Hoyt has unveiled the first string stops for a recurve bow. Seen for the first time at the Archery Trade Association Show in Nashville, Tennessee, the unique string stops have been years in the making, with Hoyt working alongside USA shooter Jake Kaminski to test and develop the design. Jake, a silver medallist at the London Olympics and gold medallist at the 2013 World Championships as part of Team USA, says he first thought about the idea five or six years ago, and after talking to Hoyt about it started developing prototypes with engineer Doug Denton.
The dual dampers are designed to be spaced an equal distance apart from the nocking point, so as not to have an adverse effect on nock travel. The results of fitting them are reduced noise and vibration, and increased arrow speed – attributed to the fact that there is now much less string travel beyond the bow’s bracing height, so the nock is released from the string sooner. This reduces the effects of minor inconsistencies in an archer’s release, as well as dampening vibrations from the limbs.
Jake told Bow International, “The difference in performance … you can’t compare it. My bow jumped on the finger sling like nothing I’ve felt before. I shot my highest ever FITA score in practice with them on.”
At this stage, the only riser that has the requisite rear bushings for these string stops is the Hoyt Ion-X. However, if these prove to be popular, we expect to see them become more widespread.
Fully adjustable for different brace heights and suitable for all sizes of bow, the latest development in recurve technology has been approved by World Archery regulators and are due to be available in spring 2014.
Jake Kaminski shows us the new string stops for recurve bows on the Hoyt stand at the ATA show