While buggying today i had one of the power lines get tangled on the front wheel. It got quite frayed at about 12" from the sleeve. After about another 15 min of riding it snapped off. In order to continue riding I used a blood knot and moved the other line up by about two inches and was able to continue flying for the rest of the day.
What do you suggest for a fix short of changing the whole line set. What kind of a knot would work out best? Or should I try to resleeve the line at the end. If yes, how do you do that?
Thanks

Resleeve at the spot where the line broke and cut all other lines to the new length or leave the others the original length and add a longer leader to the broken line to compensate. DO NOT tie the broken line back together.

Why not ?. Years ago end loops were tied instead of stitched with no ill effects. Of more than a dozen of my line sets all (except one) have knots. This is due to my use of extra long lines as well as experiments with Nasas.

A blood knot is more a bend than a traditional knot. It has been well documented that knots weaken line strength significantly which is why most prefer sleeves when knotting or bends and braids to avoid knots all together.

This thread relates to accidental knots in the line (not rejoins) but the point is mostly the same. http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2373463&...

Of course, knots weaken the line. The question is whether you need almost half a ton (2x220kg) of force to pull you along. I don't. So even if the strength is reduced to a half, it is still several times my body weight. In my only set without knots, for Dutch Flying Objects Nasa, I didn't have a spare set so I used brake lines for my power lines (and something like #150 fishing line for brakes and depower). No problems at all - hardly surprising since 2X150 kg is again a few times my body weight.

I like B roc's idea of resleeving the line where the break is and using a shorter section/line extension (sleeved and larS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s headed to the end where it was broken) to get it back to original length. As Prussik points out, if there's still enough breaking strain left in the line with a knot in it, that will work. But personally, I hate the idea of knots in lines and would avoid at all costs.

Yeh it ends up wrecking something when the lines are knotted.

Video is the result of a broken power line, which then puts all the load onto the back brake line and pulled all 7 brake tabs out of the trailing edge of a 5.4 Peter Lynn Vapor.

I have now had several knots break right on the knot in the sleeving and resulted in damage to the brake tabs on the kites. I stitch all my sleeving now.

Hot wiring puts MUCH more load onto your lines without the shock absorbing effect of a harness (which doesn't help either).

As you will see it wasn't under too much load and they are 250kg power lines. The "figure of eight" knots over sleeving just cant take it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl-xiD5MK2g

Thank you guys. I will resleeve the line and cut the other 3 to equal length. Where do you guys get sleeving material?

Quote: Originally posted by Glx

Thank you guys. I will resleeve the line and cut the other 3 to equal length. Where do you guys get sleeving material?

That is more work and equalizing 4 lines is a bit trickier than it would seem when resleeving especially when the lines are different strength (front/rear, brake/power). I might advise you to resleeve the broken and just use a longer pigtail/extension on that line to make it equal to the other 3. You can get sleeving at kite shops, use hollow core shoe-laces cut to length or hollow braid fiber from boating shops.

Quote:

and pulled all 7 brake tabs out of the trailing edge of a 5.4 Peter Lynn Vapor.

Didn't you do exactly the same thing upon launch on the claypan at Kingston? I seem to remember it was really windy though :D

Quote: Originally posted by John Holgate

Quote: and pulled all 7 brake tabs out of the trailing edge of a 5.4 Peter Lynn Vapor. Didn't you do exactly the same thing upon launch on the claypan at Kingston? I seem to remember it was really windy though :D

Yes John. I'd forgotten about the 2.7 Vapor That I blew to bits when the power line broke at the knot that day. Same repair to the kite was needed.
Had to upsize to 3.2 Vapor after having that disaster. Still couldn't catch Rob Lukin.