Postby karenkites » Sat Sep 11, 2010 7:40 pm
I run Northshore Kite and Sail Repair in Maui and of course I will recommend getting your kites repaired professionally whenever possible. That said, if I was on a desert island I would have with me :
A large roll of tear aid for fixing bladders, a few Airtime Fixit valves,Killer Strips for repairs in canopy, some medium weight dacron for LE repair,scissors, needles and thread.
How to Save Money on Professional Repairs
1. Clean and dry your kite or sail, if we get a wet ,sandy kite or sail it's not a big deal for us to clean it for you, but that adds to the price , so if you want to save money , rinse in fresh water if possible and dry it. Even if you can't rinse it making sure it is dry and free of sand will save you money!
2. Take your battens out of your sails. It takes time to remove battens, that adds to the price , so removing the battens will save you money!
3.If your Leading Edge needs repair, the seam also needs to be opened for us to get inside to fix it, so if you are skilled with a seam ripper,( talk to your repair technician first to know exactly what to do) open the leading edge straight stitch seam a hands width on either side of rip will save you money.
4.Inspect your kites and sails often, finding rips and fixing them when they are small will prevent future large repairs
5.If your bladder is leaking, try to determine where the leak is. Finding "mystery leaks" in bladders is the most expensive kite repair so any info you can provide as to where it is leaking can save money. Pump up your kite , close off your valves and listen for air escaping.
Don't take out your bladder before checking with me as often there is no need and re-installation is what costs you the most after looking for the leak.
Check your valves, you can open your LE zipper and pull the inflate and deflate valve out and have a look, some times they are separating from the bladder
If you want to try to install fix it valves yourself,I recommend gently pulling them the rest of the way off ( take note of the valve orientation here as you want to get your new valve facing the right way). Install a fix it valve rather than trying to glue the old valve back on, (gluing may work temporarily if you don't have fix it valves but almost always fail again eventually and then make it almost impossible to put on a new valve later).
A word of caution when using fix it valves , you only get 1 chance so make sure you get it on right the first time , I advise 2 people for the job, one holding the bladder flat and 1 applying the valve.
More later
Aloha,
Karen