after kiting in the sydney rain last night i had to hang my kite up in the garage to dry which was just as well as i discovered a small (2cm)'L' shape tear in the canopy located toward one end (i suspect the cause of this may have been during a self launch at some time, catching a stick or something on the beach). i dont reckon i'd have seen the tear if it wasnt for hanging it up and inspecting it. anyhow i have some 'rip-stop' tape and plan to patch the tear on both sides of the canopy. i have searched the forums and got some handy tips but thought i should post a quick note in case anyone has some further super tips to ensure my repair dosent fail. thanks heaps, nads.
Sounds like the perfect plan. Just tape it back and front with sufficient coverage (at least a cm either side of the tear) and rounded corners on the tape and it will last almost forever! Make sure the kite is clean and dry!
make the repair tape on one side about 0.5cm bigger than on the other, so that the kite doesnt always fold across the repair and wear out at the edge of the tape
If the rip-stop tape you've got is the same stuff they use for sail numbers (coloured, cloth-like, you peel the backing off before sticking it on) then there's a trick to getting it to stay on. I get my patch material from the local kiteboarding shop. A 10cm by 50cm piece costs around $10, and you can get it in lots of different colours.
1) Cut the right size patch x2 (for both sides).
2) Stick one patch on the top side of the kite.
3) Lay the kite on a piece of carpet or an ironing board, and put a teatowel over the patch.
4) Set your iron to the middle of its range, on most irons this is indicated by two dots.
5) Iron the teatowel firmly for about a minute.
6) Flip the kite over and go back to step 2.
Ironing the patch makes the glue melt to the kite, and means that it never comes off. Rounded corners help here too.
Don't buy it from a kite shop, just go to your local sailmaker or repairer and they'll have heaps of off cuts sitting in the bin that they'll give you for nicks! I understand the concept with the iron, but pretty risky! Just leave it in the sun for 5 mins. A yachtie never puts an iron anywhere near his sail to get this stuff to work.
