KITE MODIFICATIONS

[ATM]

Just wanted to know if anybody had any experience with making mods on old kites. I have heard of guys getting a sail maker to cut and insert carbon tip battons into the tips of their big and slow kites, to make em quicker.

Any comments by those in the know would be appreciated. Good Clean Winds to you, ATM.

ps. You could also try putting more pigtails / hangpoints in the mod, to give your kite more versatility in rigging... just a thought eh, lets hear yours then...

[busyboy]

have a look at this topic:

phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=4398&forum=1

[Guest]

most of the pig tail additions i´ve seen to older mid aspect kites have been a waste of time as the foil shape is too underdevelopped to allow for any changing.

[Peter_Frank]

Big kites with tip battens instead of struts dont turn faster or any different.

Only if you have problems with a soft strut that bends fully (puckering) - a batten will help.

But with a normal strut, or well designed kite, tip battens has no effect on flying characteristics at all.

There are a few kites that might be better off with tip battens - one is the 2001 Airblast 8.4 (only the early 5 strut version).
This very model is almost impossible to avoid from puckering because of too thin, "non stopper balled", quite wide tips - so here tip battens will help.
They changed the design on the 8.4 shortly after this, so it became 7 strut, and with a tip strut that did not bend (thicker, and stopper balls on newer ones).

The reason why some don't use battens, are for safety reasons for one.
A batten can be very very damaging and dangerous, if you are hit by one (kite tip).

You have flotation at the very tips, which make high AR kites relaunch better.

The kite will be easier to pack up into the bag, and you don't have a risk of a broken tip (but you risk to get a puncture instead )

The turning behaviour when tips okay, is the same.

And finally you don't have any "wear and cut through the webbing" problems.


So even though you have to fiddle with pumping the smallest struts - there are lots of advantages in using tip struts !

[ATM]

Looks like more new kites then eh...

[KiteGlider]

2001 16.4 AB, restoration in progress, so you could call that a modification i guess.

Had about a 30cm strip tear away from one half of the TE, from center down to the wing tip panel. (wing tip panels seem to be bullet proof on this kite.)

Made it a "VARI AR" wing, it flew OK!, actually gave me a higher wind range, so i got to fly it in more conditions!

Eh, if my kite tears itself and then flys better, can i patend that?

The other common one is to remove the bridle on the big ABs. Just a personal mod to try for fun, heavier steering but more direct feel and more agressive turning inputs.

KG

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

At the moment I'm moving the pigs on my 16m fuel right to the edges of the tips to see if this'll make it turn a bit faster, I'll let ya know

[ATM]

16 meter 2002 Jo? Slow is it... What sort of fabric are you using for the pitails? Good Luck with the mod! ATM

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Same tapes as stock

[Arcsrule]

once again mr. anonamouse has spoken. he doesn't register because he just doesn't know what he is talking about. many kiters make modifications to their kites. I personally have moved the attachment points on three of my kites (and they did fly much faster), i have sewn and reshaped my kites to do things like speed up turning, prevent stalling, prevent luffing, make self inflation easier and quicker. All these mods were developed by others. I only copied from the advice give on kite forums. And as I type, there are those who are experimenting with batton placement. I fly a form of foil kite that some consider to be a hybrid. So i can do that with my own sewing machine. the last lei kite i bought was used and from a kiter who was recommended to be honest and up front. he too had done mods to the kite that I bought from him. He cut the end off the bladder and tied a knot in it, making the bladder about 2 feet short. All I could tell was that it made the kite have a limp wing and not fly so good! (I should have been more aware as the buyer of used stuff)