Don't show us your hook

[Starsky]

1/4" amsteel has a breaking load around 7700 lbs. That is pretty much the thinnest anyone is using for a slider rope.

[Bushflyr]

10mm Amsteel has a breaking strain of about 10 000 kg. I don't think anyone uses anything smaller.

Does anyone use Amsteel/Dyneema as thick as 10mm when kitesurfing?

Yeah, 5/16" or 3/8" is the standard for slider ropes around here. 7.9 and 9.5mm or so. 12,300lb and 17,600lb respectively. I think I use the 3/8" but it's been a while since I bought any.

[rynhardt]

1/4" amsteel has a breaking load around 7700 lbs. That is pretty much the thinnest anyone is using for a slider rope.

Even if you derate that down to 3500 lbs (say the rope is significantly worn), that still gives you a safety factor of 17.5 if you weigh 200 lbs.
I believe a safety factor of 5 is considered adequate (at least for industrial climbing equipment) to take shock loading into account as well..

[Starsky]

Using dyneema in a pivot system instead of a slider you can negate pretty all of the wear factor. Its also nice to get rid of the slop at the bar caused by the slider. Feels to me like all the freedom of movement with a bit more precise bar feel. Nice especially for the light end of the spectrum on foil where being sensitive to over sheeting becomes important.

[alford]

Anyone know what line diameter BRM uses on their QRs and connection pigtail to spreader bar? Doesn't look like 3/8.

[opie]

I don't know what size they use, but I was barely able to get 3/16 dyneema from West Marine through the little pin in the QR. I used 4mm marlow dyneema rope and that fit more easily. The 3/16 did work in the release once it settled in, but they were too thick for running through the bar. If they were crossed where the splice makes them thicker they would get stuck in the center hole.
Seems like there is no reason not to make the connection pigtail as thick as you want.

[iriejohn]

1/4" amsteel has a breaking load around 7700 lbs. That is pretty much the thinnest anyone is using for a slider rope.

I have a Dynabar which works perfectly with 5mm Dyneema which (iirc) is also the size it originally came with - minimum breaking load is over 2,000kg (~4,400lb). 5mm is ~20mm2 compared with 1/4' which is ~32mm2.

[Starsky]

Its well and truly settled. Dyneema is strong stuff.

Anyone else have opinions on Slider vs Pivot? After using both long enough to really get used to them, I think getting rid of the lever arm that is the standard hook is really the big gain. I'm also in a rigid shell harness now, which definitely has the least slide/rotation of any harness I've had so far, but going from hook to pivot on the same harness is night and day in terms of easy hip rotation. I definitely prefer the sheeting precision on the pivot. I could get used to the bit of sheeting slop with a slider, but when using strutless kites that are really sheeting sensitive, I like them better on a pivot. On my strutted delta kites the slider worked, and felt just fine.

I guess what Im saying is that if your using clouds and a slider, try a pivot, you might like it a bit better.

[knotwindy]

I have used both as well and I agree, the pivot works much better for me than the slider. Especially when I am riding really lit. The pivot has more depower when on toeside than the slider. The difference is very noticeable.

[snowycreek]

I use a pivot instad of slider. 5 years now. I tried both and found no advantage to the slider over the pivot. I agree that the big benefit comes from getting rid of the hook and chicken loop. It seems to me that the vast majority of hookless kiters became hookless via a slider set-up and assume that it is the slider that provides the benefits. I'm not saying that a slider won't work just fine but a ring larksheaded to the center of the spreader bar gives all the same benefits without any wear issues.