Line Management

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Sander
Line Management

Post by Sander » Mon Aug 29, 2005 8:48 pm

Any good pointers for keeping lines twist free? Mine invariably seem to be all twisted when I setup, stealing precious minutes from the session.
BTW, I have a 5th line which is the yellow "Q-line" and I suspect it as being a major culprit.

feixaq
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Post by feixaq » Mon Aug 29, 2005 9:45 pm

I don't have a 5th line system, but on my 4-line setup with kook-proof connectors, I tie the front and back lines on each side together at the endpoints by doing a larks head around the knot. Seems to help a lot in reducing twists. Also, try winding your lines around your bar as much as possible before disconnecting the pigtails from your kite when you're derigging.

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Post by knyfe » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:29 pm

Just never unknot the lines from the kite! I started it this season and it works really well. Just be VERY careful when you bag or unwrap the kite where to place your bar. Thats all. Never had a hassle or a tangle.

Not to mention that I only used one kite size the whole summer season at 3rd. Only my Yarga 13.5. From high to low, everything works with this kite. And with my new big plywood wonder board I was even going upwind at the weekend at the 10 knots at alameda.

So just dont swtch kites and never unknot your lines. K

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elli
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Post by elli » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:14 pm

Ditto on keeping the lines connected. Funny that I told that to a guy in Alameda and he looked at me with glazed eyes. Yes, you can do that.

The Q line is probably not the culprit, it is very stiff and generally tangles less. If you have a lot of crap hanging from the bar, like on Flysurfer bars, and you think this is the cause, hang all the bar stuff (leash, chicken loop, trim) on one side, and roll the lines on the other side. This largely depends on the shape of the bar tips, some will hold the lines well on the pilot side and some must be rolled on the kite side.

Another thing you can do is to wrap the lines on the bar a couple of times before you wind, and when you are done, do the same again. If you twist the loop before you tighten it, it is like an overhand knot on the bar and will keep the lines in place and tight, as well as prevent slippage from the bar. Hard to explain without a picture. Maybe someone here can help.

If your lines are twisted around themselves, they will tend to wrap around each other and cause more problems. If you suspect that, open them and remove twists from each line individually. Very unusual but happened to me once on my first power kite.

And last, winding the line in 8 figure creates less twists in the lines when they are one the bar. Spectra can create creep when it dries, and following the same logic may create a fixed twist when it dries.

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elli
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Post by elli » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:17 pm

Not to hijack, but how does your board work Knife? What shape did you build? I built one and it is pretty heavy and very stiff, much stiffer than the Glide. Do you have fins?

I will give it a shot in Alameda sometime this week, if there will be enough wind.

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kitechick
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Post by kitechick » Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:08 am

And...very trivial but quite helpful:

You need to hold the bar exactly the same way when you unwind the lines as you did when you wound them up. Don't twist it during the process or change the bars orientation (I always hold the red side up and have the lines slide off).

I have 5 lines too (yeah....one too many). The fastest way is to run the lines twice. 1. With the center lines plus 5th between your legs and backlines in your hands (Connect backlines,). And 2nd separate the center lines and 5th and connect them then. Rig downwind so you can easily check whether they are clear .

If you hold the bar exactly the same way unwinding as you did winding up then you can even run through the lines instead of walking. No twists. That gives you time to launch a buddy instead of dealing with knots ;-)

Also newer lines stay separate easier than old lines which get soft. Q lines generally tangle less and untangle easier.

- Sylvia

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kitebored
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Post by kitebored » Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:43 am

when you're done kiting, as you wind your lines up, run them through the gaps in your fingers as you're putting them on the bar.

It amazes my why everybody doesn't do this. An extra 30 seconds to do this at the end of a session saves you 10 minutes at the beginning of the next one.

I have five lines, so the fifth just goes in the same finger gap as one of the frontlines.

Hope this works for someone..

B.

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Post by charlie » Tue Sep 06, 2005 11:37 am

not to piss allover but...
10 min does not a sesion make.(if 10 min makes a differnce then iam not going! )
and take your time running your lines.
i like to doit the way kitechick says.
red side up, dont move the bar around when wrapping up or unwrapping.
charlie

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sflinux
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Post by sflinux » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:51 am

Depending on how tidy the end of your lines are during storage, I find it helpful to unwind a few feet and then make sure the ends of the lines are untangled. Otherwise walking the lines with these tangles only seems exacerbate the situation. Then I unwind the rest and agree with what everyone else has said.
-bric

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