I have been talking to a couple of kitesport new comers recently who have been loading me with endless questions about kites and locations and how's and why's etc!!

I realised there was a big gap in my knowledge around how line lengths effect kite performance and what effect changing lengths would have on kite performance, power and handling.

I fly all my kites on 24/25m lines but i have a set of 30's and a set of 20's

Just curious if anyone has some knowledge on this they would like to share??

Thanks

Line lengths is a huge topic. It all depends on what you want to do, where you want to do it, and with what you will do it with.

Give some more information and maybe I can help you out.

Chris

Rough over-view ...
Short lines = kite spends less time in the power zone but responds faster. Long lines, opposite
Some of it seems to be preference, some of it sweet spots for the kite.

Smaller kites are sometimes better on longer lines too (30m) as they have a twitchy nature and this mellows them out a bit by providing the flier more of a window to direct them through (see Kamikuza's response). Conversely, big kites on long lines can seem down right sluggish especially in low winds.

I think my depowers are all on 20m lines and I think 25m is a good all-around length for most fixed bridle kites in most conditions.

Quote:

Originally posted by Krohn1999 Line lengths is a huge topic. It all depends on what you want to do, where you want to do it, and with what you will do it with. Give some more information and maybe I can help you out. Chris

Well I was really after some general information so I can understand how altering line lengths will affect my kite flying.

I'm not trying to achieve any specific effect - just add knowledge to the fine tuning database!

For instance i can understand that longer lines effectively give you a bigger wind window but i dont quite get how that will affect how my kite performs.

Also it seems logical that short lines will improve responsiveness - so its confusing that bigger kites tend to be recommended flown with longer lines.

Low wind , long lines . Longer power stroke and chances are the wind is better up higher.

High wind, Short lines. Get out of trouble and over to the edge faster. More direct response.

You can increase the range of a single F.B. by changing up line length.

Quote:

Originally posted by lives2fly ] For instance i can understand that longer lines effectively give you a bigger wind window but i dont quite get how that will affect how my kite performs. Also it seems logical that short lines will improve responsiveness - so its confusing that bigger kites tend to be recommended flown with longer lines.

Bigger window means the kite is slower to react, redirect and come about at the end of your run. Take that into consideration while riding / jumping.

Bigger kites are often flown in lighter winds which is why some may put longer lines on them to increase their window in the low winds. Others, self included, may keep them on 25m lines and just work them harder.

Quote:

Originally posted by lives2fly Quote: Originally posted by Krohn1999 Line lengths is a huge topic. It all depends on what you want to do, where you want to do it, and with what you will do it with. Give some more information and maybe I can help you out. Chris Well I was really after some general information so I can understand how altering line lengths will affect my kite flying. I'm not trying to achieve any specific effect - just add knowledge to the fine tuning database! For instance i can understand that longer lines effectively give you a bigger wind window but i dont quite get how that will affect how my kite performs. Also it seems logical that short lines will improve responsiveness - so its confusing that bigger kites tend to be recommended flown with longer lines.

ok heres my basic standard for line length.
Buggy:
Beach, as short as possible, but long enough to still be able to loop the kite without hitting the ground. When crusing in a buggy it doesn't really matter how big the powerzone is, you park the kite on the edge and let her fly. I use between 15m and 18m (except for really big kites 17 Yak GT is on 20 meter lines)
Inland: here you need a little extra length to compensate for "dirty wind" and gusts. And longer lines do cause a little more side pressure that can be helpful going across fields. I believe that 25m is the maximum you would ever need with a FB.

Boarding, Here it is a diffrent story, you don't have the speed here that you have in a buggy so it can be helpful to have a little more powerzone to work in. but I still think the maximum that you need is 25 to 27. everything over that is IMO taking so much away from the responsivness of the kite that you don't have a direct feeling anymore.
I the end it all comes down to personal prefrence and how you want your kite to react.
So thats enough now I'm gonna pack the car and head for Holland for the weekend. Browersdamm here I come!!!!

Thanks thats given me quite a bit to think about. I think I'm going to load a bar with some 20m lines and see what difference it makes.

Kayaking this weekend but desperate to get a kite session somewhere soon. Too many cool things to do - too few weekends!!

Try 15m lines in high wind with a kite you are familiar with . You will be amazed!.

dont interchange your sets and the kite will fly fine....................................