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Line, Winders & Accessories

The kite is an experimental scaled-up Wildcard >

Catalog:
• Spools, flying line, swivels
• Ready-made Linkages for Falconry
• Carabiners, clips, rings, etc.

Notes:
• Choosing flying line
• Care of line
• Knots
• Delivery (UK)

Sources:
• Other UK line and kitemaking suppliers
• Wind meters, lightning detectors, etc.
• Other spools and winders

Credit/debit card payments:
• Most customers worldwide can pay online through PayPal and Google Checkout, and UK customers can also pay online through NoChex

Spools, Line, Swivels, Clips & Hardware Catalog
click on links for pictures

Strong Plastic Kite Spools
UK delivery for spools: £1.90 inc VAT
8 inch/20cm Kite Spools	£4.00 (£3.40 w/o VAT)	Capacity: about 1,000 feet of 88lb line Comfortable to hold Ideal for travelling light (Click here for warning)
BRAIDED DACRON* POLYESTER LINE *Dacron is the trade name for this synthetic fiber in the United States, and the name is commonly recognized in other countries as well. It's also known as Terylene in Britain and most of the British Commonwealth. In France it's Tergal; in Japan Tetoron; in Russia Lavsan.
Guidelines: 50-55lb for Little Bears & Whirlwinds in light winds, 55-88lb for Clippers in light winds and Whirlwinds & Wildcards in light-to-medium winds, 143lb for Wildcards in breezier weather, and anything up to 200lb (or even more) for Troopers
Ockert (Germany)	55lb test (25daN)	88lb test (40daN)			143lb test (65daN)
500m (1,642ft) 5 connected 100m spools boxed	£31.75 (£27.02 w/o VAT)	£35.00 (£29.79 w/o VAT)			£37.25 (£31.70 w/o VAT)
UK Delivery	£2.85 per 500m 1st Class Packet	£3.15 per 500m 1st Class Packet			£3.50 per 500m 1st Class Packet
Price for 500m including UK delivery and VAT	£34.60	£38.15			£40.75
Ockert "Climax Black" lines (black flecks on white) are durable, strong for their thickness, soft to the touch, and knot beautifully
300m (984ft)	special order from manufacturer - 88lb and 143lb in stock
300m on single spools	(55lb not available)	£22.50 (£19.15 w/o VAT)			£24.00 (£20.43 w/o VAT)
UK Delivery		£2.25 per 300m 1st Class Packet			£2.85 per 300m 1st Class Packet
On flying lines: use good quality, locking snap swivels that can't be pulled open (remember Murphy's Law) and use only the strongest knots
HARDWARE: click on links for details
UK delivery for small items: 0.45p
Snap Swivels
Crane Interlock Snap Swivels		Medium: 38p each (32p w/o VAT)	Large: 54p each (46p w/o VAT)
Cabela's Premium Coastlock Ball Bearing Snap Swivels		£3.98 each (£3.39 w/o VAT)	Stainless steel 175lb-test swivels for 120lb+ line
Ready-made Lure Line Release Linkages for Falconry: click on links for details
UK delivery: 0.90p
Running Snap-Aways Braided wire linkages for clipping lure lines on, either right at the kite or onto a Line Hanger further down the line
Online Snap-Away Kit Repositionable		A Running Snap-Away linkage with Line Hanger and mini carabiner	£11.00 (£9.36 w/o VAT)
Kite Snap-Away Kit Attaches to kite's towing ring		Line Hanger not included	£9.00 (£7.66 without VAT) supplied with mini carabiner
Extra Online Snap-Away Linkages		2 versions	£6.00 (£5.11 without VAT) for the linkage only or £10.00 (£8.51 w/o VAT) for the linkage with mini carabiner
Extra Line Hangers		· light weight wire · won't damage kite line · won't slip - shouldn't fall off · easy to attach anywhere along line · two types - one with O-ring, one with clip	£1.45 (£1.23 without VAT) with ring for older Snap-Aways with adjustable clips or £4.00 (£3.40 without VAT) with clip for all Snap-Aways with O-rings
Note: click here for Line Releases on the web
Spare Clips and Rings
Adjustable Ring Clip - fits 13mm clear plastic O-rings · for falconry			£2.80 each (£2.38 without VAT)
snapgate Mini Carabiner imported (used by falconers since 1996)			£4.85 each (£4.13 without VAT)
Cabela's premium quality stainless steel coastlock Ball Bearing Snap Swivel black			£3.98 each (£3.39 without VAT) Why these?
ultralight wiregate Micro Carabiner not recommended for attaching lure lines to kite lines			£1.50 each (£1.28 without VAT)
large Carabiner Clip 3.2 inch long (8cm) alloy carabiner-style clip - good for walking line down			£1.40 each (£1.19 without VAT)
13mm clear plastic "O" Rings · choice of thin (2.0mm) or thick (2.4mm) rings · to fit Adjustable Ring Clips			5p each (£0.04 without VAT) 10 for 40p (£0.34 without VAT)
3/4" OD alloy O-ring (13.5mm ID)			10p each (9p without VAT)
1" OD alloy O-ring (18.0mm ID)			14p each (12p without VAT)

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Flying lines

Choosing line

The line is an integral part of the kite+line system.

Line is chosen on the basis of both the size of the kite and the wind it flies in. You need light line for small kites and heavier line for big ones, and for any given size you need light line for light wind and heavy line for strong wind.

Rough guide to choosing flying lines:
For light wind, use a breaking strain (in pounds) of 2 to 3.5 times the square footage of the kite (rounded to the nearest square foot).
5 or 6 times the wing area is "normal," while for stronger winds use 8 times or more.

Typical flying line: braided DACRON. It has low stretch (~4% max) which gives good responsiveness. It's reasonably priced, though price varies with quality. It's made for fishing and therefore readily available. Go for uncoated line, or a non-sticky coating. Waxed line can stick to itself on reels, requiring you to pull the line off by hand in light breezes.

The cheapest lines are twisted nylon and monofilament nylon. I still use some old twisted nylon on one reel. Although initially it's a little too stretchy, it's durable and really good for tying knots. Monofilament, also commonly used for angling, is relatively inexpensive, and because it's so smooth gives good flying angles. However tempting, it should be avoided for serious kite flying. While safe to use when brand new, it can part suddenly without warning after it's been used a few times. All it takes is one little innocuous kink to weaken it at a point, creating a stress concentration. You probably won't notice anything until it's too late.

Top of the food chain are the so-called "high tech" lines. These are aramid and coramid fiber lines with sensational strength for their thickness. They go by a variety of trade names. A line that looks like dental floss can have a breaking strain of nearly 200 pounds. Low weight and minimal drag mean high flights and stupendous flying angles, and with almost zero stretch kites flown on them are super-responsive. They do not come cheap, and there are a couple of other downsides to them in addition to cost.

One is that they can be downright dangerous, especially on big kites that pull hard. Think cheese cutter. They have been known to lop the top off the metal frame of a baby's pram. They've sliced through gloves, skin and tendons. And they cut through themselves wherever there's pressure, i.e. at all knots. These lines must be threaded through sleeves of braid wherever knotted, which means field repairs require not only advance planning but also a significant time slot. Some flyers feel the gain in performance is worth the effort. In light winds these lines are peerless, and in strong winds their drag is minimal, so kites can climb to much steeper angles than they could with ordinary line. 1,000 feet of 80lb twisted nylon has about 4 square feet of surface area and significant weight. The equivalent high tech line is much thinner and lighter, and can virtually double the performance of a kite in any wind, but heavier ones with a higher breaking strain than necessary are usually chosen for the extra margin of safety.

An assortment of lines is essential for flying in a wide range of winds.

The force the wind exerts varies with the square of the wind speed. With light line you'll get the steepest flying angle and the best possible performance in light winds and thermals, while heavier lines give more steadiness and stability in breezier conditions.

For example, consider line 1/16th of an inch in diameter. 1,000 feet adds up to over 5 square feet of surface area, which equals a fair bit of drag in addition to its shear weight. Modern, super-thin, high-tech aramid or coramid line makes a very significant difference in light winds. The reverse is true for strong winds. Extra-heavy line helps to counter-balance the pull, and the line's inertia and drag help keep everything steady, leaving the kite more manageable.

So, having a selection of lines is most useful, but if you have only one reel, the trick is to have kites for different winds that all require the particular line you've got. In practice, especially if all one's kites are within a particular size range, 2 or 3 lines cover most situations.

Care of line

Watch when winding line onto reels - make sure it goes on evenly and flat; nurture the habit of winding with a side-to-side action so you don't have to watch it constantly. The objective is to avoid a buildup of coils of line at the reel sides, which can roll off under tension. The line can then pull underneath and get severely stuck in what we call a "bird's nest."

Through normal use, kite lines eventually develop weak spots. Always keep an eye on your flying line as it goes out or comes in. Be on the lookout for frayed spots, cuts, pronounced kinks, surface abrasion - any damage that could weaken the line. Cut these out then-and-there and use a Blood Knot (or Double Grinner) to join the line. A small, sharp pocket knife (or scissors) comes in handy in the field, as does a cheap lighter for melting the raw ends of knots after trimming - in a pinch it could all be done with just a lighter. Replace worn out line before it breaks!

The last few yards of line at the swivel end is most likely to show signs of wear, and can be chopped off periodically, re-tying the swivel; this job is best done at home.

Never leave discarded sections of old flying line in the field.

A word about knots

Regardless of what reels or winders you use, or what kind of line, bear in mind they won't be any stronger than the weakest links - the knots. It pays to do some digging to find and learn a few good, handy knots. Fishermen have an arsenal of favorite knots, but for the rest of us a good little knot book is a most useful reference. Be sure to use one that indicates the relative strengths of the various knots, and look for knots between 90 or 95 and 100% efficiency. Many common knots actually weaken the line, reducing the breaking strain by as much as 50% or more.

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Some UK kiting suppliers:

1)

Ockert Climax Black, Dyneema, aramid and coramid polymer lines

• special light wind lines
• extra-long lengths by special order - if you need 5,000 meters in a single length, you can get it!

2)

Kites Up
The Chapel, Farleigh Road, Cliddesden, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG25 2JL UK
Tel: 01256 812487 Mobile: 07778 352825 Fax: 01256 812487	Website:Kites Up e-mail: roy@kitesup.co.uk

Flying line and kitemaking materials

3)

Line, spools, materials, and Cox reels

4)

Veal's Mail Order offers a good selection of fishing lines of interest to kiteflyers, including:
Mason Dacron "Offshore" - 100yd connected spools: 50, & 80 lb
Dynon 3000 - high-tech line in 540yd (500m) bulk spools: up to 100 lb
Berkley "Iron Silk" - super-polymer line with molecular reinforcing network. Super tough, abrasion-resistant and smooth (it says here); 275 yards of 50lb per spool.

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Weather instruments

For a wide range of pocket wind meters (at reasonable prices) and other weather instruments visit: Skyview Systems
Look for "Handheld Instruments"

Also supplied: lightning detectors that can detect lightning up to 40 miles away and warn of approaching electrical storms

Trick of the Eye Kites in Guernsey stock two relatively inexpensive electronic wind meters including the Skywatch Fun

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Spools & Winders

Hoop Spools

8in/20cm diameter x 1½in/4cm wide

These plastic kite spools are the next best thing to proper deep-sky reels (see below). They're light, easy to carry and inexpensive. They hold plenty of line, and wind in a lot per turn. Letting line out with drag is easy, and the grip is comfortable for any length of time.

Mick Beasley Handle Conversions

Mick makes this handle conversion for the ubiquitous spoked plastic spools available in the UK, rendering these otherwise uncomfortable spools usable.

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Deep sky reels, line, spools and swivels

In the US - but ship world-wide:

Stockist of line, swivels, tubing, spools, winders and the only Deep Sky Reel I know of available anywhere

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