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Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

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Topaz
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby Topaz » Mon Apr 05, 2021 12:56 pm

Good to know. My oldest North's are from 2015. No issues so far. South Florida weather.
Do you know aprox how many sessions you put in your kites? Do they usually seat on the beach long?

supachip1
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby supachip1 » Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:24 pm

no, light use, kept in the shade as much as poss, always washed & cool stored. Although my dyno is 2013 its been used less then 10 times, so for that to also go i was pissed to say the least! the rest range from 2012-16 and all gone the same way 55 valves in total!!, it's a pain as the inflate ones also mean the deflater pin is missing. i've managed to Macgyver it but still . i'm guessing it's the sun & UV that is breaking it down. certainly wouldn't buy any new duotone kit based on this.
.

Alfman
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby Alfman » Tue Jun 22, 2021 11:07 am

So i have this Solo 15.5 that is starting to show some trailing edge wear. I was thinking about buying ripstop nylon adhesive tape 15cm and than stitching .
Is that a good option?
I would also like to re coat with acrylic cement sealing diluted in water. Anyone with some reviews on that type of re coating?

Thanks in advance

airsail
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby airsail » Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:27 pm

Refitting valves to old kites. Replacement valves cost a fortune, clean and rebond original valves using PVC cement. But, prep the surfaces with plumbers primer first, you get a much better bond.

Hugh2
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby Hugh2 » Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:38 pm

Airsail, thanks, just too late for me trying to re-attach the one-pump outside connectors to the struts of a 2012 Cabrinha Vector 12m. I tried Aquaseal as that's what I have seen mentioned in various threads here, but they just peeled off again. I roughed up the surface of the black plastic connector as well as the bladder, put on a thin layer of Aquaseal, let it dry for about 30 minutes, still a little tacky and pressed on the connector. Checked an hour later and it was already peeling off.

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Topaz
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby Topaz » Fri Oct 21, 2022 12:34 am

Aquaseal takes 12 hours to cure. And the valve has to have pressure on it against the bladder.
I got a piece of foam (it can be wood or anything) and drilled a hole that fits the valve snug. Glue the valve, then put the foam on top of the valve, and put some weight on top of the foam, and let it cure for 12 hours (I usually do a whole day, but 12 hours should be enough)

If something goes wrong, peel off the valve with hot water. Don't let the water boil. Boiling water can stretch the bladder material. I have a water heater that allows me to set the temp. I put it on 80 Celsious and it works fine. It removes the valve and any left of aquaseal. I pour the hot water in a wide cup or bowl and submerge the bladder valve in it.

If you put too much aquaseal, the back of the bladder can get glued with the front. To avoid this, after an hour or two that you applied the glue, gently take out the weight of the foam or wood, turn it upside down and check if the back of the bladder is getting glued with the front. If it is, just detach it and put the weight on the foam again.

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JakeFarley
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby JakeFarley » Fri Oct 21, 2022 1:31 am

I've used 3M 5200 fast cure to glue all my valves back on. Did it 5 years ago on my Best Nemesis and still holding air.

To avoid gluing the sides of the bladder together, I cut a round piece of waxed paper larger than the hole where the valve is to be glued on, roll it up and place it in the bladder unrolled so that any excess glue will get on the waxed paper and not get to the other side of the bladder.
These users thanked the author JakeFarley for the post (total 2):
edt (Fri Oct 21, 2022 3:20 am) • Topaz (Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:49 am)
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Hugh2
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Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:38 am
Kiting since: 2005
Weight: 180lb/82kg
Local Beach: Clinton Lake in East-Central Illinois
Favorite Beaches: Cape Hatteras and Cape Town (also sailing around the world, this season crossed the South Pacific)
Style: freeride
Gear: Cabrinha Nomad 5.5, Naish Pivot 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11, Duotone Dice 12
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby Hugh2 » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:38 pm

Thanks for those tips. The aquaseal did cure overnight, and the connectors to the outside one-pump seem to be holding now. So doing all of them now, and the main inflate/deflate valve. I messed up and left this kite on my sailboat in Panama for two years of covid, and I think that's what loosened the connectors.

Hugh2
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Posts: 1665
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:38 am
Kiting since: 2005
Weight: 180lb/82kg
Local Beach: Clinton Lake in East-Central Illinois
Favorite Beaches: Cape Hatteras and Cape Town (also sailing around the world, this season crossed the South Pacific)
Style: freeride
Gear: Cabrinha Nomad 5.5, Naish Pivot 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11, Duotone Dice 12
Long Ocean 136, Eleveight Master C+ 136, Naish Global 6'0", RB Sixty 3 Matador 5' 8", Slingshot Hoverglide H5 foil and Alien Air 4' 6" and Converter boards
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby Hugh2 » Wed Oct 26, 2022 1:49 pm

Update. The main inflate/deflate valve was solidly attached so I did not redo that one. Most of the connectors for the one-pump system either had already fallen off, or fell off as I extracted the bladders, so they all had to be re-glued and the Aquaseal seems to have worked well, but only if left overnight to cure (I also waited at least an hour before sticking the connector to the bladder and only put on a very thin layer of glue on each side, by which time the glue was pretty much completely dry). I had to redo one I did not let dry or cure properly. Kite has held air fully inflated for several hours and rides fine. Thanks all!
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Johnmaicon
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Re: Tips and Tricks to Repair Kites - add your experience!

Postby Johnmaicon » Sun Apr 02, 2023 12:58 am

how can i buy a sealing machine for kitesurf bladders concerts.


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