Leader Line Coating

[watercamper]

My leader lines have a plastic coating. What purpose does it serve? How can it be replaced? Heat shrink?

[GregK]

Plastic tubing covered bar leader lines are meant to stiffen up the leader line to reduce the chance of it wrapping around the bar end when the line is very slack ( i.e. kite on the water ) and creating a situation when the lines tighten up and the kite starts looping.

Replacing it with heat-shrink runs the risk of warming the UHMW polyethylene leader lines to the point where they shrink and lose strength. I'd suggest finding some PVC tubing the right size, dis-connect the flying line, and use a thin strong line to pull the PVC tubing onto the leader line.

[Trent hink]

Perhaps your gear has worn past the designed life-time.

The simple answer is that maybe you need to spend 5-7 hundred USD on new gear.

[watercamper]

Perhaps your gear has worn past the designed life-time.

The simple answer is that maybe you need to spend 5-7 hundred USD on new gear.

Uh Oh, I can see that you may have succumbed to the marketing machine!

[stenner]

Plastic tubing covered bar leader lines are meant to stiffen up the leader line to reduce the chance of it wrapping around the bar end when the line is very slack ( i.e. kite on the water ) and creating a situation when the lines tighten up and the kite starts looping.

Replacing it with heat-shrink runs the risk of warming the UHMW polyethylene leader lines to the point where they shrink and lose strength. I'd suggest finding some PVC tubing the right size, dis-connect the flying line, and use a thin strong line to pull the PVC tubing onto the leader line.

What about silicone tubing, or is it too soft?