G'day all,
Just wondering if anyone out there prefer longer lines when riding in surf??
Recently I accidently grabbed my 27m lines instead of the standard 24m lines on my Rebel 14m. Jumped on my surfboard with some shoulder to head high waves, around 20 knots or so I found that I had more time to 'do' stuff since it took just that bit longer for the kite to shoot to the edge. Felt better. I found I could get the kite to 'drift' somewhat better and just generally felt easier than the standard 24m lines. Maybe the Rebel aggressively hunts for the edge of the window so giving me more time helps for my lack of style or what ever??????.
I know convention says that short lines are better because the kite can get to the depowered edge quicker/better and therefore not pull you off the wave but for me I found the opposite.
One cause I can think of is maybe its a Rebel thing and the size is concidered big by most standards but I can swing it like it was a small kite anyway and the long lines gives me the time to get into position and so called 'smack the lip' or bottom turn nice and tight.
Anyway, just wondering if anyone else likes longer lines??
cheers,
Robbie 
check your line stretch. you might be surprised the difference in how the kite handles depending on slight line length differences.
One bar may be setup better than the other.
just a thought?
Back in 2004 I bought a 7mtr airush reactor. It came with 30mtr lines.was a kite that Felix pivec had for gnaraloo. I really loved that kite for that wave, it took out all the gusty conditions and was fast across the window.
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Select to expand quoteBertie said..
check your line stretch. you might be surprised the difference in how the kite handles depending on slight line length differences.
One bar may be setup better than the other.just a thought?
... nah all cool there,,, being super heavy weight I check my lines often, just recently checked em too, front lines were stretched 5 cm so fitted the little blue extension loop North provide in spares kit and all good again. Thanks for the thoughts though!! 
It's not just you, I've preached the same for years. I think longer lines are especially good in onshore surf conditions.
Select to expand quotetheDoctor said..
where do you get 20kts and head high waves in NT...?
... secret spot X,,,, getting sick of dodging the crocs though!!!
Select to expand quotesir ROWDY said..
It's not just you, I've preached the same for years. I think longer lines are especially good in onshore surf conditions.
... yeah we generally get cross-on to onshore conditions so stands up to your thoughts too. The more I think about it, the more I figure its the increased time I get from the kite going from edge of the window to the other edge of the window and while the kite is transversing across the sky I get to do my thing!
How about some of you try it, see what you reckon and give us your thoughts???
Cool,
Robbie
The arc is larger so you get more vectors to choose from
Or more time to find the vector you need between lift and pull
I am 70 kg and use a 17 m for light wind kiting I use 32 m lines with this kite and it makes a big difference ,
I actually think the reason they're better for onshore conditions is the extra drag makes the kite sit slightly further back in the wind window so when you go down the line you kite is far less likely to want to fall out of the sky or switch off the power. Thus kites also seem to drift far better on longer lines and give you much more of a chance to "catch" the kite again if it does start falling from the sky after a turn. I'm talking about the difference between 20 and 24m lines.
^^^ yep, that was feelings too, I agree with you both Rowdy and Rails! 
We had the wind shift around on us yesterday and it went cross then cross-off and I still liked the longer lines. I did find I had to 'loop' the kite while riding down the wave rather than 'drift' but that's probably a Rebel thing. I was using my older 2012 Rebel and it became apparent to me the 2014 is better in the waves than the 2012 model.
Cheers,
Robbie
Yep, I also still use them/like them in more cross/offshore conditions, although I think you sometimes need to ride a smaller kite than if you had shorter lines.
p.s. All my experience is with a park and ride style of wave riding.
Faark, Thats probably why I can't ride waves, it must be my 16m lines holding me back.
