I recently bought a second hand 8m Airush Lithium which has line segments that allow you to have either 20m, 22m, 23m or 25m line lengths. It currently has 25m set up.

What are the benefits/pitfalls of having long or short lines. What settings should I experiment with? Are long lines better for x style and short for y style?

I also want to take this opportunity to say that I landed my first double kite loops today! Super stoked despite breaking my board and taking an unhealthy dose of seawater up the rectum.

Hi Matty
I used to have 2 bars for my older Cabrinha kites, IMO the 25m lines were better during the lighter winds because the kite travels faster through the window, therefore creating more power (specially when you have to sine the kite) Shorter 20m lines made the kite easier to handle through turns etc in the upper wind range (less speed = less power)

Read somewhere the guys riding in the surf prefer shorter lines for quicker response/turning.

Experiment a little bit.
Cheers

Ps: reckon a saltwater enema would cost a bit (professionally done) but not as much as a new board, you may be ahead though after executing your 1st dbl kite loop, well done!

As above ^^^^^^

Standard line lengths are the best for wind range and boosting etc.

If in the surf take the last 3m section off to make it 21m, kite will be quicker across the window(due to a smaller wind window). Will also make it a bit easier to handle in the stronger winds(slight trade off in light wind sining ability theoretically)

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mattyjee said...

I recently bought a second hand 8m Airush Lithium which has line segments that allow you to have either 20m, 22m, 23m or 25m line lengths. It currently has 25m set up.

What are the benefits/pitfalls of having long or short lines. What settings should I experiment with? Are long lines better for x style and short for y style?

I also want to take this opportunity to say that I landed my first double kite loops today! Super stoked despite breaking my board and taking an unhealthy dose of seawater up the rectum.

LOL there goes your chance of gettin sponsored by Virgin

In higher winds use the 20m lines and it WILL loop faster without line drag, try the 20s then 25s youll see how slow any kite becomes.... and have to adjust your timing with an extra hour delay

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Gateman said...
Hi Matty
I used to have 2 bars for my older Cabrinha kites, IMO the 25m lines were better during the lighter winds because the kite travels faster through the window, therefore creating more power (specially when you have to sine the kite) Shorter 20m lines made the kite easier to handle through turns etc in the upper wind range (less speed = less power)

Read somewhere the guys riding in the surf prefer shorter lines for quicker response/turning.

Experiment a little bit.
Cheers

Ps: reckon a saltwater enema would cost a bit (professionally done) but not as much as a new board, you may be ahead though after executing your 1st dbl kite loop, well done!

On longer lines, the kite doesn't fly faster through the window, it just has further to fly (longer radius of arc). So the power stroke lasts for longer. However, you sacrifice some control response. (kite takes longer to respond to bar input). The kite can also sit a bit deeper in the wind window so the upper wind range can be lost.

The general rule is longer lines = freestyle, short lines for waves.