Hey Guys,
Before everyone starts running around patching rips in their canopy, know this. The front third of the kite is where all the lift is generated which means that it is also the area under the most significant load. If you have a 2 inch tear in the canopy in the front 1/3rd of the kites canopy, use the rip stop tape only as a VERY TEMPORARY measure, it needs to be sewn as well.
This is because it is under high load, it is the area of the kite where most of the impact is distributed in the event of a crash, and when the glue gets hot, it melts and allows the patch to slide which stretches the material and eventually fails resulting in a massive tear and a possible panel replacement costing plenty and even worse, no kite for a week.
If you are going to place a patch on a kite, here is the guff: Firstly wash the kite with some mild detergent and rinse it allowing it to dry completely. Find a nice smooth flat surface to work on. If it is a 2 inch tear, cut out a rectangle at least 4 inches wide and 6 inches long, then cut the corners using a 20 cent piece as a gauge for rounding the corners.
Now cut out a backing rectangle an inch longer and an inch wider than the first one rounding the corners same as you did with the 20 cent piece. Once both patches are ready to go, lay the kite on the flat surface and align the tear perfectly. If it is an "L" shaped tear, cut some pieces of rip stop tape a 1/4 inch wide and 1/2 an inch long to use as "Stitches" on one side of the patch to hold it in alignment as you apply the patch. Apply one patch on the other side of the canopy from the "Stitches".
Once you have the patch on, remove the "Stitches" and apply the other bigger patch making sure you do noy align either edge of the patches together, you need an equal space overlap all the way around. (Lining up the patches or using equal sized patches creates a 3 ply thickness to end along a firm line on the original 1 ply thickness of the canopy. When flapping, the patch wont flap and the canopy will, resulting in weakening of the canopy along the three ply edge of the patch.)
Once the patches are on both front and back, place the kite in the sun and allow it to get hot, then with the back of a spoon, rub the patch all over which forces the hot glue on the tape, to impregnate the cloth forming a really good bond. It will turn darker as the glue squishes into the weave of the cloth of the canopy.
Then you are right to go. Again, if it is in the front 1/3rd of the canopy or in the wingtips, get it sewn as well, I'd be surprised if it costs you more than about $5 bucks. Do it properly and you should have no more worries, bodgying this kind of repair can end in a massive tear and an expensive repair.
Hope this helps,
