Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Forum for kitesurfers
gingerfinger
Rare Poster
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2010 12:49 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby gingerfinger » Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:53 pm

I've bought 10 new North kites over the years. 4 have been wonky at purchase (pull quite a lot one way).

North replaced 3 of them (2 Rhinos (2005) and 1 vegas (2008)) but the last one a vegas 2011 they didn't as I'd used it a fair bit before taking it back to them (should have tested it before I took it away for a season so had to use it nearly everyday including ripping it :)

Good that they replaced them (except the last one but I can understand why not but they still sold it me so still miffed).

Just wondered how common this is? 4 out of 10 seems bad odds maybe I'm pretty unlucky.

And yes I've fiddled the sht out of all the line lengths and inner tubes, and others have flown and agreed the kites are wonky, and north did too as they replaced 3 of them.

Maybe many kites are like this but people don't really notice as they don't kite much and just plain up and down with 2 hands on the bar all the time. Maybe I'm overly fussy about it, but unhooking and doing a trick and having the kite climb up to 12 or dive into the water is a btch.

Good to hear what you think out there

Frankie
Rare Poster
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:03 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby Frankie » Sun Nov 18, 2012 8:57 pm

I've owned 6 and had 0 issues.........You really have had bad luck!

User avatar
Hawaiis
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1375
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 11:39 am
Local Beach: Kailua
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby Hawaiis » Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:27 pm

I would stay out of that manufacturer if that happened to me.

knotwindy
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 4:49 am
Local Beach: baja, gorge
Style: erratic to none
Gear: yes, I use gear
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 274 times
Been thanked: 319 times

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby knotwindy » Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:38 pm

with North i've had 8 kites and 2 were wonky. tried everything, lines, bridles, bladders, whatever and nothing really helped. even tried the bar backwards and a different bar/lines and it still pulled to the same side. hard to find the trouble so hard to fix. just ended up shortening one side a lot to improve the one hand flying a bit.

User avatar
Peter_Frank
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 12735
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2002 1:00 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Denmark
Has thanked: 1007 times
Been thanked: 1187 times

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby Peter_Frank » Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:14 pm

How much is "quite a lot" (wonk) ?

My experience with numerous brands, has been that you can be lucky you get a "straight" kite, but they can often be 1 or 2 inches off to one side.

Meaning, you have to adjust the knots on or the other one rear line (or at the kite) :-?

This is normal for all brands, and nothing you can do about it.

But are we talking such an amount that it does not fly right and turn okay ?

That is another issue then...

I've only experienced that once, 10 years ago, where a kite was sewn so bad that it twisted so much - that even when it flew only on the frontlines, it turned quite heavily :o

Otherwise all I've seen has just been a matter of adjusting the rear lines a bit one way or the other, so they fly perfectly straight when sheeted in (and sheeted out they fly okay).

Is this what we are talking about ?
Or a way more disatrous amount of uneveness, so not usable at all ?

How much/fast do they turn with fully slack rearlines ? (first test)
And how much do you have to adjust the rearlines till it flies straight with tight rearlines ? (second test)


I've had many kite that were bulls-eye, but also some that needed one or two inches rearline adjustment as said - which is pretty normal 8)

:D Peter

PS: I am not talking about line stretch or lenght errors of course - but the factual measurement from bar end to kite !
Last edited by Peter_Frank on Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

longwhitecloud
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 3676
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:15 am
Style: Master Baiter. Oracle of windsport.
Gear: 2 sets of Flysurfer VMGs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 15, 18. Foilboards ( Masts 75 90 110 125 Wings 880 950 1100 1350 1750) all with Ronix Ones attached. Soon to retire to Wingfoiling.
Has thanked: 108 times
Been thanked: 175 times

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby longwhitecloud » Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:37 pm

interesting thread, i have for sure had kites that have stretched, been sewn wonky/ twisted. Lines were perfect. Guess it comes down to tolerances on sewing so many pieces together and quality of ripstop.

User avatar
WildDuke
Frequent Poster
Posts: 465
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:40 am
Local Beach: Taurama beach
Gear: 2012 10m Airush Varial X
2012 12m Airush One
2012 9m Airush One
2012 Cabrinha Custom 140x42.5 Board
2012 Liquidforce Vantage CT boots
2010 Dakine Pyro waist harness
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Papua New Guinea
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby WildDuke » Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:09 am

Would you trust this man to sew your kite together?


Image

User avatar
Vikb
Medium Poster
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:12 pm
Local Beach: Lake Nihtnat, Vancouver Island, BC Canada
Favorite Beaches: La Ventana
Style: Freeride...
Gear: Ocean Rodeo
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby Vikb » Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:23 am

I've had the follow #/brand of kites:

- 2 Blade
- 3 Naish
- 3 Liquid Force
- 3 Ocean Rodeo

I haven't had any defective ones nor have I had to trim the lines to account for a tendency to pull to one side.

User avatar
GregK
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 689
Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:22 am
Kiting since: 2000
Local Beach: Comox, BC
CANADA
Style: Average
Gear: Lift V2 Surf & HA wingsets
Ocean Rodeo kites & wings
Brand Affiliation: started Comox Kite Repair
Location: Comox, BC CANADA
Has thanked: 54 times
Been thanked: 136 times

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby GregK » Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:38 am

Since about 2001, I've had about 30 kites, tubes from Wipika, Naish, North, and Ocean Rodeo, and a few foils from Wind Tools, HQ, and Flysurfer - never had one yet with drift or needing bridle adjustment to fly straight.

Lots of differential stretch on steering lines.

Only run into kite drift once when a small kite had massive repairs all on one side, after repairs that kite had drift and needed a bridle adjustment to fly straight.

Konza
Frequent Poster
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2006 3:35 pm
Local Beach: Kiel
Gear: LF HiFi, Switch Combat, Slingshot SST
Seaflight Diamond 5'9"
Brand Affiliation: None!
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Who else is pssed at buying wonky kites?

Postby Konza » Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:45 am

1 Cabrinha
3 Best
3 Slingshots
14 LF

but no north so maybe that's the reason :D


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Brent NKB, cglazier, Indulang, purdyd, rnelias, Slappysan, suisd12, vladi elthve, zerogee_ca and 352 guests