Line length question/observation

[BigSky]

Okay, I tried something new this weekend that felt incredibly different in a positive way so I'm throwing myself to the collective to see if it makes sense or if I just happened to have everything dialed perfectly. I fly BRM Clouds and mostly ride a twin tip (gasp). I started with Greg's bar which is a 20m line. I then built my own bars which had 22m and 24m lines. I noticed a very slight difference. This weekend I flew the Clouds under 32m lines and I loved it. I used a much smaller kite and there just seemed to be more grunt from the kite, better jumping (my jumps are not spectacular) and an overall better experience. The kite was slower but didn't bother me because of the overall experience. Does this jive with you experience with longer lines? I felt like I could travel with 2 bars (32m and 22m) and fewer kites and even boards it was so different, but perhaps I'm nuts. Love to hear your DIRECT experience on the matter so others might benefit. Cheers. BS.

[Matteo V]

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[Matteo V]

Okay, I tried something new this weekend that felt incredibly different in a positive way so I'm throwing myself to the collective to see if it makes sense or if I just happened to have everything dialed perfectly. I fly BRM Clouds and mostly ride a twin tip (gasp). I started with Greg's bar which is a 20m line. I then built my own bars which had 22m and 24m lines. I noticed a very slight difference. This weekend I flew the Clouds under 32m lines and I loved it. I used a much smaller kite and there just seemed to be more grunt from the kite, better jumping (my jumps are not spectacular) and an overall better experience. The kite was slower but didn't bother me because of the overall experience. Does this jive with you experience with longer lines? I felt like I could travel with 2 bars (32m and 22m) and fewer kites and even boards it was so different, but perhaps I'm nuts. Love to hear your DIRECT experience on the matter so others might benefit. Cheers. BS.

Longer lines increase the size of the wind-window.

The kite is not slower - it is moving at nearly the exact same speed over a longer distance.
The kite is not more powerful - it has the same power but has more distance to travel in the back of the wind-window, thus it pulls the same for a longer period of time in each portion of the wind window.

Given that the kite speed is the same, you may feel an actual power increase because the kite has so far to travel to move up to a lower power portion of the wind window. Think about gusty conditions where your kite suddenly races up to the edge of the wind window. On short lines, the kite races up and depowers itself via placement in the wind window. But with long lines, the kite cannot race up to the edge of the wind window since it has so much further to travel on the larger wind window.

I have personally experimented with 17-45meter lines.

[grigorib]

Peter Lynn ARC claims that every 3m of lines equal to 1 sq.m. "increase" in kite size.
From personal experience it is not that exact but there are significant effects of longer lines:
- longer lines allow you to get a longer stroke therefore more pull especially at initial dive. That in lowend conditions allows you to get going and gliding while others might need to steer and work the kite
- you get a chance to utilize wind gradient which is not omnipresent but worth trying
- you might get kite above turbulence and wind shadow from houses and trees

That being said the longer lines screw up timing for jumps but it's pretty good for lightwind
My longest set is 37m, the regular long 30m, the regular is 22-24m. Highly recommend

[ShaveTheWhales]

For your 32m line set - youd be better off buying the thinner race lines - drag is minimised especially when its very light winds. Your timing lag will be reduced slightly as there is less bow in the line to take up first.

[Guttorm]

If you are + 100kg most of the kites will feel better on longer lines. I like my 9 & 12 best on 27m lines and 15 & 19 on 32m lines.
Guttorm 108kg

[ciscokitesurfer]

interesting comments. I don't know about the physic about the wind and the lines. When the wind is above 12 knots I use 22 meter lines. When the wind is light and the same kite and bar doesn't pull anymore I add 7 meter extension then it gets me going. Also with 15 meter lines the advantage you can move the kite faster left to right. I used the 15 meter when the wind is strong and riding on chop conditions to change directions very fast. My preference is 22 meter lines for all conditions. I most use the kite to ride ocean or bay waves. And when is flat to carve turns and small jumps. cheers

[stenner]

Okay, I tried something new this weekend that felt incredibly different in a positive way so I'm throwing myself to the collective to see if it makes sense or if I just happened to have everything dialed perfectly. I fly BRM Clouds and mostly ride a twin tip (gasp). I started with Greg's bar which is a 20m line. I then built my own bars which had 22m and 24m lines. I noticed a very slight difference. This weekend I flew the Clouds under 32m lines and I loved it. I used a much smaller kite and there just seemed to be more grunt from the kite, better jumping (my jumps are not spectacular) and an overall better experience. The kite was slower but didn't bother me because of the overall experience. Does this jive with you experience with longer lines? I felt like I could travel with 2 bars (32m and 22m) and fewer kites and even boards it was so different, but perhaps I'm nuts. Love to hear your DIRECT experience on the matter so others might benefit. Cheers. BS.

OMG, a Cloud and a twin tip! I think lots of us would like to hear more!

[knot_moving]

In light winds there will often be a noticeable increase in wind speed at 50ft above the water compared to 25 ft above the water - so longer lines and flying the kite higher will generate more power.
This effect rapidly goes away above 10 kts

[Matteo V]

Peter Lynn ARC claims that every 3m of lines equal to 1 sq.m. "increase" in kite size.

Only when working the kite in the wind window. If you are not turning the kite, the only increase in power is as another poster suggested - the height at which you are flying the kite. In my neck of the woods, we often have high winds on the surface of the water, and none at the apex of the wind window. This makes jumping hard, and jumping high impossible. It does mean that we have to keep our kites low to beat the windsurfers in a flat out race. Other days, the wind speed will be higher at the apex of the wind window. Then the windsurfers don't stand a chance.

I only use 1 length of line now - 23m. The actual length is not important, but consistency in timing is. With the same line length from 3.5m to 13.5m, I eliminate one variable through the range of windspeeds that I encounter. I also know exactly how far my kite is away from me when I land in a wind shadow. I advocate 1 line length for all sizes. But it is not a safety issue so do what you want.