I have had the same lines since 2008 and I have been out on the water atleast once a week since then, with exception of the winter months. Same bar for all four kites 6-15 sqm. The lines are Naish standard lines from back then. I have replaced the bar and the chicken loop three times in ten years, but the lines are still holding up well, even if I have thought about replacing them many times. No sand and low amounts of salt in the water around her however, so that might make the lines live longer. Not sure if they are the best lines, but I am pretty impressed with their life span.
If you're not using SK99 Dyneema you're using old tech, including Q-Power lines which are something of a novelty for people who value durability over performance; any line that requires you to move from splices to knots implies you'll have to re-rig some critical parts of your control or flag-out mechanism because none of the major brands rig their lines gear with knots this way, they all use spliced and sewn ends. It amazes me that people still recommend a line-technology like Q-Power that is so totally different in the way it works versus stock systems, besides the fact that fully sheathing your front lines means you can never truly inspect the braid for breaks or wear points, you just have to trust that the underlying fibers are g2g and wait until it breaks to find out otherwise.
.... More so with SK99 as they are way thinner compared to SK75. Only way to sleeve SK99 and have a knot in the sleeve is to use a thick Dyneema sleeve.
Evan, do you know if someone makes sheathed kite lines with SK99 core? And I'm curious what is/should be the best Dyneema grade for the overbraiding yarn
Sorry, don't know it. But also didn't do any research as I don't like the original stuff. But normal grade dyneema schould work for the outside as it doesn't add any strength.
Well I can't for sure say one is superior to the other but I think Q-power Pro and SK99 are the two best options on the market presently. (that I'm aware of) I have one of each and can honestly say they both make the stock North/Duo line set seem paltry in comparison.
I'll give a better review/comparison when I've had more time on each.
Well I can't for sure say one is superior to the other but I think Q-power Pro and SK99 are the two best options on the market presently. (that I'm aware of) I have one of each and can honestly say they both make the stock North/Duo line set seem paltry in comparison.
I'll give a better review/comparison when I've had more time on each.
bar 2.jpg
This post beings on the MOST SEXY KITE PICTURE thread.
Yes, please do let us know what you think. I was thinking of getting a sample of both to test and see what seemed to be the difference. I am leaning towards SK99 because I think most safety mechanisms will be easier to get working on SK99 than some of the more odd behavior the Q Power exhibits versus normal lines.
Not sure if I mentioned it, but the SK99 lineset was pretty inexpensive off of Ebay from Australia.
$180 shipped. Sold the stock lines for $125.
Direct swap, took 10 minute.