setup. Wonder what company will come to the table first.

[Wolfie]

I just checked my 11M sonic bar (1 1/2 years old). On the first screw all was fine, but the second sheared off as I unscrewed it! Definitely some corrosion. I will have to drill it out. Thanks for the heads up! I will check to others.