Hi all
Very new to the sport so expect some dumb ar$e newbie questions coming your way in the near future. And yes I will do a search on both this forum and others before posting.
First one, why do most people disconnect the line set from the kite? Surely leaving them permanently connected would be more efficient in terms of rigging up and derigging. It was also prevent connecting lines the wrong way in the first place.
Only reason I can think of apart from the obvious "this is the way I've always done it", is if you have multiple kites but only one bar which isn't recommended anyway.
Shane
I think you worked it out yourself, most people use one bar for 3 kites (or simlilar) so they need to swap it (didn't realise it wasn't recommended haha).
Also maybe you should try it and see what happens
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picture you have a beach with say 15 kites on the ground . Now this beach may only be say 10 metres wide and you have 20 odd metres of line for each kite . Not good if there are other people opn the beach . Easy to get tripped /tangled up in someone elses lines while launching and it only takes a minute to unravel your lines and launch .
Because it's easier to do all the stuff I want to do. With everything separate I only have to manage one thing at a time. With stuff connected I have to deal with the kite and the bar and the sand and shat that gets stuck on it.
At the end of the session there can be sand on the bar and lines. I like to wash the sand off in the sea. When I get home I wash the bar and lines in fresh water. All that would be too hard to do attached to the kite.
I like to fold the kite neatly and put it in the bag. Having the bar attached makes that more difficult to do. I guess I could learn how to do it but there's no real reason to.
The bar is hard and I like to keep hard abrasive things away from the kite when it's packed away.
It's not hard or a problem to re-attach the lines and I would still have to check them even if they were left attached. You can just as easily pass the whole bar through a line or the bridle and make a mess of things.
I have 3 kites and a bar for each so I could leave them attached. I prefer not to for the reasons above, and when it comes time to sell it is better to sell a kite with a matching bar and lines. You can also mix and match for a different feel from time to time.
Wet sandy lines in your kitebag is never going to be good for your kite and you can't rinse your lines but if you often forget to attach your lines it might help
Did you have a lesson?
If you are in to much of a rush to get out kiteing to do things properly, my bet is you aren't checking lines for damage that your bridles aren't tangled, you probaly dont pump your kite up properly etc. I bet you dont even have insurance incase you hurt someone else.
Get a lesson, follow there advice, get insurance get out riding
I have seen small rigging mistakes cause accidents, don't fool your self, if you leave your lines on you can and will make mistakes.
I've tried it a number of times and i find that at least half the time i end up with a massive tangle that takes ages to fix.
I persisted for a while, hoping i would eventually work out how to do it without the massive tangle.
Yes, if you do it right it is quicker. but on average you will spend longer because when you muck it up you muck it up good.
It's not worth it.
Washing your lines after a sesh is not a bad idea, open the quick release and get the sand out also helps to ensure it'll work when you need it most.
Do wash the kite occasionally but that's usually accidental.
To be clear, this isn't about taking shortcuts or not doing things correctly so appologies to those that have interpreted as such. It's simply something I am considering doing but being new to the sport though I'd ask the wider community for feedback. Sounds like to pretty responsible thing to do if you ask me.
Thus far the main reasons why would or would not disconnect you lines are:
- ease of dealing with the kite and bar/lines seperately - makes sense
- ability to wash bar and lines - similarly makes sense
- bar getting tangled in bridles - I think once you have a system worked out this shouldn't be an issue.
The main benefit, apart from the time saving, is once it's on, there is no potential for the lines to be tied incorrectly there after.
"The main benefit, apart from the time saving, is once it's on, there is no potential for the lines to be tied incorrectly there after."
I assume you have not done your lessons yet, as the pigtails and larks heads are colour coded and while it is possible to incorrectly connect your lines, if you match the colours it doesn't happen so much these days. Also, you don't really "tie" your lines - its a hitch. The main problem that occurs during rigging is that lines are connected up with a twist in them. Ensuring your lines are correctly connected is something that occurs during launch time and is a shared responsibility between the launcher and the launchee (unless your launcher has no experience)
Also, it is perfectly acceptable to have one bar and multiple kites - especially when you have the same kite in different sizes. Even between kite brands and makes it's OK - especially with 4 line kites - 5th line can be tricky as the 5th is different lengths depending on the design.
Disconnecting lines and rolling them up on the bar allows you to de-twist your lines at the end of a session, which is a good thing.
Trying to roll up your kite at the end of a session on a windy day would be a complete pain, plus getting it in the bag.
I can't see ANY benefit to be had from leaving your lines on.
The only time it would be worthwhile is if you have to pre rig your kite on the beach and then deflate the leading edge prior to getting on a boat for boat launching (down the track, not a newbie challenge) and then its something only done just prior to hitting the water.
You could also go a middle way and use something like the Jose kite line tool, where you disconnect the lines from the kite after the session and then put it on that stick.
Then as you setup, you connect the lines to the kite first, then run them out and the lines should be all good, or you only have to spin the bar in one direction.
However just spinning the bar did not always do it for me, and fiddling the bar through the lines to sort out the tangle can be a major IQ test.
Wow nice to see how supportive everyone is of a newbie............NOT
Reason to detach is that if you don't it usually results in tangles which are harder to untangle than attaching the lines.
Keeping the same system before every session means that you check everything. If you like kiting it's best to think of safety as number 1. Everytime i've rushed the set up something ends up tangled and it ends up taking twice as long.
Like a lot of people are saying make sure you have enough lessons and ask lots of questions of people who look like they really know what they're doing.
Hey Freddo - I have both inflatable and flysurfer kites, bar comes off the inflatable and never comes off the flysurfers.
Reasonable question actually - as with the flysurfer I just roll the line out, inflate the doona and off you go - always amazes me that there are never any tangles although often you are sure there are going to be some! I do this for both my 6m and 15m kites.
It does save time, but I guess is a personal preference - I do both and thats because thats how the kites came from the manufacturer!
Fair point here... whats with the unsupportive approach? Is this the kitesurfing equiv. to surfers not wanting non-locals on their wave?
just arogant arseholes
i have tried both and i prefer to run the lines out each time i rig.
1/ you sort out any tangles easier, once you start doing rolls etc you will get lots of twists
2/ less chance of creating tangles and launching the kite with the bar through the lines.
3/ its better not to pack your kite with the bar, it can damage it
4/ its a good way to keep a check on if there is any damage anywere and look at swivels etc.
its really fast to run out lines once you get the hang of it, best idea for this sport is dont cut corners where the danger is, lines are one of the most important parts!
I too tried leaving them attached and didn't like it. Main thing is it's very easy for the bar to slip under 1 or more of the attached lines when bagging/debagging, then you run it out and there's a twist on one side line and it can be hard to see what's wrong and how to fix it. So if you're safety concious like me you end up undoing them all and rerunning just to be safe, making the whole thing pointless.
What you can do is when rigging downwind:
- clear the bridles and make sure they are straight etc
- attach the two front lines
- unwind the lines walking away from the kite.
- walk back checking the front lines and separating the back lines.
- attach the back lines.
- check all lines and bridles are clear.
- go back the bar and hold he bar up and sight all lines and bridles are clear from the bar right up to the kite.
btw, thanks everyone for the additional pro and cons, expecially from those who have tried it. Obviously it's not as stupid question as some of you so quickly thought and immediately poo-pooed it.
while your there get insurance for your car, house, boat, caravan(even if you dont have one yet) your life, your death and a package against your hair falling out....Just in case,man, just in case...
Because when you disconnect your lines, it symbolically means your session is over
