Pin head holes in kite. Leave or repair

[Den]

It got too windy at the local beach in Rhode Island so I put some nice round rocks on the kite and went windsurfing. Well underneath the kite were more round rocks and the flapping of the kite wore a small hole about the size of two the tiny squares in the rip stop. Doesn't the rip stop keep these from getting bigger? If I should patch how does one do a small job like this?
Thanks

[coxy]

Hi!

Not sure if this is the right thing to do or not, but I always put a small amount of Superglue over the hole, just to seal it.

I've done this on anything up to 4cm splits, and it seems to do the trick!!

Coxy

[Sake]

I got a small rip in my canopy too.
I went to a kiterepairer and told me to get "zelfklevend spinnaker doek=spinnaker ripstoptape"(can someone translate this?!/kan iemand dit vertalen?!)

When the rip is only 2 "ripstop blocks" the ripstoptape will do. One side would be enough, but just to be sure do both sides.

It's available in all kind of colours.

[Sake]

The ripstop will stop small rips, but when you crash your kite hard, it can tear up your kite from one side to the other, so I would defenitely repair it.

And like I said small rips can be fixed by the tape. I think that there's no need yet for needle and thread.

[ralph]

Why don't you just use some sail repair tape? You can get this in various colors. Cut a strip out, put it on top of the hole - that's it

Available at any sail-repair or yacht shop.

Take care,

Ralph

[Royce]

Go to a sail repair shop, buy 10 feet of sticky dackron sail repair tape, get a hole puch and stick the little dots on every single hole you find. If its a bigger rip then use scissors and make the patch round or oval. Wash your kite with dishwashing liquid and rinse well then let dry in the sun. PAtch both sides of the kite. It'll last longer than an actual repair. Make sure you push it on really well. Never sail your kite even with a tiny hole.

[Eketeket]

I am interested in glue. What kind do you recommend? I think it is a good idea sometimes to glue round the spinnakertape, the egdes, to make it last. Any special tips when glueing?

/E

[coxy]

Hi there!

the glue I use is commonly known as 'Superglue'. It's manufactured in the UK by a company called Locktite, but I'm sure that you can get it anywhere in the world, but possibly under a different name.
For very small holes and splits I use the glue on it's own, just a little each side of the damaged area to seal it and prevent futher damage from occuring. For larger holes and rips we all use 'Spinny' repair tape, or dacron with the glue. I know of guys who have repaired 12 inch rips with this method, and it has lasted well over a year!
I try to avoid going to a sail repairer unless absolutely necessary, small patches and a bit of glue don't make any difference to the performance of kites :0)

Incedently, if you can't find the glue, ask your lady if she has any of that nail repair stuff, It's exactly the same thing!!!

Good luck


Coxy

[Guest]

hi, i've been paragliding for a lot of time and we have holes like that in our wings all the time, the best thing to do is buy some self adhesive ripstop cloth and fix the hole, find a paraglider resseler and he will have the repair kit, just cut the patch about 50% bigger than the hole, place them (cut 2 pieces) one underneath the hole and the other above and you're done, even forget about the hole because the patch is ripstop itself, when you buy a new paraglider it comes with some ft of repair ripstop... manufacturer guaranteed

[Bengan]

Spinnaker tape will do fine, dacron tape is good but a bit on the thick side.

For really small holes the glue that comes in the Naish repair kit works wonders, it vulcanises with the material and make a really good repair. I have used it on both Naish and Flysurfers with good result.

Cheers,

Bengan