Tuning your kite!

[Steve-O]

I read and hear all sorts of info about checking your line lengths and making sure they are even. Uneven lines can really effect the performance of your kite.

However, I haven't heard much about bridal lines except that they wear out due to pulley friction. For obvious reason should be replaced. With that said, if you suspect your kite is flying not so good, or just simply want to check you might inspect the lengths of your bridal lines and compare right to left lines. Especially the lines that travel through any pulleys. Uneven bridals can also greatly effect the performance of a kite.

[ricki]

Excellent topic Steve. I am amazed at the indifference out there to tuning kites before and during sessions, even by pro riders. The idea is to tune your kite for reasonable power for whatever you are doing for the wind conditions at hand. By tuning I mean setting the angle of attack of the kite. This goes beyond what you can achieve using the trim strap btw. I tune for apparent conditions every time I rig up and may retune during a session if conditions change or if I was off. It is all about finding the sweet spot for your kite in actual conditions. You can cover a larger wind range with better performance with a given kite through proper tuning than otherwise feasible by just "attaching to the middle of the pigtail."

On flat kites, this usually comes down to deciding which knots to attach your flight lines to on the rear or trailing edge pigtails. It is more involved with some C kites. If you are in the middle of the wind range sweet spot for the kite, that is where you attach your flight lines to, to the middle area of the pigtails. If you are underpowered you attach the flight lines at pigtail knots closer to the kite. This will give you more power but it will also increase bar pressure. It may also slow turning. Depending on what kite you are using, the kite may not respond well or want to stall if you attach too close to the kite. It is a good idea when coming particularly close to the kite to pull in on your trim strap before launching and then pay out a little bit while checking for proper kite flight.

If you anticipate too much kite power, first choice is to rig the correct sized, smaller kite. By not doing this regardless of tuning, your risk goes up. Otherwise, if you anticipate only slight heavy powering, you can attach at pigtail knots further away from the kite. With some kites you can attach to the last knot in the pigtail while with others the kite doesn't fly properly at the last knot. Also, if you are way overpowered, attached to an outer knot and still pushing the bar way out, go ahead and rig a smaller kite. Your steering is heavily compromised and the risk of inversion is increased with some kite models. So, experiment in lighter winds to see how your kite performs first.

Some old posts dealing with tuning C kites appear at:

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=577
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=486

[Todd RT]

Well I can CERTAINLY say that replacing my pulley bridle lines on my SB2 made it fly like a freakin' new kite.

On this subject... to reduce wear on the pulley bridle lines, I started this thread about replacing the cheapo plastic pulleys with stainless:

http://www.fksa.org/showthread.php?t=6323

Anyone have any thoughts on this subject? I want to REDUCE the wear on the bridles.

[Whitey]

All you have to do to solve this problem is clean your pullies after each use of sand and grit, and then apply a shot of reel magic. It is used by fishermen to protect gear and make fishing reels cast futher. This makes for a very smooth operation, and results in very little wear on the lines.

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0043343115922a.shtml

Must exersise caution in changing to the stainless pulley models as they have sharp edges on them that may cause damage to the kite and lines. They are designed for a much larger diameter line than we use, and will cut through the line that they are connected to (not the line running thru the pully)

[BigR]

I agree with craig, you want a soft material on the pulleys , a soft plastic. any metal will wear your bridles quicker. theoretically, something with the same mohs hardness as the line material so that wear is even

[Todd RT]

I just used silicone spray (like I use on the sail slides on my sailboat). But that reel magic looks cool too!! Thanks!

[Whitey]

Big difference between the reel magic and other lubes is that it does not leave a residue and will not act as an agent to collect sand and debris. It also will make the line running through the pully very slick, so even if the pully stops turning the line will run with very little resistance or wear. It is a very unique formula. Best 10 bucks you can spend, use it on your quick releases, saftey devices, centerline bar slide, bar pullies, fin boxes, etc. Any thing you want to move without resistance or corrosion. I have been using the same bottle for years now.

[Todd RT]

Won't be using silicone spray anymore...

Found these dry lubes too (figured eveyone has a West Marine nearby, right?):

"It dries quickly to a hard, smooth, ultra-slick, hydrophobic dry coating that bonds tenaciously to almost any surface. And because Sailkote is a dry lubricant, it will not attract dirt or contaminants and will not transfer to other surfaces, or you. "

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/32485/377%20710/0/dry%20lubricant/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377 710&Ne=0&Ntt=dry lubricant&Ntk=Primary Search&Ntx=mode matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=dry lubricant&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=2&subdeptNum=448&classNum=494

And also:

"Dry lubricant with DuPont™ PTFE sprays on, penetrates and bonds to aluminum, metals, wood, rubber, plastic and most surfaces. Reduces friction in rigging, mast track, rudders, centerboards, genoa or traveler tracks, tools, deck hardware, hinges, zippers, fishing reels. Repels water, dirt dust and oil. 7 oz. aerosol can."

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/221753/377%20710/0/reel%20lubricant/Secondary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377 710&Ne=0&Ntt=reel lubricant&Ntk=Secondary Search&Ntx=mode matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=reel lubricant&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=33&subdeptNum=177&classNum=177

Thanks again for the tips.. .you just saved me $$$ by not buying new pulleys!