Hey Scottiesurf,

Messing around with line length is something that very few people seem to do. For the few that do experiment, there can be a treasure trove of goodness to be found within the same kite you have been playing with for ages.

Longer Lines
Lengthening your lines extends the bottom end wind range of your kite by a couple of knots and is effective up to about 35 m lines (add 10's to your 25's). This will be about the maximum useable length before steering becomes too spongey and drag starts to hold the kite so far downwind that upwind riding becomes difficult on anything but raceboards. Lengthening lines extends the size of your wind window giving you longer power strokes both up and mostly down keeping your kite in the power zone longer. Drag from wind over the lines also holds the kite back deeper in the wind window to give the feel of more power although at a loss of upwind ability.

Shorter lines

Lines can be used down to about a minimum usable length of around 18m. Shorter is still possible but the kites become difficult to fly and their wind range goes up dramatically as does the loss of their low end power. Shorter lines than standard work in the exact opposite to long lines. Because your wind window is smaller the kite has a much smaller power zone within the wind window. This can be helpful in over powered conditions. The reduction in drag created by wind across the shorter lines results in the kite sitting much further up into the wind or more into the neutral zone giving much increased top end wind range. It also makes the time it takes for the kite to go from one side of the wind window to the other to be less. Steering becomes more responsive as there is no droop in lines.

Keep in mind that shorter lines and small wind window can become unusable as the kite is same saize and it's turning radius is same size as normal. On 5 m lines it is impossible to dive the kite into the power as it hits the ground before the kite can make the turn.

Short lines are fun for a more extreme kite loop in over powered conditions (watch the Core kite riders loop on short lines to see what I mean in their promo vids on you tube).

Best bet is to get yourself a set of 5m extensions and start with a 20m line set. Heaps of fun!

DM

Ok cool that's given me a better picture of things

So might pay to have a shorter line setup for those windy days where my 10m is near the end of it's wind window !

Thanks