Hi Guys,

I know this may vary from make to make and also on how careful people are with their equipment. In general how many sessions does a kite last ? By this I mean stays safe with a reduced risk of failing (lines breaking, bladder / valve leakage).

Thanks,

Ben (Perth WA)

How long is a piece of string?? There will be kites out there that are sub 2010 and still good and kites that have been flogged with many hours in the sun that date from 2015 ?? The windsurfing monofilm sails apparently had around 300 hrs of sunlight before the uv ate them away - Ive no idea what the 'sun hours' are for a kite canopy but I suspect its longer ??

I have a kite with over 350 hours genuine use. The canopy is quite porous, you can sort of see through it. Everything else is fine and it works just fine. I recently bought some new kites and I now use them most of the time, mainly because they're new and more surf oriented and that is what I want to ride.

I would be more concerned about the lines and chicken loop line. Kite lines may or may not break, but it's very damaging to the confidence if you're doing some big moves with old lines. Think of replacing them around 200 hours.

Plain chicken loop line looks a bit shabby approaching 100 hours of use. The plastic covered ones don't wear at all, but you can get some wear at the points they attach to other parts.

With modern kites you can get away with one bar for all the sizes. If you buy a new bar and lines every 2-3-4 years you will always have one in good condition and can keep the others for spares or running different line lengths.

when you're a noob 12 months, when you're intermediate 24 months, when you're advanced 18 months (sell trade or trash) when you're pro non sponsored 9 months, pro sponsored 2 months

Years if well looked after

My 2012 gear still shreds harder than you.

Haaa ^^ yeah if you are fortunate enough to have pure sand or grass at yout local, it will help the longevity of the kite too.
Lines are a mysterious thing, rated to huge strength and your never sure how long they will actually last...

We worry about bar line breakage - though truth is, the kite bridle line is tiny on some kites and you never change them at all... death loop fear marketing at its best lol

I look after my gear well, but am not anal about it (as in I don't hose my kites down or anything like that).
I don't let them flap in the wind when not in use and make sure I pack them up without a ton of sand in them. If the kite is wet at the end of a session I give it a couple more runs until dry before I pack them up. I pay attention that I don't land or launch in oysters, sharp rocks etc, but really just use common sense.
My kites are about 3-4 years old and literally look like new despite regular use. And I'm talking crisp canopy. The material is incredibly sturdy and hard to damage. Same goes for the bladder, although I did have to replace a valve which is easy to do in 30 mins. I don't expect I need new kites for some more years.

Now this is a different story to the lines. I have managed to rip two bridle lines and one safety line. So you should pay much closer attention to the condition of your lines as even with considerate use they will wear much faster than your canopy will.

As soon as I spot some minor damage to the lines I go and replace it. It's not because I fear a front line break and the kite going into the death loop though. There was a video where the guy showed what happens if you cut a front line and the kite actually doesn't go into a death loop at all. So I'm not worried about that.
It's just **** when you want to kite more and have to sail back to the beach coz of a line break.

My 8m is my most used kite and still going strong 5 years on.

I'm thinking 150-200 sessions. 300-400 hours. If you don't tomahawk your kite and rinse it through big waves often

No reason i kite cant last you a few years. Bar and lines not as long. Sun, heat and how much you use it and treat it will shorten the life span accordingly. Just like your girlfriend.

Many thanks guys for all your comments and insight. Really helpful. I have been told several times that kites are manufactured for 100 sessions so that's obviously marketing bulls***. I look after my gear and check it out regularly so I should be able to keep them for longer than expected. I will Pay more attention to my safety line though as this seems to wear fairly quickly.

cheers, Ben

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Kajo said..
I look after my gear well, but am not anal about it (as in I don't hose my kites down or anything like that).
I don't let them flap in the wind when not in use and make sure I pack them up without a ton of sand in them. If the kite is wet at the end of a session I give it a couple more runs until dry before I pack them up. I pay attention that I don't land or launch in oysters, sharp rocks etc, but really just use common sense.
My kites are about 3-4 years old and literally look like new despite regular use. And I'm talking crisp canopy. The material is incredibly sturdy and hard to damage. Same goes for the bladder, although I did have to replace a valve which is easy to do in 30 mins. I don't expect I need new kites for some more years.

Now this is a different story to the lines. I have managed to rip two bridle lines and one safety line. So you should pay much closer attention to the condition of your lines as even with considerate use they will wear much faster than your canopy will.

As soon as I spot some minor damage to the lines I go and replace it. It's not because I fear a front line break and the kite going into the death loop though. There was a video where the guy showed what happens if you cut a front line and the kite actually doesn't go into a death loop at all. So I'm not worried about that.
It's just **** when you want to kite more and have to sail back to the beach coz of a line break.

Thanks Kajo. I'll keep an eye on those lines ! I've seen the video too. Excellent explanation !

I go through lines mainly due to sand that I pick up when I am launching. As soon as I can after I launch, I dunk the bar and lines to get rid of the sand.

Most of my kite wear comes from self launching. Sticks, rocks, sand.....all very abrasive.

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bigtone667 said..
I go through lines mainly due to sand that I pick up when I am launching. As soon as I can after I launch, I dunk the bar and lines to get rid of the sand.

Most of my kite wear comes from self launching. Sticks, rocks, sand.....all very abrasive.

I like tether launching with a rope and sturdy clip off my bull bar when ever I can - generally reduces the slicing and dicing that come with kites sliding over the shells rocks twigs etc on the beach.
There is a guy here on seabreeze selling his hand made sand anchors - not a bad option when you cant drive your 4b'y onto the beach - check out Wombles page.

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Lambie said..

bigtone667 said..
I go through lines mainly due to sand that I pick up when I am launching. As soon as I can after I launch, I dunk the bar and lines to get rid of the sand.

Most of my kite wear comes from self launching. Sticks, rocks, sand.....all very abrasive.

I like tether launching with a rope and sturdy clip off my bull bar when ever I can - generally reduces the slicing and dicing that come with kites sliding over the shells rocks twigs etc on the beach.
There is a guy here on seabreeze selling his hand made sand anchors - not a bad option when you cant drive your 4b'y onto the beach - check out Wombles page.

Thanks. Yes I have a homemade anchor too that I use whenever I can for self launching rather than dragging the kite across the abrasive sand and shells. Only works when I have a post or something solid to tie onto though. I'll check out Wombles page

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Lambie said..

bigtone667 said..
I go through lines mainly due to sand that I pick up when I am launching. As soon as I can after I launch, I dunk the bar and lines to get rid of the sand.

Most of my kite wear comes from self launching. Sticks, rocks, sand.....all very abrasive.

I like tether launching with a rope and sturdy clip off my bull bar when ever I can - generally reduces the slicing and dicing that come with kites sliding over the shells rocks twigs etc on the beach.
There is a guy here on seabreeze selling his hand made sand anchors - not a bad option when you cant drive your 4b'y onto the beach - check out Wombles page.

Lambie, I can't find Wombles page. Do you have a link ?

Thanks

Hi think this is what Lambie is referring to

www.rapidanchor.com/index.htm

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Plummet said..
My 8m is my most used kite and still going strong 5 years on.

I'm thinking 150-200 sessions. 300-400 hours. If you don't tomahawk your kite and rinse it through big waves often

Had a 2013 rpm that did about this, replaced trim line twice, restitched trailing edge, leading edge bladder once,
dropped it in overhead waves and put it in the trash last year, still crispy but in 3 pieces

Any kite should last you years if you look after it. Pretty big waste of money if your brand new kite doesn't last more than a year, let alone several.

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Lambie said..
Im not sure how good the above anchor is - the rapid anchor ?? anyone got any experince with it??

The one I was thinking of is made by a Kitesurfer here in Vic and I think this is the link to his proven kite surfing anchor
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/carrum-downs/surfing/kitesurfing-sand-anchor/1131353509

Looks pretty sturdy. May be worth giving this one a go.