I recently put my 7m Bullet on a newer bar with all 4 lines in Q-line. I only flew it static the 1st day but noticed how early they sing and how loud. :singing:
Yesterday I was riding it with the blades in VERY low wind. It seemed like at a certain ( low ) speed the kite had to fight like heck to cut the wind and flew slow almost like it was at max speed and I was traveling less than 10mph :puzzled:

I'm convinced that the heavier lines are creating a ton of drag compared to my Flexi lines I had on it. I think I'll start by replacing the break lines with something lighter .

I was shocked at the difference new ( Q ) lines would make. Anyone think I'm off base or have you found this as well ????

I've also found Q line to be over-rated....

Hey Sailors,
Rather than Q-Line being over-rated, I believe it is being mis-used.
Q-lines are mainly used for water kites, where you go out over-powered.

On land, using parafoils and starting under-powered, line drag is a much bigger issue.

It's why we mainly fly 300#/200# spectra.

On the water, Q-Power lines remain my line of choice.

How easy to blame the thing.
It is more instructive to analyze the situation and solve the problem.

Why use a 600# line on land?
So your lines won't break?
Energy can be neither created or destroyed.
Only transfered.
Something in the system must be the weak link.
If the lines are that beefy, it'll probably be you or the kite that breaks first.

I've figured out I want my knots to break first.
Easy to fix and keep flying.
Helps keep me safe.

I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.


Safen Up! Buggy On!

"Often wrong... Never in doubt"

the coreylama

Probably lots of drag on the brake lines, low wind the brakes are probably being applied lightly by the drag alone. I normally fly the Combat lines, rated for something like 300kg on the front and 120 on the rear, or somewhere around that. Never snapped a line yet, even when I wish I had.

Your right on base and on topic with a great topic.

For all of my foil traction kites (which are all land based foils used both on land and on water). I use 300# Q-power line for the mains. Some of my Q-power line sets are going on 9 years old and still going strong. On my 2 blimpie kites I use the stock lines that came with the kites.

For the brake lines I use no more than 150# on the 4.9 meter and below kites for high wind. I use 50-80# brakes for the bigger kites like a Quadrifoil XXXL or my Flexifoil 10.5 meter. I prefer Laser Pro Gold line for all my brake lines.

The larger diameter lines create huge amounts of drag and will kill the performance of a kite quickly. Remember when you double the diameter of a round cross section you quadruple the drag. Basicly use the thinnest lines you can.

I've only ever broken 1 300# Q-powerline and that was in some really strong wind and I probably should not have been out.

Scott

PITY !

I LOVE the way that Q line avoids tangles + can be knotted without sleeving. I also loved the sound they were making. Very loud :singing:
I suppose I'll try lighter brake lines 1st. I expect I'll end up moving the Q line to my 5 line bar for the blimps.

Try some 300# Q-power for your mains and some light weight spectra line for the brakes.
The 300# line sings loud as well!

Scott

And here I thought I was the only one using light lines. All my JOJOs are set up on 300# over 150# and they have held well for the past two years through skiing, landboarding and jumping - no stretch either (well, OK they stretched at first but nothing after the original line equalization process after flying them hard).

I also use laser pro gold (spectra) lines but I come out of a dual line, sport kiting background.

LPG and LPC lines aren't as fancy or colorful as ozone or FF but they sure do the trick. They can tangle / twist worse than the coated lines (when parapacking quick in the snow) but they are much thinner and I actually like the way they feel more (though they do fray and get fuzzy where they cross and wrap during flight).

Thin lines are better than thick lines. Double the diameter quadruple the drag.

Scott