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Hi

Just had a wicked week on my new kite.

As I don t know, do I have to wash it down with freshwater to remove the salt feel on the kite? Should I have done this after every session or after say a week on the water.

Thanks

Pin

There is no need to ever wash or rinse your kite, but i give mine a rinse a few times a year just to freshen them up a bit.

Pin Head wrote:Hi

Just had a wicked week on my new kite.

As I don t know, do I have to wash it down with freshwater to remove the salt feel on the kite? Should I have done this after every session or after say a week on the water.

Thanks

Pin

been kiting 10 yrs. Never washed a kite.

I've heard it's fine if they're wet with saltwater, but don't rinse a kite with fresh water and roll it up until it dries, because it will mildew. But bars or anything else with metal parts should be rinsed off with fresh water or it will corrode faster.

Yeah, I believe you should only rinse with fresh water if you can allow it to air-dry completely!

Don't really think it's worth the hassle otherwise....

I only rinse my kite if it has a lot of sand or mud between canopy & underside of LE. That is
an often overlooked area of the kite and can be a sand catcher. If you leave it in there it can cause problems. If you do rinse it with a waterhose, make sure to let it dry completely- fresh water causes mold and mildew, but saltwater doesn't.

The reason for not washing your kites is the chlorine and other chemicals found in tap water. Chlorine will deteriorate the threads, eat away at the coating on canopy material, and fade the colors.

If you think its dirty, take it out in the water and give it a quick rubdown before you deflate.
If there's not a good place to roll it up, (mud or sugar sand) loosely roll in the water and dry it out when you get home.
I try to avoid rolling up my kites on the sand whenever possible and it helps keep them in great shape.

More gear maintenance tips here:
http://kiteboardingtampabay.com/kiteboa ... escue.html

Also kiting 10+ years and have never washed a kite. I do rinse my bar and lines in the shower after each session.

I do always let my kites fully dry before packing them up

kitanga's come in handy ... I made some out of webbing and cheap karabinas ... gets it dry real quick.

http://kitanga.co.uk/

More important, wash all moving parts on the bar and release.

If you want your kite looking not so dusty, wash before riding.

You never need to rinse your kite with fresh water. It's a good idea to carry a large brush in your kitebag and brush off any sand on the kite before you roll it up.

Do rinse your control bar and check the safety release mechanism while you are rinsing it.

I did once wash my kite in about 20 liters of diesel. An oil slick floated by and my student panicked and dropped it into the oily gunk. We wiped it down with diesel, washed it with soap and water. The once pristine white kite is now a nice shade of brown.