Greatings to all. Being a newbie to kiting,I find the discussions in this forum very helpful and easily understood. I hear the term depower used in relation to a type of kite. Am I wrong in thinking that all quad line kites are depowerable? or is 'depowerable' describing a particular kite ? I fly a powerforce velocity 4.1, and when things get a bit hectic I can depower it with a handfull of brake line. Isn't that depowering ?
Thanks in advance
Mongo

Nope, you're running a fixed power kite with the brake lines acting like a safety, true you can sort of kill off some of the power, but it's not what they're reffering to when they say "Depower"

A true depowerable kite will change the angle of attack which will affect how much power it generates, you'll be able to control the amount of power you get from the sail without having to use a brake of any sort.

A rough example of how they work is if you imagine the front lines being fixed to a harness, they act as a pivot point for the kite to change angles in the wind, if you pull in on the rear lines you'll change the angle of the kite to make more power, let the rear of the kite out and the kite will spill off the extra wind and thus the extra power. Turning on most if not all depowerable kites is on the rear lines, you'll also need a bar to properly fly a depowerable kite.

It can be confusing at first. I have a diagram here....

http://www.coastalwindsports.com/servlet/the-De-dsh-power-Ki...

Some examples of de-power foils: HQ Apex and Montana 2, Flexifoil Sabre II,
Just about all inflatable water or land/snow kites.

Quote:

? I fly a powerforce velocity 4.1, and when things get a bit hectic I can depower it with a handfull of brake line. Isn't that depowering ? Thanks in advance Mongo

DUDE !!!! DON"T GRAB A HANDFULL OF BRAKE LINE !!!!!!!

If you are flying a 4 line with handles and have your brakes set up right you should be able to pull the bottom of the handles completely in and have the kite lose most of it's air + back down out of the sky. For OH S*^& moments you should have " kite killers " grab your brake lines for you as you let go of the handles. You should fly in a place with enough open space downwind that you can just let go of the kite and chase it at all times.

NEVER allow any lines to potentially get wrapped around any part of your body. See the previous thread that saw a fellows brake liens snap they saw so much force. ( it's happened to me with a 3 line )

CRIPES ! I'm sorry if that comes off harsh. It's good advice that could have been said better. Just turned 48 and I think I became an old man over night !

Ahh, but Ken, you're young at heart. Good advice as well.

A kite line wrapped around your finger can easily do some serious damage.

Sailing gloves are great. Leather palms and fingers. Finger tips are open for handling little thinks lik knots. Some use weight lifting gloves but they leave more finger exposed. I've been cut too many times without them.

Thanks for the explanation Pablo, along with the diagram, Angus. Made it all clear. Didn't mean to misslead anyone with the 'handfull of brake' quote, Here in the U.K. (well Liverpool anyway) a big hanfull means 'A gentle controlled pull on the brake line handles, Ha!
Anyway, your coments made me think about the damage a line around your finger could do. Thanks for the advice, all.
Regards
Mongo