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Lots of people going short. Funny how 12 months ago 21m was a short line for a race kite. Now 15-18m is standard by some accounts.

I was chatting to somebody recently about a line length for a 18m Joker and he mentioned that shorter than 23m and downwind performance suffered.
Why would short lines harm downwind performance? I understand gybing can be more difficult - Certainly guilty of touching a tip on 15m lines with a 15m kite but i don't think that what he meant.

Also, Any feelings on the Ozone race lines? seem stretchy...

Why worse downwind well , longer lines or V equals more projected area, longer lines are able to access stronger wind, longer lines are able to fly kite faster because of less turning.

I thought they were getting better downwind because shorter lines allows them to fly a bigger kite?

The old LEI metic of line length vs kite size was every 3M of line length is equal to a 1M difference in kite size. So 19M Lines and a 12M kite is equal to 22M Lines and a 11M Kite is equal to 25M Lines and a 10M Kite.

In foil kite on foil board racing, you want the biggest kite possible for downwind performance while still being able to control the kite upwind. Assumption is you start with a 18M Foil and downsize your lines until the minimum that allows you to still control the kite upwind. Worst case, move down a kite size and try again.

As an example, starting with 18M Foil Kite, try 21M, 18M, 16M Lines else move down to a 15M Foil Kite and try 21M, 18M, 16M lines and so on until you get as much kite surface area up as possible for downwind performance with the most amount of line length required to maintain upwind control.

Modern foil kites turn so easily, short line length does not inhibit down loops.

What your friend said seems to be the opposite of what the racers are currently doing.

Certainly, center lines need to be strong if big kites are being used so race lines are a no no... Race lines are so 2015!

I think for course racing short lines mean less chance of getting tied up with competitors - likely the biggest advantage. If not racing, desirable line length is often a function wind strength - light wind long lines can help, strong winds short lines keep you out of trouble. Then factor in riding style, personal preference, etc..

In low wind I use 8m extensions at my 15m Flysurfer Sonic!
With this it's easier to loop the kite and I have a longer way the kite flying in the power zone.
In high wind I remove the extensions to have a more direct stearing, fealing and control!
The same I do with my 9m Sonic.
In my point of few, you can maximize the lowend of you kite with extensions!

I don't think line length has anything to do with performance when you're on foil. Waterstarts yeah, but the wing doesn't care how close to it you are.

The advantage is more direct handling and bar feel, which is good for precise maneuvers.

You do get slightly more projected area and a bit better wind with longer lines. I think on water there is a practical limit to how short you can go. I think it would be around 9meters as I used 12meter lines quite successfully for a long time on a 6m kite. Factoring in the bridles it is more like the lines are 3-4meters longer. On land though there is no limit as I have flown off the bridles many times. You could do that on water but you would need a lot of wind, I just don't feel it would work well . The force to get on plane seems to dictate a bit of lines are needed. If you have only the one or two kites with you on a trip, playing with line lengths, longer or shorter, can really make a huge difference.