Has anyone tried Nikwax or other product to re-coat an old kite? My kite is about 3 years old now and starting to show its age. Nikwax makes a product for tents to renew waterproof and UV protection, and was thinking about giving it a try. Considering it's my first and only kite, also thinking maybe it's time to expand my quiver with a larger kite.

I don't think it would be worth it. It is not going to provide any inherent strength, just fills in the pores in the fabric and adds weight.

if your kite is 3 years from new then it doesn't need it, the material will be fine for a long time to come.

There have been reports that the Nikwax just doesn't last that long. The protective coating ing is on the yarn of the canopy thread pre manufacturing.

Surprised no product is available to to fix this problem.

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L8Start said..
Has anyone tried Nikwax or other product to re-coat an old kite? My kite is about 3 years old now and starting to show its age. Nikwax makes a product for tents to renew waterproof and UV protection, and was thinking about giving it a try. Considering it's my first and only kite, also thinking maybe it's time to expand my quiver with a larger kite.

Don't waste your money, the product will not make your kite last longer and may damage the resin coating of the cloth. The best thing to prolong the life of any kite is to pack it up and get it out of the sun and wind when you have finished using it.
If you have the kiting bug then definitely expand your quiver as it will get you more days on the water!

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If you have the kiting bug then definitely expand your quiver as it will get you more days on the water!

If you buy an additional kite, you will share the UV exposure between two kites which will keep them both in good nick, much longer. Having an additional kite also means you wont be riding so lit that your kite will be flapping and such further extending its life.

DM

So you're saying if you don't buy another kite basically you'll be losing money and it pays for itself?

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ActionSportsWA said..

If you have the kiting bug then definitely expand your quiver as it will get you more days on the water!

If you buy an additional kite, you will share the UV exposure between two kites which will keep them both in good nick, much longer. Having an additional kite also means you wont be riding so lit that your kite will be flapping and such further extending its life.

DM

Lol

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KPSS Used said..

L8Start said..
Has anyone tried Nikwax or other product to re-coat an old kite? My kite is about 3 years old now and starting to show its age. Nikwax makes a product for tents to renew waterproof and UV protection, and was thinking about giving it a try. Considering it's my first and only kite, also thinking maybe it's time to expand my quiver with a larger kite.

Don't waste your money, the product will not make your kite last longer and may damage the resin coating of the cloth. The best thing to prolong the life of any kite is to pack it up and get it out of the sun and wind when you have finished using it.
If you have the kiting bug then definitely expand your quiver as it will get you more days on the water!

Thanks... my biggest concern was that the compound might not be compatible with the original coating.

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CH3MTR4IL5 said..
I don't think it would be worth it. It is not going to provide any inherent strength, just fills in the pores in the fabric and adds weight.

if your kite is 3 years from new then it doesn't need it, the material will be fine for a long time to come.

The idea isn't to provide strength, but to add a UV protective layer to prevent further decay. Yes, would add weight - the kite is already heavy compared to newer models - but if I got a second kite, this one would be relegated to stronger winds, so the weight would be less an issue. Having two kites would reduce the exposure of each one (depending on wind conditions or whether you inflated it and left it on the beach as a back-up. Sidenote: the idea would be only coating the top of the kite; not the bottom - since the top gets the most UV exposure. Overall though, seems no one does this.

I don't know about the UV resistance, but for me the main problem when the kite is getting old is that it takes water if you drop it and then doesn't fly properly till it is dry again which takes quite a bit of time. Nikwax works perfectly for that issue, you can see that the water is perling again on the fabric and doesn't get into it anymore, so the kite flies well straight away.
It goes away with time, but really slowly, unless you get your kite dragged on the sand by waves.
I weight before and after application and couldn't pick up much difference at all.
Still doesn't sound as crispy as a new kite, but definitely worth it if you want to extend the life of the kite.
Another drawback though, is that nothing sticks to fabric after, so you can't use the adhesive fabric tape to fix little holes once you applied the Nikwax.

Yes ive tried this.
waist of money i would say as kite is worn out before i could tell if it made any difference.
big not was i couldnt use any "Tearaid" repair tape as it had the coating on it that stopped Tear aid sticking at all so had to then try and get it out of material for a repair.