Found a way to keep the 19m clammed closed for the drift launch. Might not work on other kites, I have large pigtails.

The bottom held tighter due to a half twist I put in the loop first so that might help with smaller pigtail line. It was on a hill also, the kite slid down.

The rubber band idea was a bust, haven't tried Velcro yet.
I think this is the ticket for the 19m.

My situation will use a prefiller so I can make the connections before the kite is inflated but I'm sure it could be done after the kite fills also.

perfect , only do the front though, its all you need.

i had used a curled zip tie for a repair on a pocket and it happen to work in the same manner.

great your set, practice dry , notice how much space and movement you need .

the idea is for you not to move much and allow the wind to open it just right, as soon as it open use the main for control with tugs.

can't you jsut slipt knot the front two lines with the tied line on the kite side so that when you put pull force on the lines it'll slip up and open?

The only issue I see with this idea is that if the wind is somewhat gusty or stronger - or if something jams while you are letting the lines out, it could pull the loops out of the pigtails and you are set with a hot launch on a kite with the lines only payed out a fraction of the length - totally uncontrollable and with no safety release possible.

The way we do our drift launches from a boat is to first lay the kite out on land lengthwise so that the kite is running directly away from us. Pull the bar back so that the upwind tip lines are slightly tight and the downwind tip lines are laying totally slack. Walk towards the kite about 2-3 feet for safety and then start winding the SLACK downwind tip lines up on the bar first until the downwind tip lines equal the upwind tip lines in length while the kite is still flagged out longways - and then wind all four lines up the rest of the way. If done right, you will wind up to the kite and the downwind tip lines will be all wound on the bar and you will still have about 2 feet of slack in the upwind tip lines PLUS the total length of your kite.

Fold the kite over or lay the bar on the downwind tip and roll the kite up.

Now to launch, unroll the kite, and fill with your pump. Let it flag out or hold it in the taco position until it is filled as much as possible. Then unroll a couple feet (8 to 10) of line so that the kite can stay in the flagged out position while you unroll the lines and drop the upwind tip into the water and let it float downwind away from you as you quickly let out the rest of the lines off the bar, making sure that they do not pull tight. The kite should be in the flagged out position where it can never launch. Continue paying out the lines until you reach the end. Pay the lines out quickly as you reach the end so the lines don't go tight and pull the kite into the clam shell or tries to launch the kite. If needed, hold onto the downwind lines while you pay out the last bit so the kite stays flagged out.

Once all the lines are out you should be ready to launch normally by pulling the kite into the taco position.

Because the lines on one end of the kite are wound on the bar so that they are pulled in more than the length of the kite, the kits should never be able to accidentally launch on you while you payout the lines.

Hope this helps.

Arkay, I dunno. This is all I've tried, maybe a slip knot will work also. This slipping knot way will not come apart until I pull it out. The more I try to separate the kite, the better it holds if I put a half twist in the lower loop first.

Try some knots next time your out and let me know how they work. Lots of good ideas going around but none I have are proven yet.
You guys may already know what works and what don't.

Kent, I'm going to have a look at doing this next time the kite is out. I see what your saying by keeping it flagged during the whole process. A video of this way would be real nice. LOL

Thanks for posting, it gives me more options.

Phree, I'm going to get some practice, a lot, before I try it for real.
What little I've been doing to learn a way has already improved my know how a good bit. Dealing with the lines and set up are getting much easier now.

... how about a Highwayman's Hitch? Or Tumble Hitch which is far superior as I just learned