TRIM AND SYMMETRY CHECK – KITESURF TIP

tips

Did you ever find yourself in this situations? With your kite constantly back stalling or your kite constantly pulling on one side. That’s because you didn’t perform an adequate trim and symmetry kite check.

My name is Petar Pavlovic, I love sharing my kitesurf experience with you and in this episode I will give you an important tip that you might use next time you launch your kite.

Especially in situations when:

you didn’t use your gear for a long time.
When you take equipment from your friends.
Even when you rent the equipment.

In that case trim and symmetry chek of your kite is essential!

KITE TRIM CHECK

In order to make a propper trim check of your kite:

Put the kite on the side towards the water,
sit on the beach with your legs in front of you.
Make sure that the trim line is set on full power.
Pull the bar in completely for 10 seconds.
You should feel a nice tension on the bar and a pull on your harness.
If the kite is staying stable on the edge of the wind window, This means that your kite is well trimmed.

If your kite starts back stalling immediately deepower the bar! (If you are not sure why the kite is back stalling, check my previous episode about basic aerodynamics).

This means that your back lines are too short or, your front lines are too long. If this is the case you can pull the trim line so you shorten the front lines. Repeat the trim check. If your Kite doesn’t back stall you are good to go. Knowing that for your kite to work properly, your trim line should be a bit pulled.

In case your kite is still back stalling even with the trim line pulled in, the best would be to land your kite. Once landed check if either on your bar or on the kite you can simply change knots to extend your back lines or shorten the front lines.

There is also a chance that once you pulled the bar there is not much tension on the back lines. However the trim line is on full power. This means that your back lines are too long, front lines too short.

Your kite may have a slower reaction. Land the kite and check if wether on your kite or bar you are able to shorten the back lines. Or if you can make the front lines longer.

KITE SYMMETRY CHECK

Once you are sure that your kite is well trimmed, put the kite in 12 o’clock and pull on the bar to see if your bar is standing parallel with the kite.

In most cases it is difficult to have your bar 100% parallel with the kite. But if you see clearly that your bar is not parallel with the kite, at first make sure that your safety line is loose.

On some bars the safety line is getting shorter after lots of spinning. If the safety line is on full tension, this may shorten one of the front lines and cause the kite to pull on one side.

There is also a high risk of the safety line to break. Check if there are knots to extend the safety line. Or re-spin your safety line.

Also the reason of your kite pulling on one side could be if your bar has the option of changing the bar length. You have to make sure that both sides are set the same. In case one side is set on longer and the other side on shorter bar this can be the reason of your kite pulling on one side.

It could happen you find yourself on a small beach or the wind is too strong for performing a safe trim and symmetry kite check. In this case the only option is to check it once you are in the water. With the board on your feet in front of you.