Hi,
Just wondering if anyone can give me any advice about a problem which occurred today.
Nearing the end of my session, i think i over sheeted the kite causing it to stall and unusually collapse and spin out of the sky into the water. A couple of bar spins later and the kite was back in the sky. When i got to the shore and landed the kite, i could see that the end strut had torn acrossways and the bladder was sticking out like a balloon. Obviously I deflated the strut immediately and will arrange for the strut to be repaired.
My question is... Do you think that the bladder will now have been weakened having burst out of the ripped area and sticking out like a balloon. It didnt have any holes etc, but i am wondering whether having been stretched like this will have weakened it.
Anyone got any thoughts?
Lemm
No the bladder will be fine, just repair the outer cloth and reinsert the bladder with talc on it.
The outer, cloth/Dacron cover takes all the load, just like a tyre with a tube in it.
On the subject of torn kites, I repaired a school CB3 7M yesterday, that split from trailing edge to LE, between the first and second struts.
I used that Kitefix stuff we have started stocking, after getting some practice on smaller rips.
www.kitepower.com.au/collections/kitesurfing/SPGeneral
Bottom line is, that the kite is ready for use today, total cost $44, and it will be hardly visible in the sky. It is so easy to do, and fast. If I was not so budy in the shop I could have done the whole repair in approx 1.5hr, and witha little extre glue drying time could have been back on the water in 3hrs, every traveller should have some.
And anyone that can adapt to having a glue repair, instead of a sewn repair, should have some too, I think it will be the way we all fix our kites within a short time.
Will post some before and after pics soon. In the meantime check out the video on their website.
www.kitefix.com/
Cya and
Goodwinds
Steve
Steve,
This gear looks good, would have been very handy on a trip last year. Does it come with enough of the material to do a repair from LE to trailing edge as you did, or did you have to use some from a second kit? Also would like to know how the repair you did stands up to use back in your school. I watched the Vid which looked impressive but always good to know how things fair over time in real life conditions.
not having access to repair shops up here in PNG, we use Kitefix for our regular "little problems"
Great stuff, works well and gets you out on the water quickly. However I do not believe it is a replacement for proper sewn repairs.
I used it for a pretty major repair on the LE of my Flow when the bridle caught around a bumper on launch and ripped a 10-15cm hole in the LE fabric. I not only had to bridge the hole, but glue the bumper back down over the repair as well.
This was done 10 months ago and it is still there and has endured a full season of regular use, including plenty of powered ditches.
however.....it is obvious it will not last forever. The glue is pretty good stuff, especially when used with the reo mesh, but I have noticed that it is starting to slowly lose it's adhesion around the edges and it is creeping inwards. It will definitely eventually fail and I have to get it fixed properly soon. I have my moneys worth though.
So I don't think sewn repairs will be a thing of the past, but the stuff lasts a long time and gives you the freedom to send it off for a proper repair when you want to. It might well be a good solution for school kites though as they have a short life anyway.
G'day viewers
Here are some pics of that repair.
Paradox, maybe the repair will last the life of the kite, often the thinner smear of glue near an edge will lift will many types of glue, and probadly does indicate some deterioration.
However how long will the average kite last anyway, and will a sewn repair last any longer?
We will al know in time.
Before repair1
Before repair2
Inside after repair - overview
Inside after repair overview2
After repair outside overview1
After repair outside overview2
LE inside close-up after repair
TE inside close-up after repair
Cya and
Goodwinds
Steve
Guys of West Oz,
A repair like that will cost you about $20-$25 with Neil at "Hold the line kites". He does them usually on the day you bring it in and the repair will last longer than the kite.
If you are out of town, then the glue looks like a good emergency option.
Cheers,
Hi Kitehard,
I am very pleased to hear you say that, as I dropped my kite off with Neil today!
Cheers
Lemm
