My Comments: My 2012 Zepher 27m lines are getting a bit tied.
I have new 25m lines.
Has any one used 25m lines on the Zepher instead of the standard 27m.
Would 2m really make much difference or should I look to purchase some 2m extensions.
Any comments experiences appreciated.
thanks
Dale

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dkeating said..


My Comments: My 2012 Zepher 27m lines are getting a bit tied.
I have new 25m lines.
Has any one used 25m lines on the Zepher instead of the standard 27m.
Would 2m really make much difference or should I look to purchase some 2m extensions.
Any comments experiences appreciated.
thanks
Dale

... in my opinion, yes it will make a difference but it is subtle so if ya not too fussy then don't worry about it. If your a discerning customer then read on with my opinions.

It depends upon how familiar you are with your kite and if you want either better handling or better power/upwind.

Basically what I found from experimenting with different line lengths with the bigger Ozone kites such as a 19m Edge or indeed the 17m Zephyr for example, end result was, the kites prefer 27m lines, which gave you the best balance between handling/turning and power and upwind. In fact the 19m works better with even longer lines, 31m lines,,,,,, buuuuuuuut,,,,,,, so long as the Y point is still at the original 27m from the kite.

With the shorter lines, the Y or rather V, where the front lines split, is closer to the kite so it 'pulls in' the kite. This makes the kite less flat and more C shaped. What this did for me was made the kite turn in a tighter radius but at the expense of static power and to my surprise, the upwind suffered more than I expected.

I grabbed one of those (teehee, game changers (north click bar)), then threw some line extension on to make it either 27m or my preferred 31m then tried the different Y points. The end result for me was, best compromise was 27m Y point with the rest of the 31m below. If I wanted better static power or better upwind then I left it at the lowest point but when the lines matched the factory 27m bar,,,, best results in handling too. At 24m the kite turned quicker but man is sucked upwind,,, well, not sucked but wasn't excellent anymore.

Bugger it, get the extensions and make it 27m and if you have time to muck around and try for yourself,,,, what's the worst that can happen???

Have fun.

Robbie

I have used 25m lines on the zephyr i found them great when the wind was up more responsive and fun but in lighter winds put 2m exrensions on that was a 2014

When wind is at low end of Zephyr I use 27m lines with Zephyr's bar. When wind is at top end of Zephyrs wind range I really prefer shorter bar & lines (25m). It really makes different. Like already mentioned longer lines gives more pull and shorted once give U faster kite. I like shorter bar & lines more.

Zephyr works best on 27-30M lines and 27M is the standard line length they are sold with. I've sometimes used my Zephyrs with 25M lines and the shorter 50cm bar and while its doable, its definitely not as good as the 55cm bar and 27M lines.

Forgot my standard Zephyr bar recently and used a 50cm bar with 25m lines - turned slower, developed less power and
lost some upwind capability. This was on a new V5 and it was quite noticeable. Definitely go with 27m lines or longer (and 55cm bar) to get the best out of your Zephyr!