brake line/kite killers set up

just got myself a new set of lines (gracias to coastalwindsports) after my others streched, broke ect... anyway i got told the reason my brake line ripped was due to the friction from it sliding when going to the killers. someone on here mentioned a way of stopping it a few months back with an extra knot so ive just knocked together a budget diagram on paint to check that ive remembered it correctly. Does it matter how far apart the knots are? im guessing the nearer the better so it has less room to move?

Quote:

Originally posted by krumly I've gone to adding short amsteel loops prussiked (basically a doubled-up larkshead) around each brake line with a figure eight knot to larkshead the killer to.

Ever since Boy Scouts one of my hobby's has been knots, I haven't run into one that I didn't know in years. THANKS.

If you want the kite killers to work right you need to make sure that they bite and don't slide along the break line leader. When you release the handles the killers will want to pull towards the handles and that will reduce or eliminate the brake action, which completely circumvents their purpose. So location is important. It's true that if it's too close to the end of the leader and the killers are too short then it'll brake your kite while you are flying, which you certainly don't want. And if the killers are to close to the handles then you get no break input...

The easiest way to make sure the killers stay put is to use a second knot in the brake leader. Usually a few inches from the end of the leader where you attach your brake lines. If you lines do not already have this knot then go ahead and make one with an overhand knot. This will shorten your brake lines; probably won't make much difference, but if you find that it does then you can either lengthen your brake lines at the kite or make a knot in the control line leaders. My guess is you generally won't notice


image gracefully borrowed from coastalwindsports

See the above. In the right handle you can see the brake line on the leader and the killer knot a few inches lower. The kite killers larks head on the leader ABOVE this knot (or towards the kite). Again, because the lines will want to pull towards the handles.

But unlike in the photo... make sure that when you put the killers on that you pull the larks head tight so that it won't slip over the knot when you let go and the kite starts to pull away.

There's a few schools of thought about how to hook them up, but I like the two knot approach and not overlapping the lines. Hooking them up with the overlap above works if the knot is nice and tight (I've seen them slip off) and you'll get a lot of brake input, but if you have wear issues then I'd suggest trying out two knots. Either way if the larks head is tight then they will both work.

But my take is, if you don't hookup the killers correctly & tightly then they can be much more dangerous (for yourself) than flying with out them. You won't be able to reach the handles to control the kite if you let go and worst of all long kite killers can get caught under your rear axle. I'll just leave it at ouch. Really the only reason I use killers is 1) to prevent your kite from flying into other people or objects if I happen let go and 2) to prevent you from having to walk after the kite. In reality the kite is not going to fly that far away from you... cough... but in an area crowded with bystanders it's nice tiny bit insurance. After you learn how to fly the kite I think they have marginal value are more to protect others. Chances are you're hooked and you can always just let go of one handle. As two data points... I once saw a kite without killers get caught on a foreign object and power up the kite, pulling a branch into the air and the kite flying away self-powered into power lines. Oops. Wouldn't have happened with killers. I've also seen someone with kite killers that were too long get them wrapped around their back axle. Again, I'll leave that at Ouch. Wouldn't have happened without killers.

Hope that was sufficiently non-committal :D My only suggestion is not to place too much blind reliance in killers. IMHO, It's more of a last resort type of thing then something you should be using regularly. But if you are going to use them make sure you hook them up right or it's pointless and possibly less safe.

Mmm good idea Krumly