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Canopy repair..

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unemati
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Canopy repair..

Postby unemati » Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:44 pm

I have a small 10x10cm L shape tear in the center part of the canopy. Is this tear-aid.com products ok to use for canopy repairs? or do I need find a some spinnaker tape and stitch it through?

eree
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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby eree » Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:59 pm

it is pretty much the same, difference is just in the trade marks. and if it is stitched, not glued, i guess you have more possibilities to sell it later for the fair price.

i know i wouldn't buy it glued anyways...


winds

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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby knot_moving » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:34 am

I've used sailtape without stitching on a number of small rips - both on kites and on sails; when they are in low stress areas.
- if they are in high stress areas then I have them stitched.

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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby eree » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:44 am

if you are not a professional how do you define low or high stress zones?

unemati
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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby unemati » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:51 am

some guys said they use this tear-aid and it is very good, but exactly where and how. With this tear-aid, in the video it is shown, that it stretches quite a bit, so if I repair this 10x10cm L shape tear, would it start to stretch from the tear and maybe sunlight shines through that tear :-). The center part of the kite shouldbe maybe ok against fluttering, because it is more rigid and doesn't flutter like wingtips all the time and it might stick to the canopy ok, wingtips are quiestionable. But again the center gets more pressure from the wind and might start to stretch.
The positive thing about tear-aid is that, it is easy to repair it and it looks better after repair and the tear is not visible very much. With spinnaker or other tapes, you probably need to stitch it and it is more visible and if you don't have a machine to stitch, then it costs again and takes time to repair. Is there anybody who repaired the canopy and a bit bigger tears with tear-aid?

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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby robertovillate » Tue Mar 22, 2011 9:17 am

Dacron sail tape (not ripstop tape) will work fine

Kitefix is even better. If you do a neat job it's hard to notice it. Often times you cannot match dacron tape to the colors of your kite. With Kitefix it's a non-issue since the gluefix is transparent, and they provide several tinted mesh tapes that help blend in the repair. I sometimes have a hard time finding my Kitefix repairs when I try to show them to people..

http://www.kitefix.com/ great stuff!

I have also had many kites which I repaired with dacron tape that have lasted for years. Make sure to round the corners of the tape to prevent the corners from lifting. Clean the kite and apply in a warm place to let the adhesive bond nicely. Usually one side is fine, but sometimes both sides is good if you want extra strength. The Dacron tape will easily outlive the ripstop canopy of your kite.

I would not worry about having anything stitched unless the damage crosses over any stitched seams. If you have someone stitch it make sure they know what they are doing, using the right needles and machine...otherwise it could damage (and weaken) the kite even more.

I have not used Tear-Aid, but understand it is pretty good too.

re: resale value of dacron tape v kitefix v professional sew job? Personally I don't think one is necessarily better than the other unless the sew job was absolutely necessary. Most decent sew jobs will probably start at $75 and upwards depending on complexity.

Almost everyone gets some tears in their kites somewhere along the way. Don't worry about it. Just patch it up and go kiting.

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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby stephk » Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:14 pm

Try KITEAID out. www.kiteaid.com
You won't have to worry about matching the color of your canopy because it is translucent. ;)

sk

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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby foam-n-fibre » Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:39 am

The ripstop spinnaker tape works very well when put on right. I've seen huge repairs done on vacations without stitching that last well. The key is to do it right. Make sure the area is clean and dry. Rinse any salt off it. If you have to, tape it closed with masking tape, then flip the kite over and tape one side, then take off the masking tape and do the other side. Smooth it on with a credit card to get any bubbles out. Then iron it with a warm iron to help melt the glue in. Heat the iron breifly then unplug it and let it cool, so you can almost hold your hand on the iron. I learned this from a guy who's been kiting and buggying for 25+ years. Works great.

Does the glue and mesh method last in the long run? I've seen shoes and wetsuit repairs with similar glue (basically Shoe Goo and Aqua Seal) get dry and harden over time. I'm not saying it WILL fail in time, but I'd like to hear that it lasts a good long time before I use it on a kite that I plan to keep or sell for a good price.

Peter

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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby robertovillate » Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:44 am

foam-n-fibre wrote: Does the glue and mesh method last in the long run? I've seen shoes and wetsuit repairs with similar glue (basically Shoe Goo and Aqua Seal) get dry and harden over time. I'm not saying it WILL fail in time, but I'd like to hear that it lasts a good long time before I use it on a kite that I plan to keep or sell for a good price.
Peter
Peter,

I have a kite that was repaired with Kitefix 2 years ago and it's still holding strong. I used the kite hard for an entire season after the Kitefix repair (which was very extensive) and I never had a reason to think it was not going to hold. I've done another major repair over a years ago and that's holding well also. I've done a few other small repairs/ & pre-emptive reinforcements on other kites with total confidence in the product. While I still own many of these kites they have become my "back-ups" and I am flying newer kites now.

You can see the pink RRD kite that I repaired with Kitefix here:
http://www.kitefix.com/blog/may-09-hatteras-trip
Honestly I was almost ready to retire the kite permanently because a sewn repair would probably have cost $200 (plus down time, shipping, etc) and might not have been worth the investment. The Kitefix repair cost under $25...and was back on the water with it the next day.

As you said about the ripstop tape : proper prep and application is a must with any good product. Kitefix is pretty easy and the most important thing is cleaning the kite and aligning the fibers.

Dacron tape is super easy to use - even on uncleaned fabric the adhesive sticks really well. I imagine Tear-Aid is similarly user-friendly.

I'd be willing to bet that the Kitefix repairs I have done will outlast the rest of the kite.

Disclosure: I have no ownership interest in Kitefix, however I had the pleasure of meeting the guys who developed the product and who showed me/convinced me that it works. Almost any repair can be completed in an hour's time and you can be back on the water the same day. I never go anywhere without a Kitefix repair kit, some Dacron tape, bladder patches, and other repair tools/materials. Fate never fails - the day after you tear your kite the best wind and waves of the season are upon you and the perfect kite in your quiver has a big hole in it! :cry:

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Re: Canopy repair..

Postby pch » Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:10 pm

unemati wrote:I have a small 10x10cm L shape tear in the center part of the canopy. Is this tear-aid.com products ok to use for canopy repairs? or do I need find a some spinnaker tape and stitch it through?
you can just tape it and most probably will be ok to use. but if you have some sailing tailor nearby i would stich it to be on safe side. and as someone said to sell it latter easier.


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