Toolbox for DIY kite repairs

Hi all,

First off for the haters out there: I don't claim to be a kite repair expert and this is not intended to be an official or complete guide of any kind.

Working in a school with no less than 20 kites and being influenced by the strong DIY culture in Australia, I had to learn to solve most problems myself over the years. I Just thought I'd be sharing what I think makes a decent toolbox for DIY kite repairs along with some very basic info mainly to help inexperienced people get into it as well as gather some input/advice from other more experienced repairers out there.

1-Spray bottle with soapy water.

This is how I managed to find just about any leak, even very tiny ones. A soapy sponge also works. A large swimming pool can be quite handy for finding leaks.
One thing I learned about tiny leaks is you need decent pressure to find them, so I find it's sometimes necessary to overinflate the kite just to find the leaks. At the end of each session when opening your struts clips before deflating the kite, if you hear a ''psshhh'' of air flowing while opening all the clips, you have a leak somewhere in your leading edge. If only one of them is leaking, you most likely have a leak in that strut somewhere and not in the LE.

2-Permanent marker.

This is mainly for marking the leaking spot on your bladder before cleaning and patching it. If you don't mind marking your LE with a tiny black dot, I find that you can even mark the leaking area through the LE dacron material down to the bladder material so that when you take the bladder out for repair it's quicker to locate the exact leaking spot when re-inflating the bladder.


3-Alcohol swabs.

Essential for cleaning the bladder or kite canopy before applying any patch. Make sure the area is completely dry before applying the patch. If you have to remove thick old glue Meth spirits is pretty effective as alcohol won't work most times.

4-Very fine grit sand paper.

This can help in improving adherence of the patch in some repair scenarios.

5- Type A Tear Aid.

Probably the most important and most frequently used of all. Make sure it's not Type B (for other materials). I recently found that adherence is poor in cold and humid environment (in winter). Working next to a heat source solved this problem. The key when applying Tear Aid is to work on a flat surface and avoid creases or bubbles which will most likely be a source of leak.

6-Good tape.

This is mostly for taping the bladder material on a flat surface before doing any repair, this greatly increases your chances of success. I'm not sure if some tapes are better/more recommended than others? You can also use tape to temporarily fix leaks in your pump hose.

7-Small cable ties.

Essential if you're doing any bladder repair that involves taking out the LE or strut bladder(s). The key is to avoid using larger ones as small ones seem to grip better. Something I learned recently is that tightening the cable ties with bare hands can be insufficient and lead to the strut tube popping off upon kite crash. A simple solution is to use a pair of pliers to pull the extra few more notches and make it extra tight and avoid bad surprises.

8-Multi-tool.

Great for traveling as you can have most tools all-in-one. Some bars parts use tiny hex keys which you will need to service them.

9-Sharp scissors.

This is to cut smoothly through tear aid. Sharp box cutters help make incisions in more complex bladder repairs. Some pliers have a flat section which you can use to help undo tight knots in your lines.

10- Needle and thread.

This may look like some usual thread, but it's actually called bonded polyester thread (strong, UV and salt resistant) and is what kite manufacturers use for sewing leading edge material. It comes in various thicknesses and is great to repair small sections of leading edge stiches that came undone. A strong needle and a pair of pliers will help you do this by hand. If desperate, you can use dental floss which is also pretty strong. You can also use that to fix wetsuit tears.

11-Bungee cord.

I use this to replace the broken or fading bungee cord holding tension in some chicken loop fingers. You can also use it to replace a broken elastic around your bar ends to keep your lines from falling off the bar.

12-Line tuning tool.

This is a simply built tool that will make line tuning much easier and quicker and give you the ability to do it just about anywhere.

13-Pick.

I find this helpful for undoing any knot around your lines. This one is up for debate, but I find a carefully inserted pick in a knot that's been watered and loosened a bit with the flat section of a pair of pliers won't inflict much damage to your lines and I find is much quicker than just using your fingers or chewing hard on your line.

14-Super glue.

I mostly use this for gluing back sections of footpads peeling off on boards. Not sure which glue would be better, but I had great success with a few different types so far. Super glue also works great for gluing back your pump hose coming off. When a pump hose is leaking next to the ends I prefer cutting off the damaged part and re-gluing it back together. Taping over the leaking part eventually fades off and leaks again.
It's generally recommended to avoid doing any kite repairs with glue.


15-Self Adhesive Dacron

This is pretty much self-stick leading edge material. I would strongly recommend requesting the services of a professional for fixing leading edge tears. But if you've got a small tear and you're traveling far away from kite shops and sail makers or just want to reinforce an area of leading edge that's starting to show signs of weaknesses, that's the stuff. To maximize the strength it's best to patch it from the inside and outside of the bladder casing.

16-Ripstop tape.

This is similar to your canopy material and can help in temporary repairs of tears in your canopy. I would still strongly recommend having any canopy tears permanently fixed by a professional unless it's a very small tear (up to a few cm). Tear aid can also be used for very small canopy tears, but I wouldn't use it for larger tears as it can be very hard to take off and make a future professional repair very painful.

17-Multi-purpose grease.

I've been using this to re-grease noisy and sticky pumps with good success. (undo the screw cap on top of your pump and lube the seals). I'm unsure if there are better products for this?

18-22.

I would mostly take those spare parts for traveling, especially when far from any kite shop. It's good to have spare screws for your board (foot straps and fins) in case you lose one in the water. Spare valves and caps are great in case one breaks or leaks. It's a good idea to bring self-stick spare valves and self-stick strut valves as well.

The thinner pump hose adapter (green one on photo) is great for inflating struts when checking for leaks, it's the only one that fits.

Spare bladders, lines and other spare bar parts (depower rope, chicken loop) could be a life saver if on a trip somewhere far away and can make the difference between keeping kiting and having to cut the trip short.

As for the detailed how-to parts, I found most Youtube videos to be well made and very helpful. Also, these days a few major kite brands are making their own kite repair videos which are great and specific to the gear you need to fix.

Experienced shop people are also a good start and probably the best place to have your first repairs done especially if you gear is relatively new, and a great opportunity to watch and learn if the repair is being done in front of you.

Thanks for reading,

Christian

Thanks mate keep up the good work AP

Thank you, I learned a bunch of tricks and the pic will be a great model to organize my toolbox (aka my passenger seat area).

Great post!
why would anyone 'hate' you for this is beyond me. Well done.
I too have a similar repair kit. One thing missing is talcom powder. Invaluable when sliding back the bladders, especially the LE bladder to avoid twists.
glues are tricky. You need them to make bladder repairs and to help seal the mesh around a strut repair. Getting the right glues for the right repairs is crucial, but superglue? I am surprised at that one, as it's so brittle and easily breaks. I never thought of using it. Thanks!
a good sewing machine and of course kilometers of ripstop tape in as many colours as you can get. I get mine from a Chinese supplier, cheap and it's the original stuff sold here.

Awesome post, heaps of great ideas
Regarding the grease, try "rubber grease" from auto shops, designed for rubber brake diaphragms etc, works at treat to overhaul pumps