Hey everyone,
i'm looking into buying my first kite (turbo diesel) and wanted to know if kites that have been repaired have any life taking out of them? sounds dumb but whats the go??

i've read heaps of info about other topics in the search area so hopefully you's can help me and someone else down the track!

cheers

ryboi

I've recently started kiting with a second-hand Cabrihna Switchblade 2 that has various repairs - one through the middle of the canopy and three to the leading edge bladder.

I purchased the kite because I'd heard of the Switchblade's good reputation, AND because the price was right (due partly to the repairs).

I was assured by the retailer (who I'd also heard good, reputable things about) that the repairs had been done professionally and would not be an issue down the track.

So, there you go ... not exactly what you wanted to hear, but hope it helps somewhat.

I think the main thing is to make sure the repairs are professional, not rushed/dodgy and not done hastily by by some hack in their backyard/livingroom!

Cheers,
Diz

any repairs that have been done by Moti Levi on the Gold Coast are stronger than the original kite - I would expect to pay a little less for a repaired kite but if it's been done well it won't break in that place again.

cool well yeh that's what i wanted to here guys.... just wanted to make sure the kite's life hasn't been shorten. it's probly gonna cop a hammering from me to start with but i guess that's the fun of learning!

thanks again

neil taylor in perth... if he fixed it, its fine

repairs are a good way of picking up a kite cheap second hand.

One point-not mentioned-is that kites spend a lot of time in UV and this leads to a breakdown (I believe of the resins) of the material-so, you'd want to find out WHY and HOW the kite was damaged to determine whether the damage was a result of kite material failure due to material degradation or as a result of excess force to material which still has integrity.

Make sense?

uv makes the kite absorb water and become heavy cus the water proofing stuff stuffs up... can be fixed with some oil unsure of what one though

hey cheers guy it's good to be in a sport where everyone helps each other out!!

Any decent kite repairs will be stronger than the original kite in that spot, the question is, why did the kite need repairs? They may not shorten it's life, but if it is old and worn it may be running out of life anyway.

If, however, some idiot like GreenPat muffed a self launch and draped it over something sharp and put a slice in it then there's nothing to worry about.

I would say to you though, if this is your first kite then you're on a winner. Most people give their first kites a hiding and they generally have pretty short lives anyway. If you save a couple of hundred dollars on it and put it towards your second kite you'll get much better value for money. This may seem obvious in hindsight but the lure of new and sparkly can often overtake responsible purchasing. You will be putting it in the water and on the sand a lot at first, and it will wear faster than the next one, that's just a universal truth.

I'm on kite number six now (not counting a trainer which I bought, for some reason, after the first three LEIs). Worth every cent.

Hey Ryboi,

Any kite repaired by Neil of "Hold the Line kites" is repaired by a true craftsman. His repairs are bombproof and he knows how to repair with little to no difference in kite performance.

I took Neil a kite repaired by some idiot who thought it would be great to cut away the tattered edges of a repair he had done (the idiot), he chopped out up to 20mm and Phucked the kite! I took it to Neil and he spent some time repairing the repair. The first time Neil said he couldn't guarantee the flight characteristics of the kite..... naturally it flew beautifully.

A good professional repair is stronger than the original kite. It's just asthetics.

Good winds,

yer niels way better than the Chinese 12 year old that put the kite together in the first place

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kitecrazzzy said...

uv makes the kite absorb water and become heavy cus the water proofing stuff stuffs up... can be fixed with some oil unsure of what one though

Don't think that's right mate. The material ITSELF breaks down due to the effect of UV (and wind).

nice well i reakon i'm on to a good one then

When looking at second hand kites, repairs are fine as long as they are done professionally. What you should do is hold the kite material up towards the sun and see if any light is coming through from tiny pinprick holes in the canopy. If it is it means the kite is probably on its last legs and may cost you even more in repairs. The trailing edge is normally the worst affected area. Happy Hunting

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loco4olas said...

kitecrazzzy said...

uv makes the kite absorb water and become heavy cus the water proofing stuff stuffs up... can be fixed with some oil unsure of what one though

Don't think that's right mate. The material ITSELF breaks down due to the effect of UV (and wind).

yer, thats a given but the waxy feel to the kite when its new stops if from absorbing water and being heavy to relaunch. im probably wrong about UV, its just from use that they start to become water logged.

Mate, just look into the quality of the fabric and see how much has it aged.

If you hold the fabric into the light and see plenty of white lines across it, then it means that
1) the fabric has aged quite a bit due to being exposed to too many hours of sunlight
2) and/or the kite was left flapping in the wind alot.

In this case if the material has already aged so much, you can be sure that it is going to rip again if you crash it hard.

Otherwise, most repaired kites work just as well as before. Find out who fixed it. Neil from Perth and Moti from the Gold Coast are both top blokes.

theres a good one, 10m kite on the for sale page. check it out...