If you think they are looking a little tired, might be a good time to replace before summer kicks in. I found out the hard way during this morning's session.
Funny, cause just 2 weeks ago I was thinking "Hmmmm maybe I should get a new set"

Lucky I wasn't out with a pod of Orca this time, not that I think they'd eat me, but I still be s h i tting bricks

Enjoyed a good few hundred meters of swimming

Wife even let me go back for round 2 after lunch, what a champ

Good heads up I'd say. I agree especially as for me and probably others lines (bridal lines on pulley kites especially when I still used them, as pulleys chew them away) tend to break when you are up in the air, or when massively powered in general, or worse when launching or landing as risk of injury is higher while on the beach. Both of which is not a situation in which you want a line to snap.

Yes always a good idea to keep an eye on the twist point if you do a lot of loops or rotations..

I swap the lines around from bar side to kite side to get a bit more use then bin them..

Yeah good advice. Also check main lines especially the uncovered ones, flag out lines, chicken loops and any part of your gear that wears, especially if you don't kite during winter.
We have seen some shockers in the shop lately, but thats ok at least they came in and had the good sense to get things fixed.

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KPSS Used said..
Yeah good advice. Also check main lines especially the uncovered ones, flag out lines, chicken loops and any part of your gear that wears, especially if you don't kite during winter.
We have seen some shockers in the shop lately, but thats ok at least they came in and had the good sense to get things fixed.

Oh yeah, wax your centre rope too before it frays and you don't get round to replacing it because theres sea breezes every day

I run 2 bars. A ****ty old one for close in, not too windy or risky stuff. Then a good bar and lines that has the latest gear. That only gets pulled out for the risky, high wind stuff

Does anyone know a good supplier of custom replacement lines? I know there's been threads about this in the past - it would be great to order a set of preferably ozone-type front and back lines of custom length, mix and match bars/chicken loops/saftey/split hardware, etc., I have sitting around, but have always found it vastly more expensive than have a rummage at my local kite shop or buying an older new or barely used full set of bar/lines...

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CapNRonK said..
Does anyone know a good supplier of custom replacement lines? I know there's been threads about this in the past - it would be great to order a set of preferably ozone-type front and back lines of custom length, mix and match bars/chicken loops/saftey/split hardware, etc., I have sitting around, but have always found it vastly more expensive than have a rummage at my local kite shop or buying an older new or barely used full set of bar/lines...

In Aus:
kiteboardinglines.com/

From Europe:
drtuba.eu
linestofly.com/en/home/

lads, thanks so much for this thread . i found two surprising knots in my lines. i am not big into rotations (yet) so was very surprised to find them at all. found out they weaken lines by up to 50%. spent about 10min each one, trying to work the knots out using the soak and gentle pliers method. then checked other bar which was ok. thanks again guys.was better to look at home with time and equipment, than at beach when wind is cranking and no equipment.

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KiteAddicted said..
lads, thanks so much for this thread . i found two surprising knots in my lines. i am not big into rotations (yet) so was very surprised to find them at all. found out they weaken lines by up to 50%. spent about 10min each one, trying to work the knots out using the soak and gentle pliers method. then checked other bar which was ok. thanks again guys.was better to look at home with time and equipment, than at beach when wind is cranking and no equipment.

I find chewing on them lightly works better than hard pliers etc.

Don't put knots on the concrete and hit them with a 4lb hammer to get them undone either. Don't do that.

i wasnt sure about chewing....so was as light as possible witht the pliers....noted about hammer and concrete....thanks for tips

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CapNRonK said..
Does anyone know a good supplier of custom replacement lines?

Seller name: "Bozracing" on eBay (I bought 2x15 m spliced "Black Dyneema? SK78 Fiber Synthetic Fishing Winch Marine rope 480kg" for AUD 35 (?) to replace Ozone central lines)

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Beelzebub said..

CapNRonK said..
Does anyone know a good supplier of custom replacement lines?

Seller name: "Bozracing" on eBay (I bought 2x15 m spliced "Black Dyneema? SK78 Fiber Synthetic Fishing Winch Marine rope 480kg" for AUD 35 (?) to replace Ozone central lines)

Couldn't pay me to use that rope for kite lines. Here is the description from the "Bozracing" ebay add "2.2mm X 10m Black Dyneema? SK78 Fiber Synthetic Fishing Winch Marine rope 480kg"

Best lines on the market currently is SK99 Liros lines. Just 1.6 mm sk99 lines have a Breaking load of 591 Kg, compared to 480 Kg for the 2.2 mm thick fishing lines. Thinner lines are well worth it.

Been successful getting knots out by CAREFULLY pushing a SLIM needle through the knot and then levering it gently to break the knot apart...you have to be a bit careful and push the needle through what you think is the place where the two pieces of line are adjacent (make sense)...not push it simply thorough a line and lever it......if you look at the knot carefully and insert the needle alongside one piece of the line where it , in effect, butts up against the returning piece that makes up the knot.....(need a diagram here)...lubricate with water/saliva and be gentle.....works for me, keep a needle in the car!

This diagram may help....its a figure eight knot...and any knot I've ever had is not this complicated...usually a simple loop....but if u insert needle as per the black line between the adjacent bits you should be able to open it up...be patient Grasshopper

Brinm I get the idea but if the knots are anything like the ones I had the are like little pebbles.there just ain't no gap!

yep, mine looked pretty impossible too at first look.....but try to c a r e f u l l y push a narrow needle through and see how it goes, be patient and careful

a needle will go through the bundle with minimal damage I found,,,,the knots i took out were ones found unexpectedly in a line (how do they get there?)... so they were pretty tight

in my experience (from a background as a textile technology consultant) its a lot more likely to succeed and not cause as much damage than banging fibre bundles with a hammer or chewing (as others have suggested....)

it won't work for everything I suppose, but in my two (only two so far) cases, its worked with no damage.....

ok cant argue with professional qualifications i will give it a shot next time. thanks for the tip.

Hey, I'm not a knot expert........the needle has worked for me that's all....

I have managed to get a couple of nuggety tight little knots out by spitting on and then tapping it with an empty beer bottle. As long as its on a smooth piece of tile or even another beer bottle you should be right. Just keep tap a tap a tappin' and rotating that knot around and it will eventually free up.

So go get a 6 pack and get to work

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brinm said..
yep, mine looked pretty impossible too at first look.....but try to c a r e f u l l y push a narrow needle through and see how it goes, be patient and careful

a needle will go through the bundle with minimal damage I found,,,,the knots i took out were ones found unexpectedly in a line (how do they get there?)... so they were pretty tight

in my experience (from a background as a textile technology consultant) its a lot more likely to succeed and not cause as much damage than banging fibre bundles with a hammer or chewing (as others have suggested....)

it won't work for everything I suppose, but in my two (only two so far) cases, its worked with no damage.....

My secret to avoiding knots is by practicing the following,

Disconnect the left steering line and center line from the kite and reattach them to each other. Do so with the right side too and then proceed with roll up your lines in a figure 8 around the bar.

I do this religiously as I have found this reduces my set up time significantly when planning to go out. When setting up my kite, I pump the kite up, then run my lines after packing out the bar. I will always have the steering and center lines attached, and have them sitting above my knee once I have walked my lines out from the bar. I disconnect the left steering and center lines and reattach them to the kite and then do the same with the right side - This aids with preventing lines crossing and I only ever have to run my lines once from the time I have packed them out.

This also helps when setting up in high winds as loose steering and center lines tend to whirl around each other when flapping in the wind which creates unnecessary frustration when you just want to get off the beach and kite.

Thanks will have to try that one.

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KiteAddicted said..
lads, thanks so much for this thread . i found two surprising knots in my lines. i am not big into rotations (yet) so was very surprised to find them at all. found out they weaken lines by up to 50%. spent about 10min each one, trying to work the knots out using the soak and gentle pliers method. then checked other bar which was ok. thanks again guys.was better to look at home with time and equipment, than at beach when wind is cranking and no equipment.

Has anyone had any personal experiences where the line had broken at the knot due to the 50% strength reduction. Or are there other people that have flown kites with line knots for years and nothings ever broke.
I have a knot and just wondering should i put in the effort to remove it.

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KiteAddicted said..
lads, thanks so much for this thread . i found two surprising knots in my lines. i am not big into rotations (yet) so was very surprised to find them at all. found out they weaken lines by up to 50%. spent about 10min each one, trying to work the knots out using the soak and gentle pliers method. then checked other bar which was ok. thanks again guys.was better to look at home with time and equipment, than at beach when wind is cranking and no equipment.

Has anyone had any personal experiences where the line had broken at the knot due to the 50% strength reduction. Or are there other people that have flown kites with line knots for years and nothings ever broke.
I have a knot and just wondering should i put in the effort to remove it.

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dkeating said..

KiteAddicted said..
lads, thanks so much for this thread . i found two surprising knots in my lines. i am not big into rotations (yet) so was very surprised to find them at all. found out they weaken lines by up to 50%. spent about 10min each one, trying to work the knots out using the soak and gentle pliers method. then checked other bar which was ok. thanks again guys.was better to look at home with time and equipment, than at beach when wind is cranking and no equipment.

Has anyone had any personal experiences where the line had broken at the knot due to the 50% strength reduction. Or are there other people that have flown kites with line knots for years and nothings ever broke.
I have a knot and just wondering should i put in the effort to remove it.

I make sure I always get any knots out, so I have never had one break in that exact spot. But what I do know is that broken lines are dangerous and usually happen at the worst possible time, so you probably want to do everything in your power to reduce the chances of it happening.

Is there any way to prolong the life of slightly worn lines? I have wear appearing exactly where the front lines twist after rotations but the bar isn't even a season old yet.

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dkeating said..

KiteAddicted said..
lads, thanks so much for this thread . i found two surprising knots in my lines. i am not big into rotations (yet) so was very surprised to find them at all. found out they weaken lines by up to 50%. spent about 10min each one, trying to work the knots out using the soak and gentle pliers method. then checked other bar which was ok. thanks again guys.was better to look at home with time and equipment, than at beach when wind is cranking and no equipment.

Has anyone had any personal experiences where the line had broken at the knot due to the 50% strength reduction. Or are there other people that have flown kites with line knots for years and nothings ever broke.
I have a knot and just wondering should i put in the effort to remove it.

This is a useful explanation

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sassyk said..
Is there any way to prolong the life of slightly worn lines? I have wear appearing exactly where the front lines twist after rotations but the bar isn't even a season old yet.

you can wax them by rubbing a candle on them