It is better not to crash foil kites hard like in FS video. Even if kite doesn't necessarily explode (which leads laborious repair job because ribs and straps tear) pressure damages seams causing them to leak.
Couple of years ago I was asked to check/tune Speed4 dlx kite, it was used as a snow kite for two seasons by a beginner. I later saw how he did with his kites and it was quite harsh Fabrics of that kite were not worn out but every seam was loosened and leaked air. There was a torn rib or two which I repaired (at this point I didn't realize the problem with the seams).
Bridle and mixer were also badly out of tune but they were fixable. Seams not so much. I couldn't see any other reason for damage than pressure shocks from numerous hard crashes kite had suffered.
Flysurfer is not Ozone. FS builds their foils much better. Soul has the 12 month warranty so if it were to explode like you seem so terrified will happen, Flysurfer will repair free of cost. Here’s a vid of them testing crashes on a soul pronto. It’s a well built kite.
Don’t leave your bar attached to it though. The material condensates loads even after drying thoroughly,
Dried mine well before putting it away but it’s still condensated and has made the centre of my bar where the depower rope goes through corrode.
Ice101 wrote:Don’t leave your bar attached to it though.
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Ice101 wrote:
The material condensates loads even after drying thoroughly,
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Ice101 wrote:
Dried mine well before putting it away but it’s still condensated and has made the centre of my bar where the depower rope goes through corrode.
Oh, you must be leaving your bar inside the kite! Who taught you that silly thing? Never do that it will rust your bar and make your kite wet inside, but I guess you already have experienced that. Also leave the bar attached, it is a much better experience. Though stick it outside the bag to dry.
It is better not to crash foil kites hard like in FS video. Even if kite doesn't necessarily explode (which leads laborious repair job because ribs and straps tear) pressure damages seams causing them to leak.
Couple of years ago I was asked to check/tune Speed4 dlx kite, it was used as a snow kite for two seasons by a beginner. I later saw how he did with his kites and it was quite harsh Fabrics of that kite were not worn out but every seam was loosened and leaked air. There was a torn rib or two which I repaired (at this point I didn't realize the problem with the seams).
The issue with the flysurfer crash video is they didn’t show you inside the vents after they performed those crashes. I love the soul. My favourite kites but they are a little weak and even minor leading edge crashes which can not be helped are likely to cause chambers to explode. This has happened to a brand new 9m which didn’t even hit hard and had also happened to my 10m after the wind suddenly dropped and lines went slack. The kite fell from the sky above my head and landed leading edge down. The centre chamber also exploded on that one too. The soul is marketed as a free ride/free style foil but if you are still practicing tricks even the easier ones that involve a loop like a dark slide you are likely to bring the kite down on the water onto the leading edge in a failed loop. You kite is likely to blow.
I hope new materials in future like aluulha that ocean rodeo are using might fix this weakness and stop blow outs making the soul truly awesome.
Flysurfer have been great they exchanged the 9m on warranty and are fixing the 10m but I am shocked at how little it takes and of course there is the time of the water waiting on repairs. I may of course just be very unlucky.
What happens when a chamber explodes? Does the kite fly abnormally? Does it deflate more quickly? How can you tell when you buy a used Soul if it has internal damage?
What happens when a chamber explodes? Does the kite fly abnormally? Does it deflate more quickly? How can you tell when you buy a used Soul if it has internal damage?
foil kites already have a lot of holes in them both inside and the instakes, so one more hole well sometimes when you blow a cell it doesn't really fly that much different. You do need to fix a blown cell as soon as you can because when one cell blows it makes stress on the cell right next to it. If a foil kite has a blown cell you can see it swollen up around the cell as soon as you put it in the air. If it has a stretched bridle or worn seams, that stuff is hard to tell. At this point, getting a used Soul is really hard, everyone that has them is keeping them, so I'm not sure how picky you can be if you find one. If you really want a Soul buying new is an excellent option if only because after a year you can resell it and it will still retain a lot of value.
What happens when a chamber explodes? Does the kite fly abnormally? Does it deflate more quickly? How can you tell when you buy a used Soul if it has internal damage?
I’ve had 4 Souls now and like all my kites, I’ve been VERY hard on them and have not had a single problem especially with blowing out a cell. Sure you shouldn’t tomahawk it but that’s like all kites. If there is internal damage, it would be very easy to see due to the near transparent white cloth. That’s like on the Lotus Speeds, you can easily see if a bracing strap broke. Put the kite in the air in front of the sun and inspect it. BTW don’t forget FSs fantastic warranty...
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