Ok so I love everything about my Dice, except the canopy material....

I have owned a few Naish and Cabrinahs all with bomb proof canopy material. My new Dice - nope - my brand new kites are starting to look like swiss cheese... with loads of small little canopy nicks / cuts.

I took these photos about 4 days ago, and currently I have added about 6 new patches to my 9m and 2 new patches to my 12m.

I know these little nicks look like shell cuts, and I shouldn't "hot launch" off the beach etc... Yes I know and I haven't been. I have had assisted launches and landings every time (yep lucky me - and for the record - I have no requirements for here - just pleased to be helped). I am also kiting in Dongara so there is heaps of sand and not many shells....

So the question is, is this solely my problem or are there other equally disgruntled North Kite owners out there who are looking at their kites canopy's after a session and saying WTF is going on here?

The top one looks like a line burn.

Possible but unlikely as its about 2 inches? from the main strut and leading edge. I originally thought the yellow plastic bit attached to the valve might have done it as it lines up pretty close...

not much on Dongara beach to give you any dramas at the mo, are the pentagon shaped discs that surround the le to strut nylon or quite stiff ? if so id cut some canopy patch material circular or tearaid which doesn't look as drastic and line the patches up on your canopy, ive done it on some naish and old ozones which when heavily planted would do the same, im always out kiting and have some so give me a wave, im on the ozone kites, enjoy dongara

In one week I put my 9m in the bushes at coro after helping a Pom tourist retrieving his board, and if you've been to coro you'll know it's all low dense shrub with branches an **** everywhere - no punctures or tears.

4 days later I was out on my 6m dice in 35kn winds, came in an packed up, as I picked the kite up a gust came through down at glendining picked the kite up from my hand and it ended 500m downwind in typical dune type bushes, no punctures or tears.

I pump up my ozone edge 9m while waiting for a Perth sea breeze that never came (typical) which iv never put in the water myself or ever hit the land hard and I find a 2cm L shape tear in the canopy.

I always self land an launch my dices no wear anywhere on the kite, iv found the build quality too notch

Boards & More (North Fanatic Ion) is more or less break even the last years. So maybe they need to get more margin by using less quality materials.
Please also note that North uses on several of their models a cheap method to stitch the struts directly onto the canopy which is not so good when you have a canopy problem.

Had about 20 sessions on my 10 with no signs of wear yet. They have been using the same D2 fabric for quite some time with no dramas, A bit odd that all your tears are by your one pump connectors.

Thanks for the feed back.

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arloj said.. In one week I put my 9m in the bushes at coro after helping a Pom tourist retrieving his board, and if you've been to coro you'll know it's all low dense shrub with branches an **** everywhere - no punctures or tears.

4 days later I was out on my 6m dice in 35kn winds, came in an packed up, as I picked the kite up a gust came through down at glendining picked the kite up from my hand and it ended 500m downwind in typical dune type bushes, no punctures or tears.

That sounds like a beating... and kind words.

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cauncy said.. im always out kiting and have some so give me a wave, im on the ozone kites, enjoy dongara

Were you out doing back loops yesterday in a grey rashie?

I had a look at the other tears and they are not all around the connectors - although quite a few are. Having thought about this a lot more, about the only time I reckon I could get these cuts / nicks is when pumping up on the beach. Its about the only time there is land contact, and the kite is upside down.... Unless I am missing something this seems pretty essential to do....

When paying top dollar for a brand name kite would you reasonable expect better quality than this?

Not sure there is a quality issue mate, the fabric is as good as any out there. You need a lot of force to tear the canopy so you have to maybe re-think what you are doing, maybe something sharp on your harness when carrying the kite, something on your board when carrying with kite or what you put on your kite on the beach to hold it down, maybe something in your car, or something sharp in your kite bag?

Too true the amount of times I've seen guys put there boards on there kites fins down as weights and even the board itself can have sharp bits from scratches with rocks, definately think you should do wat you normally do and analyse it til you find wats causing this. Also look at the way your folding your kite I've noticed different models are best folded a certain way.

kill the cat

I have had a think about this...

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Paul1 said..
maybe something sharp on your harness when carrying the kite, something on your board when carrying with kite or what you put on your kite on the beach to hold it down, maybe something in your car, or something sharp in your kite bag?

and pretty sure this is not the issue. I'm sharps safe. And about this

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shane75 said..

Too true the amount of times I've seen guys put there boards on there kites fins down as weights and even the board itself can have sharp bits from scratches with rocks, definately think you should do wat you normally do and analyse it til you find wats causing this. Also look at the way your folding your kite I've noticed different models are best folded a certain way.

I don't use my boards as a weight, but will look at folding as an option.

Dont have one of these...

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cauncy said..

kill the cat

I know sometimes you can just get a bad batch of material. I bought these Mid December at Action Sports WA. Does anyone else have a similar problems with their North Kites bought there around the same time? Could be specific to the colours as well? Any one with issues with the orange and petrol / blue kites?

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cauncy said..

kill the cat

I second that. And the neighbors for good measure.

In the guys defence I've seen him kiting for 2 days here and nothing to suggest any mistreatment, all the nicks seem to line up with valves and the nylon disc which I looked at today,IMOit is quite sharp In places, it's a strange one as a local smashes the **** out of his dices and I checked them today, totally unmarked , generally the cloth is inspected on a light table prior to cutting to spot defects, not a reason to put you off them , all brands have or have had issues

Never had a North kite, but I bought a pair of entity foot straps 2014 and the velcro is rubbish it doesn't stay on no matter what.

I have to constantly put back while I am riding. And I am not the only one....

Cuts don't appear for no reason even on a north. My bet would be it's from while the kites packed up in the bag either too tight or it's had weight on it while being transported.

come to think of it is that second photo stitching coming apart

Looks like the one pump valves are rubbing through to me. That would take pressure and a lot of rubbing. Transport issue?

The guy got them out of the bag, and they were folded and packed better than I ever do, even his missus looked happy for him to be kiting so you can rule out espionage

Is the canopy rubbing on the one pump system or the little yellow plastic hexagon when the kite is flapping while sitting on the beach?

That would be my first guess...

B

We've been on the dices since mid September, I will check and get the others to as well to see if there is any wear in similar places.

I like the cat comment my cat has put tears and pin holes in two sets of foot pads made my birth skim fish pads look like swiss cheese tore to shreds the deck pads did all my seats in the bow rider boat and tries to wee in kite bags um yeah kill the cat ahhh

What is the serial number? Anyone have North Dice's that claim no problem? What are your serial numbers?
I suspect a bad batch here.

Sorry, why do you suspect a bad batch, ONE guy has torn his canopy?

Thanks again for all the feedback. I was personally wondering about this myself...

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Loftywinds said..
Anyone have North Dice's that claim no problem? What are your serial numbers?
I suspect a bad batch here.

And so that is why I was asking here if anybody else have had the same issues? If so there would be an issue. Certainly be interested to see if Eppo's crew have had similar troubles.

Its not that I have torn my canopy, I just getting heaps of little nicks and cuts that really should have never occurred... I'm pretty careful on the pack ups etc... and the stitching is fine!

My serial numbers are: GNK14DI090614 and GNK14DI120153

Anyone else in the same boat?

Have put the word out. Friday will check as that looks the best for wind. Worth looking into.

Well Sams dice **** itself in the gap at Horrocks. I guess that was a bladder failure, not a cloth qa problem though. He did get a 5* rescue service to compensate haha

Could it be that the canopy gets caught in the zipper of the lite bag?

Looks like the kind of damage that occurs to almost everything that travels in our trailer or camper for a trip to NW WA. Could it be the result of travelling on rough or corrugated roads? Perhaps with a bit of extra pace due to anticipation of amazing conditions? Same thing has happened to us with other high quality kites particularly when boards were placed on top of kites.

Just checked 3 dice kites an hour ago on the beach, one of them has had at least 100 sessions (a 12m, bloody light down here way too often) on it. Not a scratch, infact the canopy itself feels like new. Me thinks there must have been a packing situation maybe? I know we only fold the kite once over??

lots of others following with the double ripstop incl Cabrinha, Fone, Ozone???

can't be that bad then