I have patched up a couple small tears in a kite with sail tape, and I am debating with the kite's co owner weather to sew in the sail tape to prevent it from pealing off. My mum is into quilting and has a fairly flash sewing machine. Not sure what thread (polyester) or weather to bother at all. Advice from people who have gone down this path would be appreciated.
Ps it has sail tape on both sides
Don't bother. The tape should be sufficient. If it starts to peel then you can redo the the tape and sew around the edges.
One tip, you need to round the corners of the tape patches so there are no sharp corners to peel off.
Heating the tape with a hair dryer will help the glue to bond better.
If you sew then use polyester thread. Gutermann is ok and available at any fabric shop. Bonded polyester is the best but it's harder to buy. A sail maker might let you have the end of a spool for not too much money (that's how I got mine.)
Tape on both sides is surprisingly robust. Stitching is definitely stronger but not a necessity...
If you are using tape, it helps to round off the corners to stop peeling
Thanks for the advice, I ran an iron over the tape on the silk setting. If it starts peeling I will sew it in.
if you fix it well enough it'll end up stronger then the rest of the canopy.
Get a new kite, it'll be easier and less F'in around
I have fixed a 2' rip in a kite with duct tape it does keep peeling off but its a cheap easy fix ( always pack a roll when on holiday). Tape and glue works fine, Tape and triple stitching would be great. There is a product called kite fix where they cut two kites in half, tape and glue them back (bladders and canopy) and it is as good as new.
