5th line kitemare

[windhorny]

This isnt a 5th line related question but whats the general concensus on 23m lines-shorter lines? I am used to what shorter lines did to my Blade days. It allowed for more response which in turn led to much more air because air was equivalent to how FAST you could get the kite traveling the other direction. In general you don't get more or less power from different lengths, right? It is just the duration? i would assume less drag and more response. But LEI kites are a little different? Input?

I know one thing: wearing a wetsuit under work clothes+one pump+pre-rigged lines+prolimit seatbelt style harness+short lines equals get me on the water faster! So I may not be "better" but i will get out past the mine field of beginners faster!

[lmontejo]

Where is Charlie in all this discussion??? I haven't seen him in a while.

Did he succumb to a spell-checker and a windsurfer?

[windhorny]

Last i heard he did a kiteloop and hurt his knee. And he wrote in all lower case letters, which had me worried. And Leo! you gotta try the new Xbow 2. Crazy on the low end. Even more stable and less bar pressure. Some good mods over the first. But it is designed to power up in a turn, which is good for everything but us kiters that like our geriatric kiteloops to be over with quickly and painlessly!

[Bulldog]

According to Charlies' blog, he kited both Sunday and Monday, so his knee must not be hurting too much. :|

Plus, he was back to his (ab)normal (mis)uSe oF CApiTals.

P.S. -- I hear they're working on a kite that generates no power at all, you need to be towed behind a boat while riding it. They're gonna call it the Way-Kite. Like a parasail, but you get to stay on the water. They're going to market it to Wakeboarders who want more airtime but still love their boats.

[windhorny]

According to Charlies' blog, he kited both Sunday and Monday, so his knee must not be hurting too much. :|

Plus, he was back to his (ab)normal (mis)uSe oF CApiTals.

P.S. -- I hear they're working on a kite that generates no power at all, you need to be towed behind a boat while riding it. They're gonna call it the Way-Kite. Like a parasail, but you get to stay on the water. They're going to market it to Wakeboarders who want more airtime but still love their boats.

that actually sounds pretty fun! i always wanted to run down a hill with a small paraglider and just hover above the ground.

[lmontejo]

Yuri,

The more you learn about flying, the more you want to stay away from the ground. As W.C. Fields once said while falling from a great height, "it's the last foot that's dangerous - my little Chickadee..."

Where can I try to XBow2? KWS doesn¥t have it yet. I¥ll be really trounced if I like it. No fifth line, one pump, beginners can fly it, less bar pressure, powers up on turns - who knows, the may sell a few at Sherman and Tarifa. :-)

[windhorny]

Yes altitude is your friend but flying close to the ground is dangerous and therefore fun! Steve Gun(cab. rep.) had them at Alameda the otherday. Everyone thought I was on a 14 contra because i was jumping the equivalent, and throwing huge amounts of spray.

[gideonlow]

This isnt a 5th line related question but whats the general concensus on 23m lines-shorter lines? I am used to what shorter lines did to my Blade days. It allowed for more response which in turn led to much more air because air was equivalent to how FAST you could get the kite traveling the other direction. In general you don't get more or less power from different lengths, right? It is just the duration? i would assume less drag and more response. But LEI kites are a little different? Input?

For the most part the effect of longer lines is the duration of fast flying between kite turns. However, I think my larger kite, at least, can achieve a slightly faster maximum given the extra space. BTW, longer lines and thus power duration will definitely give you bigger jumps--especially on kites that fly fast fully depowered (like my PL Venoms!) as you can keep the kite from ripping you off the water too early.

Having said all that, I much prefer 23M or shorter lines!

Cheers,

Gideon

[airess]

what is a fifth line?

S.I. Rider.. First there was the 2 line kite. It had 2 lines. It was ok, but a bit scary. Then came the 4 line kite. It had 4 lines. It was better in almost every aspect. Then Nigel (of "This is Spinal Tap" fame) took a page out of his own book, and concluded that if replacing the dial on his amp from one that went from 1 to 10 with one that went from 1 to 11 made his amp louder, then adding a 5th line to a 4 line kite would make it jump higher, have more range, turn faster, loop better, and relaunch easier. And thus, the 5th line kite was born.

is that like " 7 minute abs"?

[dewey]

is that like " 7 minute abs"?

It's all good until someone comes out with a 6 minute abs.

Wait is that why were down to 4 lines again. You can't even get your heart rate up in 6 minutes.

Some are down to 3 lines.

What's next 2 lines?

Maybe some genius will do in Franklin style, and design a 1 liner.

It's eveloution baby everyone is doing it!!!