Hi All,
First post on seabreeze as i am pretty new to the kiteboarding scene and only got into the sport recently. (Lovin it!!! ) Firstly let me say thanks to all people giving info on these forums - It definitely helped me aquire some good info before i hopped in and got lessons, equipment etc.
Anyway, I have just noticed a tiny hole on the canopy of the kite. It is only about 1 or 2mm in diameter and is about 30cm down from the leading edge. Do you think its worth worrying about? Is there a chance the wind could make it worse? I dont want to jeapordise the kite when its probably a pretty simple job to fix.
If so, is it something i could do myself with some sort of repair kit (can you do a repair which will be unnoticable for such a small hole? Maybe a clear repair?)? Or is it a job for a pro?
Let me know if a picture is needed and i will post up.
Thanks for any replies and advice.
Cheers,
Ben
Go to your local kite shop & you shoud be able to purchase some sail tape they might have some thats the clear type or a colour close to the colour of your canopy. If they dont have it try a boating (sail ) store. Make sure you clean the area with fresh water so its salt free then let it dry. Cut a circle aprox 1 cm bigger than the hole, for the size of the hole you have described the size of a 10 cent piece should be ample. do the same for the other side. then peel the backing off & stick it over the hole, that should sort it. Good luck.
Mark
Hold the lines . Awsome repair shop for bigger holes but he will sell if not give you a bit of tape for the size of ur repair .357 cambridge street wembley
Go the sail tape for something that small mate. If you don't have a kite shop close then a chandlery (yacht shop) will have all the colours of the rainbow. As stated above, make sure you cut a circle or at least a very rounded edge shape for your patch to avoid the patch lifting over time.
Make sure you fix any small hole as soon as you can with some repair tape , I have had a small tear instantly turn into a split from front to back when the kite is loaded up :(
The tape is an easier option than a full repair !
Sail Tape or even better a sail number ( cut down to the right size etc.... ) just dont expect to be able to remove it any time soon.
The sail numbers are far far stickier than the sail tape.
mate the sail number stuff is called integra im prettey sure and it comes from bainbridge international.
Thanks for the replies guys. I ended up heading down and seeing Neil @ Hold the Line kites in Wembley. Top bloke who ended up giving me the patches in the exact colour i was needing, and also some extra patches for future use. He also gave some good tips on kite maintanence too (like washing down with fresh water every month, and not letting the trailing edge flap around when sitting on the beach)
Had a search on the net to find out about this stickyback sail number stuff and didn't have much luck finding a place which would just sell small amounts of it. Will keep it in mind if this sail tape doesn't hold though.
Now i just have to wait for some bloody decent wind to pickup again! These easterlies are killin me! Can't believe there's pretty much no places to kiteboard on easterlies in Perth! Do you think the season has some more good breezes in it yet, or are we pretty much finished until later in the year?
Ben
Some tips when using sail tape / patches:
1. cut off corners (stays better)
2. put iron on lowest, then heat the patch a little after applying it. If in doubt (iron too hot) use a tea towel in between. With sail tape you can see the change as the glue melts/cures. Sail tape will stick without doing this but much better stick if you do it.
Iron or hairdryer....... very important that you do this as it really helps with the sticking.
See how the patches go but I have never had one last more than a few weeks.
Sail numbers can be bought at almost any sailing shop just buy a number 1 for about $7
As another poster said cut the corners ie: round off all corners.... I cut mine in circles and this prevents the edges starting to lift.