Current Thoughts on Waxing Kite Lines?

[Matteo V]

And the claim that SK99 lines are stronger than SK75 is not always true. I have solid evidence (series of lab tests with SK75 line that showed a higher tenacity than a very well known SK99 line).

Thanks! I have long suspected this. I use Jerry Brown 800lb test spectra fishing line for my front lines. I go through a process where I pre stretch building up from 200lbs to 550-600lb, then back down to 200lbs again. This takes about an hour of work, but the lines are much more solid than any factory lineset I have used.

No reason for me to buy into the hype of sk99 then.

[nixmatters]

What do you mean by 'sheath of line over centre lines '?
thanks

...I upsized the line from the top of the trim system to the "Y" from 7/64" to 1/8 Amsteel. Since I was having to replace this line so much, and this line is 18 feet of the 1/8 Amsteel, I decided to take another piece of 1/8 Amsteel and slave it on top of that line when I was splicing it. ...

Do you sleeve the lines just along the line crossing length or along the whole 18ft?
1/8 sleeved in 1/8 has more than 4 mm (5/32in) diameter!

I may have something much better for your sleeving. Will double check and PM you.

[dracop]

And the claim that SK99 lines are stronger than SK75 is not always true. I have solid evidence (series of lab tests with SK75 line that showed a higher tenacity than a very well known SK99 line).

Thanks! I have long suspected this. I use Jerry Brown 800lb test spectra fishing line for my front lines. I go through a process where I pre stretch building up from 200lbs to 550-600lb, then back down to 200lbs again. This takes about an hour of work, but the lines are much more solid than any factory lineset I have used.

No reason for me to buy into the hype of sk99 then.

I used to love Slingshot’s 800lb center lines. I have stretched out multiple SS bars though granted after 6-12mo of usage. On my Naish Torch (5 line) I put the two center lines onto one middle Liros DC-701 SK99 line lower stage, never stretched with jumps, loops, etc

My new lines do not seem to budge. The Teufelberger 2mm line Duotone uses for the lower stage of its bars feels more stressed than my one piece 701 line, which feel likes dull tension on the lines at extreme load.

No idea anyone else’s implementation of SK99 lines;; Ive only seen Teufelbergers SK99 implementation but have not flown them.

OEM lines mostly all suck altho Duotone’s switch to 1.5mm SK99 lines sounds good on paper; hoping it helps on kite bridles. I am using heavier materials than Core Sensor 2 Pro bar, which uses DC401 center lines. i use the same DC401 on my outside lines as they do on the center lines.

[nixmatters]

@dracop, valid point when talking about heavier weight in overpowered conditions! At same load, line raw material and factory pre-stretching a thicker line has normally lower elongation than a thinner line.

There are exceptions though. Both these are SK99 lines. At 80kg load the 600+ kg line has 0,8% elongation vs 0,5% for the 400+ kg line. That's 11-18cm (4 - 7in) on 22m lines. When a 100kg rider has 160kg load on both lines I haven't measured yet

But one thing is certain - the thicker line will have higher residual strength than the thinner after same exposure to abrasion. And let's not forget that the thicker line exhibits less abrasion wear due to higher contact surface area when rubbing against another line (crossed lines case).

Just did some waxing with candle dissolved in Zippo lighter fluid (petrol/gasoline) and liquid ski wax. Easier to apply and I guess better penetration than hot wax. The main benefit I see is in waterproofing old soft lines with no coating left. Less salt water absorption, less shrinkage. Whether these waxes will pick up sand I can hopefully test in few months, but personally I'm not interested as I have more new lines than I can use in the next decade.

[vakiter]

i have a 2020 north navigator bar with sk99 lines and the lines frayed/got fuzzy really fast. i flipped a section around to move the wear point, and it didnt take long before the new crossing section was super fuzzy also. i loop my kite a lot, but dont ride with lines twisted.

anyone else notice this? opinions? dangerous?
for comparison slingshot lines never do this at all.

My perception is that the SK99 material tends to "fray" very quickly. This has been a topic in the German kite forum already. I own a custom made bar with SK99 lines as well, and they look worn after a very short time of use already, even though I hardly do any kiteloops or line crossing at all. It is rather dissappointing for me. The builder of the bar claims that this is not an issue in terms of load capacity, but anyway...
I generally wouldn´t apply any wax to the lines. I think this will have more downsides than upsides: Attracting sand to stick to the lines, unknown ingredients of the wax which might impact the chemical structure of the lines etc.
Contemporary Dyneema lines are real high-tech products with several chemical, thermal and mechanical treatments at the factory to reach these incredible performance characteristics. I think every "additional freestyle treatment" can only create negative impact.