I've read about shortening the brake lines on my depower kites.
Is it something like creating a second set of knots below the ones I typically use to attach the bar? My kite just doesn't turn as sharply as I'd like, and I feel like this might correct the issue.

I've played with the bridle adjustments a lot, but i'm looking for a more pronounced effect that I can quickly change.


Am I on the right track here? Or did I just misunderstand something I read too long ago?

When I'm overpowered I'm much more satisfied by the performance, but the turn radius still leaves something to be desired in control.

Can I make this work, or do I just need a more modern high performance kite? I'd like to get by this season with my 9/17m, I still have TONNNNNNNNS to learn and I've already dropped enough money for the year into kites.

Can someone help me please?

Yes and no Dandre. It depends on how slack those lines are to begin with for one thing and how they actuate the kite ie pulleys or the like.

In general you can shorten or lengthen the rear lines (or front lines) to effect both steering performance, power/depow, and lift in some cases.

IMO you're on the right track. Adding a knot is a good start if you have the line length to to that. This is where making pigtails is handy. If you can put longer PTs on the rear you can put several knots in to tune for different needs. You can also make PTs for the front lines and have mutilple knots to tune the performance.

For testing I like PT's on the center lines at the bar. Then I can land the kite, change it at the bar and relaunch. No walking back and forth to the kite.

I hope that helps.

what kite is this? griffin? don't remember. some details will help. and may ID some limitations.

what position is the trim? full out? 50%? all in?

rear line adjustments can speed up turning but usually can be traced back to trim position. all in on the trim, and the kite gets soft and slow. all out on the trim kite may be stalling a little before it moves . most depower kites tend to turn faster in the depower position (bar out).

bar position, YOUR arm length and sweet spot for power . the harness being hiked up is an issue as well sometimes. tuning adds all this into it . so get it comfortable work from there.

add some knots, so it sets shorter about 3 inches is good start and as you do this, you can trim in to bring everything closer to you as well. really all are relative to the front line length. determining the kites sweet spot "powered feeling" in about 12-15mph and trim back from that, and as you trim in kite should be a little snappy turning. turning with the bar OUT is gonna be faster with tighter radii, turning the kite with the bar pull IN will be BIGGER radii and slower (and ton more power).

some rear attachments (like towards the rear of the kite,TE) should be used to help speed it up...set it all the way to the TE.

the "overpowered feels right" tells me MORE wind is needed to run the kite so it may be stalling in lighter air. in this case shortening the rear will make it worse! just trim it in and see if you can find the point where the unit flows and speeds up a little. some pilot feel is in there so small changes with trim in is a good starting point. sounds as though the front lines may have stretched a bit.

Thanks for the advice so far, I'm starting to wrap my head around the issue now.

I use a sabre 2 and a Speed w/ the "1.5" upgrade

Phree- I wouldn't exactly say the kite is stalling. I'll use the sabre in anything above 11mph, and usually at that point it's pretty aggressive(depending on trim, bridle.. yadayada), it's turning is a little squirrelly though, I can't send it hard or as confidently because the response isn't quick enough. If I'm not REALLY tough with it, it'll put me into a bad place in the window, then launch off unexpectedly because I wasn't planning on being there. It's really annoying because I don't want to have to make HUGE gestures, I want precision.

If anything, from your recommendations I'd say there is too much slack on the leading lines(something I've noticed, but wasn't sure how to make the adjustments), and that the rear lines are a little too short.

Does this sound like something that could produce this kind of effect?
The sabre is a great kite, I don't think the kite profile/bridle is causing the problem; I think the lines are a little aged w/ some pilot error. I could use more throw on the bar, but maybe I'll switch out with my FS and see how it acts.

If someone gets the chance could they take pictures of their setup with pigtails? I'm kinda shady on how the whole thing would go down and it would help me like 10000x yes.

I do play with the trim alot, so I doubt thats the problem. Usually I'm fully powered unless it's REALLY gusty/playing unhooked.

17m speed1.5 this unit is just slow and you got to be about 2-3 sec ahead where you want unless its like 15-20mph then is solid and all business. this rig likes movement the dynamic kind. static its kind luff fall and pick back up as it turns ("falls" to speed is more like it)

i have actually flown that unit i believe. its a park and ride unit ...once it gets going that when it shines and the juice is right at the bar.

is this the unit in question...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM89CTqyTCs&feature=relat...

actually I'm talking about the sabre.
I've accepted that the speed is a broadsword, not a katana

I can pretty clearly tell what I can accept out of each kite, but from what I can gather the performance of the sabre is off ATM.

I think that is the SA speed 1. Mine is


I can tell the speed is going to need tuning once I get dynamic; but I'm not going to play with it until I can snowkite, and can adequately assess what needs adjustment.

It's really just a sluggish kite to train my reflexes/ground-handling for glider. This spring I'm prob gonna buy a high performance 12 or 14m to start a more modern quiver.

Right now I'm just working on a couple things with the Sabre as it's currently my goto kite. I gather being able to tune on the fly will only make me a better pilot, which is ultimately the goal.

a modern quiver will progress you faster for sure, but old is the way to go until you KNOW