fingerbone said..
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so when winding the lines up keep the lines separate between the fingers? Is this what you are saying? I would like to know a TIP on winding up the lines as every time I unwind them the ends are in such a mess it takes me 10 mins to straighten them out...
Cheers Billy.
Nope. When winding up, get the lines started around the ends of the bar then put all 4 lines together and hold them pinched between the thumb and forefinger. The act of pinching them will arrange the lines flat and together between your fingers. Keep them pinched as you wind and the lines will align themselves together. Don't stress too much about trying to stop them moving around as long as they pinched mostly flat and fairly taut they will be fine.
The fundamental principle here is that lines that are taut and under tension cannot be tangled. You might get minor line overs but by keeping them aligned and under tension the line overs will easily come apart.
Wind the lines around the bar in a figure-8 pattern. The figure 8 avoids putting twists in the lines. Winding round and round puts in a twist for every turn. It's not a drama if you wind them round and round as long as you unwind them in the exact reverse of how you wound them on. You should stand a little away from your kite when winding so the lines come in straight. You want to avoid pulling loops of lines across each other.
When unwinding drop the line ends on the ground near your kite. It's better if you can tie them onto a foot strap so they're under tension, but it's not really important. Unwind the lines.
When you get to the end drop the bar on the ground. Pick up the lines and hold them in your left hand with the lines pinched between thumb and forefinger to hold them flat and aligned. Straddle the front lines with you feet on either side of the front lines and the back lines running around the outside of your legs (back line - leg - front lines - leg - back line )
With the hand pinching the lines, hold them out in front of you and walk back towards the kite. Tease the outer lines out with your free hand. Just gentle teases. Not big spreading sideways movements. Ripping the lines sideways just tightens up any twists or knots.
If the bunch of lines in front gets a bit tight try teasing out with the other hand. It's a bit like playing a fish, stretch out your hand in front, teas out a bit, walk forward. With a little practice you should be able to do it walking full speed or running.
You will get a bit of residual twisting when you get to the end. Just tease out each line individually and you're finished. I usually tease out the back lines and throw them on the ground to either side, then just drop the front lines in the middle. I connect from left to right.
Another thing to practice is what the climbers call rope management. It's what they do when preparing to belay someone. You put the ends of the lines out of the way then unwind the lines and drop them straight on the ground at your feet. As long as the loops of line land flat on top of each other you can easily wind them back onto the bar with no twists or tangles. If you move the pile of line on the ground and the loops get crossed then you're fu cked and you will end up with a bird's nest. If you can understand how it works then you will never get a serious tangle again.
