im also interested to know how this works. was flying a slingshot link (4 line setup) at mellvile recently, and a friendly bloke told me the back lines were a bit slack. does this make the kite a bit sluggish, and can it be fixed by attatching the lines to the bridle on a higher or lower knot?

things never cease to amaze me.

link/TD if you read your manual it will tell you that when you pull the bar all the way in the lines should be of equal length. (i think TD you have to pull 1cm of depower on = 0.5cm at the end of lines diff)

assuming that is correct, AND you attach your kite to say the middle knots on your pig tails (all this more power / less power on the knots is crap anyway) and you pull the bar all the way in the kite will power up nicely and in less wind will stall and fall backwards.

If when setup this way your back lines are slack and you can't turn the kite, you have the bar too far out! simple as that.. if you find that in a comfy riding stance your lines are slack it may be that your arms are too long and your lines are slack coz you ride with the bar out, now shorten your back lines using the knots so its in a good place for you to ride, if your arms are very short and you oversheet all the time being comfy the make em longer.

trade off is about an inch either side of MAX power that on a link / TD you don't need anyway.

I think if people understood this very basic consept of kite tuning/line lengths the world would be a better place and all world poverty would go away.

On any slingshot kite the lines should be all even lengths, you can change the length by using different knots on the kite to customise where your most comfortable with the bar aqnd power.
Changing attachments won't cahnge the aspect raio of the kite that is set when made as aspect is length to width..
hope this helps

Thanx peanuticus, my questions have been answed.

Check this out.

seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6116

Basically all kites are tuned the same.

when i pull my bar the whole way in my back lines are still a bit too slack. i'll try shortening the back lines and lengthening the front lines (currently using the middle knot for both of them).

so just to make sure i understand, all this does is give a slightly hiher max power, whilst reducing depower?

thanks for your help

haha not quite mate

i have oversheeted my kite so that it forms a kind of 'donut' and had it fall out of the sky. pretty sure it can only happen in lighter winds though?