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Bladder-less Kites

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Eurus
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Bladder-less Kites

Postby Eurus » Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:46 am

While watching a video on how to repair a hole in a bladder it got me to wondering if a kite company has ever attempted a bladder-less kite? I mean we run auto tires without inner tubes. Why not LEI kites?

I realize the current material used on most leading edges are air permeable but I am sure a sealant could be applied to the inside of an LEI that would make it air tight. Or am I completely off base in my thinking?

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby sharky79 » Mon Sep 02, 2013 7:20 am

Nice idea, but what are the advantages ?
Weight ?
Price ?

For the last 5 years i never had any bladder problems... Yhat is kite bladder problems :D

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby Eurus » Mon Sep 02, 2013 4:30 pm

sharky79 wrote:Nice idea, but what are the advantages ?
Weight ?
Price ?

For the last 5 years I never had any bladder problems... That is kite bladder problems :D
The only advantage I can think of is it means one less component part that could fail. If you pop your leading edge chances are you will pop the bladder as well. Now you have two repairs to make instead of only 1.

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby jats2k9 » Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:19 pm

Great idea dude!! It will also get rid of the valves peeling off which drives me crazy.

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby Zalex820 » Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:29 pm

jats2k9 wrote:Great idea dude!! It will also get rid of the valves peeling off which drives me crazy.
Your valves peel off?

There would still need to be valves on the leading edge and struts only it would be attached to the fabric and not the bladder. I think it's a good idea but it would weigh more then just using a bladder.

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby balugh » Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:07 pm

Zalex820 wrote:
jats2k9 wrote:Great idea dude!! It will also get rid of the valves peeling off which drives me crazy.
Your valves peel off?

There would still need to be valves on the leading edge and struts only it would be attached to the fabric and not the bladder. I think it's a good idea but it would weigh more then just using a bladder.
Umm....why would it be heavier than the combined weight of the leading edge and bladder?

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby Peter_Frank » Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:23 pm

If such a thing could be developed, AND it could easily be repaired from the outside - it would be a clear winner :thumb:

As for those never having had a puncture, you are lucky, and live in "easy" kitespots.

Most of us have thorn bushes and something even worse (YES, that exist too - bushes that are cut down to the ground so you dont see anything - but all the sharp thorns are still there fixed on the ground roots :o :x :angryfire: )

So having punctures is part of the game, get used to it :naughty:

A kite that could be repaired easily from the outside - GENIUS :rollgrin:

Although - I dont have any clue how that could be made....

Punctures happens so rare, that it is not a problem as such - but if it could be easier repaired - it would be awesome.

8) Peter

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby Zalex820 » Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:33 pm

Peter_Frank wrote:If such a thing could be developed, AND it could easily be repaired from the outside - it would be a clear winner :thumb:

As for those never having had a puncture, you are lucky, and live in "easy" kitespots.

Most of us have thorn bushes and something even worse (YES, that exist too - bushes that are cut down to the ground so you dont see anything - but all the sharp thorns are still there fixed on the ground roots :o :x :angryfire: )

So having punctures is part of the game, get used to it :naughty:

A kite that could be repaired easily from the outside - GENIUS :rollgrin:

Although - I dont have any clue how that could be made....

Punctures happens so rare, that it is not a problem as such - but if it could be easier repaired - it would be awesome.

8) Peter
Well the way I thought of it was to take out the bladders and fill the cavity with some kind of leak stopper. Like that green flat stop tire stuff. Whatever would be used to fill all the little holes in the fabric of the leading edge and struts, i think would be heavier then a bladder.

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby Kite2Heaven » Mon Sep 02, 2013 10:22 pm

Frank-peter you mean to say there are people who dont have Postcard sunkissed bleached white sandy beaches to launch from ... Oh well, you mustve done something wrong 'in a past life' :)

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Re: Bladder-less Kites

Postby tautologies » Mon Sep 02, 2013 11:25 pm

Best said they would come out with a bladderless kite in 2006 I think. I think it was mainly a ploy to try to take a some air out of the SLE movement, but they never really pushed out...it was also a conceptual idea..never seen any protos of it.


Peter: Do you think it would be easy to develop that? What material would be used? Would it be a plastic dressed type cloth? Obviously a requirement would be to not add weight to the overall kite.


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