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Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

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aniva
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Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby aniva » Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:27 pm

Hi,
I am beginner, been practicing drif launch due to most local places do not have enough shore space (tree line etc.). Following many videos on YouTube where rider basically (after walking lines and rigging like for normal assisted launch) then wraps lines, again like normal (using figure 8), grabs kite and bar and then, when on the water, let kite go down wind and proceeds with water relaunch.

For example:





Ok, everything goes normal but cosistently getting front and steering lines tangled. I understand that when I wrap lines, I accidentally make bar spin around centre line and this is what ruins it. Spoke with other kiteboarder and he said that for him it is the same problem and pretty much a gamble to get it right, so he does not do drift launch at all. But I am sure there should be a silver bullet solution to do it right, perhaps wrap lines only when hooked and unwrap too, perhaps always put bar under the kite, perhaps I am making other mistake? Any advice from forum?
Cheers,
Aniva

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby Hugh2 » Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:31 pm

Do you absolutely have to wrap the lines up? We drift launch all the time, even sometimes do it in severe conditions when launching at the beach to avoid a sand launch, but always have just enough space to walk back up to the kite with the bar attached, then lift the kite and drag the lines behind into the water. You have to watch for any tangles and catching on branches and debris if doing it alone (of if not have someone watch your lines for you), and be ready to try again if that happens rather than hope for the best.

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby FLandOBX » Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:59 pm

+1

I agree with Hugh2. You can also put your kite at water's edge (one tip in the water and one tip on the sand), walk upwind without winding lines onto bar, make sure all lines are clear, and then simply pull the kite off the beach into the water. How ever you do it (winding lines on bar or not), you should always hold your bar horizontal in one hand so that it doesn't twist or invert your lines as you walk. If you let the bar dangle from the chicken loop while you walk, you greatly increase the risk of twisted or inverted lines.

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby tmcfarla » Mon Jul 02, 2018 9:25 pm

I never wrap lines. What I do (works very well in any winds, but I don’t use this in larger shore break)

1.) lay out lines, make sure no sticks are caught in lines

2.) double check your lines. Do not skip this step.

3.) In stronger winds, place a couple handfuls of sand over all four lines, maybe ever 5 meters, this prevents lines from blowing into obstacles while there is slack in lines, especially helpful in onshore wind and narrow beaches. Don’t bury them, just a a bit of weight to keep everything tidy.

4.) hook into bar, then walk to kite and grab it. Walk into water as far as is reasonable. Flip kite over on water, into the wind as if you were putting it down on land. All four lines should be directly down wind of you in the water.

5.) scoop some water onto the leading edge so it stays in place while the lines are slack. Failure to do this can lead to kite taking off as soon as you let go of it.

6.) rotate the kite maybe 20 degrees to either side, then let it go and swim directly up wind while the kite drifts down from you. Don’t throw the kite and don’t send it spinning, just rotate it enough so that it will prefer one side or the other when slack is out of lines. In heavy winds (30+ knots), I’ll scoop as much water as I can on the canopy to keep it behaved for the few seconds when lines have slack.

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby K-Roy » Mon Jul 02, 2018 9:44 pm

when I drift launch: on land, I roll up my lines and put the bar over the kite on the LE horizontally.
From here on, the bar and kite only moves together until I walk in to the water.
At this point (when in the water) I hook my leash on the pump leash loop, so I can let go of the kite and start winding down the lines as I walk backwards.
(like this the lines are stretched and less likely to get knots)
Just before you turn the kite back down on it face, make sure none of the lines went "around" the kite as I think that is how the crossing of the lines happen.

ps: as in most cases, every method can and should be customised to fit your location. my home spot is on shore wind with rocks and tree line on water edge, waist deep water for 200m.

hope it helps

cheers

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby ScottKD » Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:27 pm

K-Roy's description is pretty bang on in my experience.

After setting up, when you wrap your lines back onto the bar and go back to your kite, put the bar OVER the kite, not under. Putting it under results in the twist I think you're describing, back lines through front lines.

If you're talking about a full blown tangle when you unwind the bar, I recommend keeping the kite with you in the water, letting the lines drift down wind as you unwind, then set the kite off while walking back. Lines should come right when tension comes on. Water on the canopy helps slow the kite as it drifts downwind, and keep it on the water stopping it from spinning and catching wind too soon too.

Try it in light wind until you're confident, I imagine it can be pretty hairy above 20 knots if it goes wrong.

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby ronnie » Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:01 am

aniva wrote:
Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:27 pm
Hi,
I am beginner, been practicing drif launch due to most local places do not have enough shore space (tree line etc.). Following many videos on YouTube where rider basically (after walking lines and rigging like for normal assisted launch) then wraps lines, again like normal (using figure 8), grabs kite and bar and then, when on the water, let kite go down wind and proceeds with water relaunch. For example: https://youtu.be/VE9eNuESpK4
Ok, everything goes normal but cosistently getting front and steering lines tangled. I understand that when I wrap lines, I accidentally make bar spin around centre line and this is what ruins it. Spoke with other kiteboarder and he said that for him it is the same problem and pretty much a gamble to get it right, so he does not do drift launch at all. But I am sure there should be a silver bullet solution to do it right, perhaps wrap lines only when hooked and unwrap too, perhaps always put bar under the kite, perhaps I am making other mistake? Any advice from forum?
Cheers,
Aniva
In that video, the kite turns while all the lines are slack, so (as he says) all the lines pass under the kite. I used to do drift launches using the Cabrinha IDS system, and when rotating the kite on the water, I had to make sure that the steering line which was furthest away (as I was turning the kite on the water) was slack enough to pass under the kite as I rotated the kite, otherwise the line would be wrapped around the centrelines.

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby irwe » Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:56 am

I drift launch 90% of the time. When I pump up my kite (leading edge facing shore) it is 30 m from the shore line and my bar and lines are set up in front of the kite. Once every thing is set up I hook in and walk towards the kite. Once I am at the kite pick it up at the middle of leading edge. I place the bar under my elbow. I walk back to the shore line with kite. Pick up my board with my free hand and walk/swim out a safe distance from shore. If winds are strong I put water on canopy before I release the kite. Once released I get moving away from the kite to limit the time the lines are slack.

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby Laughingman » Tue Jul 03, 2018 2:08 pm

ScottKD wrote:
Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:27 pm
K-Roy's description is pretty bang on in my experience.

After setting up, when you wrap your lines back onto the bar and go back to your kite, put the bar OVER the kite, not under. Putting it under results in the twist I think you're describing, back lines through front lines.

If you're talking about a full blown tangle when you unwind the bar, I recommend keeping the kite with you in the water, letting the lines drift down wind as you unwind, then set the kite off while walking back. Lines should come right when tension comes on. Water on the canopy helps slow the kite as it drifts downwind, and keep it on the water stopping it from spinning and catching wind too soon too.

Try it in light wind until you're confident, I imagine it can be pretty hairy above 20 knots if it goes wrong.
You can wrap your lines and slide the lines under the kite if you approach from a wing tip. Just lift the kite as you go and the lines will slide easily under the leading edge. Be sure not to pass the bar through the lines or a bridal.
I do this all the time and never invert the lines.

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Re: Drift launch - consistently get steering and front line tangled

Postby aniva » Tue Jul 03, 2018 2:15 pm

Thanks a lot for all the replies, I get this recommendation to NOT wind up the lines, like on this video https://youtu.be/_uPqvz1lFnE but , but no such luxury as a beach here: there are lots of bushes and small trees next to the shore, so this is not and option and lines have to be wrapped.
I also do not get that about lines passed under the kite or not, i.e. of course lines have to be under the kite regardless whether rigging downwind or upwind as kite should not “roll” and neither bar should roll. There is another excellent video (in Russian) about rolling https://youtu.be/yXG4S16Vtfs and he shows what happens using little model of the kite in the second part of the video , so I believe that my problem is related i.e. I am making some movement with bar (at some point) that is opposite of what he does on the video to “unroll” the kite. Problem is that is not clear how to 100% avoid it and comments above are great but no clear solution...


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