Ok, frustration. I bought an as new kite the other day, a Cabrinha X-Bow 12m.
It was in really good nick so I thought I was onto a good deal, as it happens perhaps i wasn't. The wind was a nice NE so I took my new buddy down to the beach for a ride, I got it out of its bag (still nice an crisp mmmm) after I pump it up im walking upwind to lay out my lines and I hear a massive bang! It scared the be jebus out of me! I turned around to feel my heart drop as my semi deflated X-Bow was flying off downwind only to wrap around some trees.

I know it's a kite that is a few years old now, and I know it's in no way the sellers fault, but you would think it would last longer than one session. I'm sure in it's hey day this kite was meant to be leading the charge in kite design and safety? Has this happened to anyone else?

Watch out at the wingtips and strut ends as sometimes the velcro bits wiggle loose allowing the bladder to set itself free!

Happened to me once on a road trip without a repair kit...

I was flying my 15 about 2 months and got and got my girlfriend to help land it. She grab's on to the leading edge and called me over, I ran to see what she was yeling about and there was an inch long hole with bladder poking out. It wasn't there whent the kite was pumped or launched so must have been due to weakened fabric finally giving up. Bladder didn't blow miracuously, but could have easiy happened. So even if it appears like your leading edge is fine it may have some defect that just needs the added pressure of the pumped up bladder to give out.
Still surprised my bladder survived

kitefriend said...

Ok, frustration. I bought an as new kite the other day, a Cabrinha X-Bow 12m.
It was in really good nick so I thought I was onto a good deal, as it happens perhaps i wasn't. The wind was a nice NE so I took my new buddy down to the beach for a ride, I got it out of its bag (still nice an crisp mmmm) after I pump it up im walking upwind to lay out my lines and I hear a massive bang! It scared the be jebus out of me! I turned around to feel my heart drop as my semi deflated X-Bow was flying off downwind only to wrap around some trees.

I know it's a kite that is a few years old now, and I know it's in no way the sellers fault, but you would think it would last longer than one session. I'm sure in it's hey day this kite was meant to be leading the charge in kite design and safety? Has this happened to anyone else?

Take it in to see the guys at Surf FX, they can fix it. Or take it down to see Moti, he should be able to fix bladder and the hole in the LE.

Any small cut can suddenly become a large blowout, and it can happen blowing up a kite, but it does sound a bit suss, so maybe contact the seller?

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

I had it happen to my trusty old 13m. Due to light winds i gave it an extra 3-4 pumps but then sat on the beach for a fair while waiting for the wind to pick up (which I never do). After about 40 mins i finally went to launch and BANG!! The bloke holding up the kite had instant skids. From now on I resist the extra pumps and if i am gonna wait for wind I will leave it half inflated and go the extra when the wind is actuallly in. The heat on the sand added to the pressure in the bladder/on the seams heaps. Live n learn.

I think you have the right attitude there kitefriend. Sometimes these things happen and if there was no previous repair then the owner probably had no idea it was likely to happen. Get your kite to a decent repairer and it will fly pretty much like new for a couple of cartons of beer costs.

BTW - don't let it dampen your stoke for the kite. After reiring mine I was suss on taking it out for a fair while so spent a few underpowered seshs on my small kite. Eventually i got it out and had the best lightwind sesh i have ever had. Was a fantastic sesh and wish i had used the kite more post repair.

Good luck.

kitefriend said...
a Cabrinha X-Bow 12m. ...........
flying off downwind only to wrap around some trees.

Cabrinah ---- Tree surely not

hux said...
nice story buddy.
i call it karma.
baawahaa

At least it was a story and not just some incoherent block of text.

I still don't get how they build up static to the point of magnetising attraction to trees though.

Seriously I have only seen about half a dozen kites go into trees. Every single one was Cab of some sort. Bizarro.

If buying secon hand, always check for foliage tucked behind LE.

Have seen and heard of a few "exploding kites" several brands, none in particular, one or two where the leading edge has busted wide open, mostly just the bladder puncturing.

Had my first bladder blow out on my last session, kited for about 2 hours, came in, put the kite down, got a drink out of my bag, turned around and the leading edge had deflated !!!

After carefully removing the one pump hoses and removing the whole bladder I found it had burst about an inch from the end where the bladder gets "bunched up" at the tip - aparrently a weak point in all LEI kites ?

The general area was showing signs of stretching from abbrasion where the flaps that enclose the LE tips fold over the bladder.

Maybe a suggestion for improvement would be to sew this aperture shut so that the bladders fits more snugly and have access points along the LE for removing the bladder rather than pulling it out through the ends ??

Italian eh? He would have dived for cover and waived a white flag as soon as the first boom went off?

Yes was an X-bow 1 and it wasn't overly inflated. It blew out about a half metre hole in the centre of the leading edge (cloth and bladder).
I can understand why some peoples kite burst when they are pumping up to 10psi and the like, then on top of that placing it on hot sand or hot sun. But when you pump up only to 6psi i dont see why this should happen, especially seeing the kite was in great nick (probably used about 10 times). Just glad I wasn't doing a downwinder around a headland or something at the time haha.