Patched up a 1cm tear on my leading edge. First session out with it. Pumped it up. Whilst laying out the lines. BANG! 1cm = 1m tear. FECK. And a bladder in shreds. DOUBLE FECK.
Clearly not a clever thing to do. Any damage that weakens the LE must be repaired properly. Perhaps common sense...but not to me. :-(
I have got a couple of cuts in the LE of my favourite kite. One is, from memory, almost 1cm, and looked like it only got that way over time. They are the type that were ever so finely cut by some debris that although the kite material was pierced, the bladder was not. A couple of stringers of fabric held them closed, and the simple application of a patch on the inside has seen them hold out for over a year now.
knew a guy with a TD that had his leading edge burst exactly as you describe - this guy had the affinity of doing self launches across shell covered beaches (not wise) well anyway Moti Levi reapaired it no trouble - he can repair a leading edge that you have cut in half with a pair of scissors (as if you would do that). He wasn't expensive either. Also will courier from anywhere.
You can try getting a quote from Bob Dawson too, from Coffs Kiteboarding 02 66585585 or contact me and I can give you his email addy. Bob has over 20 years experience designing and manufacturing kites so he knows how to fix them better than anyone in Oz. Fast service, we use him for many repairs too.
