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Wing improvement question

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SWO_kite
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Wing improvement question

Postby SWO_kite » Fri Jan 18, 2019 8:42 pm

Hi Kiteforum! It's been a long ass time since I last posted anything, probably like 4-5 years. Feels good to be back.

So, like most of you, I've made the transition to a hydrofoil board. I was able to purchase a used board, specifically a CR:X. Prior to buying, the previous owner had mentioned to me there was minor damage to the wings. For the price that I got the entire kit, a little damage wasn't going to scare me off. The board came with a training and the OE full mast as well. I'm attaching images to this post, not sure if it will work so I'll do my best to describe the 'damage'.
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The front wing has a hairline crack along the leading edge. Nothing crazy, it just seems as though it made contact with a sandy bottom. Everything else on this board setup is in good condition, nothing bent or broken. My concern is, while the wing will definitely work for me now, I feel that if I were to hit something while learning, the front wing will deteriorate more. Because I'm tight on cash, I really would like to avoid buying a new one.

My proposed solution is to wrap the entire wing in fiberglass, thus containing all imperfections and ultimately improving the structural integrity. Below is a link to a video outlining this process for a wood core wing kit.


I would follow the exact process and re-drill the holes for the mounting hardware.

I feel this would be a cost effective solution given I have all the materials to wrap the wing at home (west systems resin and hardener + glass sheet). The overall profile should remain the same, provided I do a good job giving it a smooth, consistent finish.

I would love to hear any ideas or concerns that you guys can think of.
Cheers.
Last edited by SWO_kite on Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:41 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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tegirinenashi
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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby tegirinenashi » Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:13 pm

I suspect the glass epoxied without pressure would delaminate pretty easily?

evan
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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby evan » Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:45 pm

Why not try to open op the crack, fill it with epoxy and clamp it shut? Wrapping it doesn't add too much strength to counteract the splitting of the upper en bottom half of your wing, so gluing the halves back together is mandatory if you wrap it or not.

Wrapping involves a lot of sanding, first to get the top coat off your wing as epoxy probably won't stick to it and a lot of sanding to get your wrapped wing smooth again.


Probably a manufacturing problem as you are not the first one with a cracked CR-X wing:
https://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2401102

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NYKiter
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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby NYKiter » Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:15 am

JBWELD putty epoxy. Its like taffy and sets up REAL fast and then can be sanded....then coat with super glue....

SWO_kite
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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby SWO_kite » Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:24 am

@evan
That was my first idea. I'm not opposed to it. After reading that other thread, I feel maybe I should divert my resources into a cabrinha wing instead.

Do you really think I can't sand down the outer original surface enough for a good bond? I used the same epoxy to fix two huge holes in my SUP and it's friggin hard stuff.
IMG_20160821_123058.jpg
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IMG_20160828_075959.jpg

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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby plummet » Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:30 am

Or even easier still. Sand the le back to smooth, Get some gel super glue. Squeeze it over any holes, dings and immediately pour baking soda over the superglue. That cures the glue instantly before it can run.
Sand and go ride. The super glue wont add structural strength. But it will fill the gaps and allow you to ride while you think of a more if you need a more permanent fix. You can always apply a more robust fix later over top of the superglue if you need to. I'm guessing you wont need to and will be able to ride the superglue fixed wind for years.

SWO_kite
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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby SWO_kite » Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:40 am

These are all great suggestions, I've got a little research to do.

I'll make sure to report back on whatever I choose and it's effectiveness.

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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby drone » Sat Feb 02, 2019 7:22 pm

:oops:

SWO_kite
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Style: Foil/Freeride/Big air
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128 Shinn Sunburner + 75 AL-mast + K wing
140 Best Spark, 133 Cabrinha Caliber
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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby SWO_kite » Fri May 15, 2020 7:21 pm

I'm back with a long term update;

I ended up using a micro swab to drip a considerable amount of west system epoxy (105+206) into the crack along the the leading edge of the front wing. I only used enough to fill the void and let it cure - I didn't even need to sand it down.

The results were very good! I've been using the foil very frequently over the last 15-16 months and the wing hasn't degraded at all.

However, I did encounter one unintended side effect of not sanding the wing; it whistles. Nothing crazy, just an acoustic whistle I can easily hear while riding. I'm certain this would drive a lot of people crazy, but for me, I'm totally cool with it. I have a theory that the whistling will actually get fish out of my way while traveling at speed - probably not true, but I like to think it is.

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Re: Wing improvement question

Postby dkazhdan » Fri May 15, 2020 8:48 pm

Interesting. i thought its always the trailing edge that causes foils to whistle... was the TE fixed as well?


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