KITE steers left, which front line to shorten

chrissmack · Since 08 Jun 2005 526 Posts portland Addicted

line lengths equal. bridal equal. leading edge not twisted as far as i can tell

i've always assumed it is the kite stretching out more on one side, from repeated jumping in one direction. old kites used to do this from time to time right out of the bag (due to un-symmetric construction?)

so; if the KITE pulls to the left, which line do i shorten to compensate? i remember doing this years ago, and all i remember from it was that my intuitive guess was WRONG Smile

thanks,
chris

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

Still vote for lengthening the front RIGHT. Thumb's Up

Wind Slither · Since 04 Mar 2005 2623 Posts The 503 METAL

Is this your Octane (Rev)? Cause I remember that happening with my Rev's and it was part of the bridal.

chrissmack · Since 08 Jun 2005 526 Posts portland Addicted

i'm not as good at making lines longer; so i will log A's vote as "left shorter" Smile

no, not the octane. it's a ben wilson, so same bridal system, but bridal looks good. but it has happened to my fuels also. i remember just adjusting front lines on the fuels for a quick fix.

i'm hoping hein will chime in. he told me once of having some built in adjusters to his front lines?

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

Ha! Shortening the front left feels different, doesn't it? Basically we want to trick some right rear tension into it, not slack the left rear. Just make some custom pigtails! Could be totally wrong. I'll see if China remembers.

For your CL...
http://www.3dsystems.com/files/direct-metal-brochure-0214-usen-web.pdf

bigjohn · Since 13 Mar 2012 664 Posts Addicted

Okay, I'll take a crack...

I know you already stated line lengths are equal and bridal are equal, but considering these are really the only things you can (easily) adjust, I would hope that you made a mistake here.

Before doing anything, I would park my kite at 12:00 and have a buddy look at it from a distance to see if anything looks out of alignment.

Since the kite pulls to the left it would make sense that the left steering line (outside line) is shorter. Thus the first thought would be to put a short extension on the left outside line to see if this resolves the issue.

If this does not resolve the issue, you might try reversing the bridal (left to right) to see if it now pulls to the right. If it does, I would replace the bridal.

If after reversing the bridal the kite still pulls to the left (and a line extension on the left steering line does not properly resolve the issue), I think you may have an issue that is beyond the limits of simple repair.

.... Free advice is often worth what you pay for it ....

Laughing

bigjohn · Since 13 Mar 2012 664 Posts Addicted

After re-reading the post from Kataku2k3 I think a good point was made.

If your issue is with your steering line (not your bridal), it makes sense that your right steering line somehow became stretched out. Thus, simply putting an extension on your left line will create an imbalance between your steering lines and your power lines. This would give the kite more power (or cause more back stalls in light wind) essentially sheeting in the bar more than is per design.

Thus installing three extensions might be the solution.. Your left outside, and both inside lines would likely need to be extended an equal length (assuming you have a 4 line kite in 1:1 configuration).

... Once again more free advice....

sfbomber · Since 27 Jun 2012 114 Posts Stoked

I don't believe changing your front flying lines is the ideal option. I believe your bridle has shrunk (more on one side than the other). You could test this theory by swapping the bridle from right to left side and see how the kite flies, as it should start now pulling to the right. Bridles that go through pulleys shrink over time. Ideally you'd get the line lengths from the manufacturer (I believe it should be every kite manufacturer's duty to provide these specs). Then you can add a pigtail to bring the shrunken bridle back up to spec. A difference of 1 cm is very noticeable in the performance of the kite. I've had a bridle shrink as much as 17 cm. Be sure to measure the bridle lengths while under load.
Assuming all lines are equal and with bar depowered and the kite pulls to the leftl:
But going back to your kite drifting left (and trying to just fix it with an adjustment to the front lines), you could shorten the right front line to encourage it to drift right. But if your problem is in the bridle, your kite won't perform symetrically and one direction will steer faster than the other. Best to get to the root of the problem.