Kite Line Length

[KyrkWright]

While in Hawaii last month I learned that the local guys there are usually flying kites with 20 M lines. I know that my lines are 25M and I believe that 25M is more of a standard length around here. I know that shorter lines equal more responsive handling. I can assume that longer lines may be necessary to get the kite higher in the air for wind that is more stable higher up??

So my question for the group is, why do we ride with longer line lengths here (assuming that we all do)?

Thanks.
Kyrk

[Kenny]

Kyrk,

I have fooled around a lot with line lengths over the years. I have tried lines as short as 10M and as long as 60M and everything in between. When "C" kites were the predominant style of kite, some riders would alter their line lengths to extend the range on their kites. I used to have a bar rigged with 20M lines and another with 25M.

Shorter lines are more responsive, but you do lose some power on the downstroke. I don't like shorter lines on the snow as it makes it more difficult to loop up a hill. You also lose some hang-time on the jumps when using shorter lines. If you are into kite loops, shorter lines make it possible for the rider to loop their kites low.

Longer lines give you more low-end, but longer lines do slow down the reaction time.

Personally, I think around 25M is the sweet spot. It seems to be the right length for most riders.

One thing to keep in mind is that the riding on Maui is very different than Utah. The wind is so much stronger there. Some of the riders there only own 1 kite and only bother to kite when the wind is perfect. A good analogy is East Coast vs. West Coast skiers. We are spoiled in Utah with good snow, so a lot of skiers won't even bother to go unless the conditions are perfect or near perfect. East coast skiers rarely get a decent powder day and deal with ice most of the time, most would not even think of buying fat boards. Utah water kiting is a lot like East coast skiing. We get mostly light, gusty wind. So we fly larger kite/board combos than they do on Maui. In other words, we take what we can get here, so most of us don't mess around with shorter lines or smaller boards because that type of gear is better suited to high wind conditions.

Kenny

[KyrkWright]

Kenny,

Thanks for sharing your experience. Good ski analogy.

Kyrk