In the picture below you have 48m (2x 24m) Lines with a 17m Kite.

Wind was about 5-7 knots using a hydrofoil.

I tried to get going with normal 24m lines on the same kite on the same day, it wasn't possible.

It's been discussed on other threads before, longer lines give you LONGER power delivery during the power strokes, so during the water start, for example, you have the same power as normal lines but for a lot longer, which makes a huge difference in marginal winds, especially for heavier guys like me.

Once you are up and planning and generating apparent wind, line length becomes a lot less important and arguably a downside.

We could also argue that with longer lines you catch stronger winds higher up, but that's debatable.

The longer the lines the less maneuverable your kite will be and the more bending effect you will have in your lines.

Another advantage of longer lines is you have more time to correct mistakes and more room to downloop the kite should the kite stall or when you can't steer it back up cause it's too low at the edge of the window.

I'd say for general 12-15 knots light wind riding on twin tips, 27m lines are great and I wouldn't bother going over 30m.

Now for ultra low wind stuff (sub 10 knots) it's great to go above 30m lines, but by then you have a TON of light wind specific skills and you're most likely using a hydrofoil.

I currently use 35m race lines (thinner) with a 12m Kite for sub 10 knots, works a treat, no need for longer. I can get down to roughly 6-7 knots. Thin lines reduce drag and the bending effect and in my experience are true ''game changer'' in ultra low winds, i.e. you're better off getting thinner lines than lengthening normal lines.


The secret is, experiment with line length and find what works best for you! All kiters should do that really.

Christian

I knew a guy wo did 20 lines
he was high as

Hey guys,
That was me out on the kite with 45m lines. I had an old bar at home so just used the lines off that. Bit of fun and something a little different. I also tried to make a light wind board. Still in the testing phase but coming along. Just some fun on and off the water. Lol

hassle of trying to launch a kite with 75M lines!!

Ha, that's something to ponder!

Hi Guys,

The problem with really long lines is the drag of the lines perpendicular to the wind direction. This does two things. The drag holds your kite back deeper in the wind window which gives you more power as the kite sits at a higher angle of attack at the edge of the window, however, as it sits back deeper in the window, the pull will be more downwind which means you will have to edge harder on the board to counter the more downwind pull, this board pressure creates resistance and to a great extent, mitigates the advantage of the extra power. Kite selection and line selection are pivotal in making this work or not. A big kite like the early model North Juice which pulled pretty hard downwind in the firstplace, just wouldn't work with 40m lines, the downwind pull would be unmanagable.

The second problem in the drag on the rear lines which makes your kite rather unresponsive to turning with great loops of line acting like a shock absorber on your inputs. Thinner rear lines will help but won't eliminate the problem alltogether.

Kites with extreme upwind performance like the Core XR series, Ozone Edge, North Rebel etc will be best for this kind of thing.

DM

I use 34m lines on my 17 m kite i am 70kg's and can get going in 7 knots on a surfboard .
Definitely try longer lines in light winds it does help .

stuntnaz said..
I use 34m lines on my 17 m kite i am 70kg's and can get going in 7 knots on a surfboard .
Definitely try longer lines in light winds it does help .

... I agree!!!!

Dose any one still have a 50 m kite in there shead?would like to see it with 18m lines just for something different ??

Robbo2099 said..

w8ingforwind said..
Dose any one still have a 50 m kite in there shead?would like to see it with 18m lines just for something different ??

I've still got the 24m inflatable C-Kite I made back in 2003 or so. (4-line) It still flies but it's so heavy that any additional lift you achieve from the huge size is overcome by the extra weight and drag. My experience is that the optimum big kite size is somewhere around 17m and anything bigger than that doesn't really accomplish much. A bigger board makes a much bigger difference in light winds than a bigger kite.

a 24m cool dose it loop