i just tried a self launch.was told to lay lines out on the bank ,which i did correctly but when i carried bar,lines and kite out into water i went to release kite down wind and found the lines were tangled .yeh it was in a lake where not much entry point but the more i try to undo tangle the harder and tighter it seems to be.so frustrating.
what is the eaziest way to tackle this bird nest.thanks

I rig up my lines downwind. When I walk to the launch position I walk to one side of the lines so the lines are not dragging through or over each other.

I take particular care to ensure the swivel and trimmer and any other front line hardware does not get caught up in the lines. I hold the bar in one hand and hold the lines up with the other.

If you step across the lines (to position the kite), then make sure you step back the same way and make sure the line hardware has not caught on anything.

It might be an idea to go and practice in a nice clean park somewhere so you can get a feel for doing it so you know what to look for and what to avoid.

In climbing there is a thing called "handling the rope". That is where you pile the rope on the ground hand over hand. Each section of rope sits flat on the one below it. As long as you put it down then remove it the exact reverse of how you put it down then the rope does not get tangled. When you pay out the line each section just lifts off the one below. It only gets tangled if you move things sideways or pull a section from the middle.

You do the same thing with lines. You never drag lines through or under other lines.

PS. The only way to untangle lines is one line at a time. You can loosen up a birds nest by teasing out the odd loop but eventually you are going to have to bite the bullet and track each line through individually. It gets much quicker as you release each line from the tangle.

It is important to know the difference between a couple of loops knotted around each other (that can be removed through teasing) and a birds nest that will need to be properly untangled.

Hey loosenuts,

Read this post from a while ago, in this section:

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Newbies-Tips-Tricks/The-few-little-tips-for-Noobs-thread/?SearchTerms=lines

Some good tips re: tangled lines

Cheers
Fossil

KIT33R said...

Not sure the drift launch is such a good idea. It's too easy for things to go wrong, as you found out. Call me cautious, but after 8 years of kiting I would not do this.

I'd second that. If there are any obstacles at all under water - even tiny ones, the lines are very likely to snag and tangle. You are lucky if a tangle is all you have to worry about.

There are a couple of videos on Youtube showing drift launching as if it is simple and straightforward. There are a lot of things that can go wrong.