KiteAid News:

New 2013 KiteAid Repair Products

Hi!

I just wanted to give the kiteforum community more info about KITEAID products than what we have on the website. Since we launched our products in 2008, we have improved them substantially. We have also added a couple of new products in 2013 like our Clear Sail Repair tape and our LE and Strut Repair Kit.

Please email us at info@kiteaid.com if you have any other questions.
Contact us on our website: http://www.kiteaid.com/contact
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/kiteaid?feature=watch
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kiteaid/253170859935

Regards.

Stephan

KITEAID Sail Repair Kit

The Sail Repair patch is to be used to repair any tear found on a kite’s sail. Product will yield an easy, professional and permanent repair for any size tear. Simply iron on, let cool for a minute and that is it! Since the product is not tacky at room temperature, it is extremely easy to use. It’s non-tackiness will allow you to align your repair easily without the hassle of glue.
See more here: http://www.kiteaid.com/products#sail-repair-kit

Construction
The KITEAID Sail Repair patch comprises of two layers
Translucent substrate, natural white in color. Flexible, strong and light, this substrate is made out of ripstop nylon. The same material is used to manufacture kite canopies. Once ironed on, this substrate is translucent.
Flexible thermoplastic adhesive film with high peel strength (resistance to peeling). An application temperature of around 160ºC (Iron setting: Nylon/Low). About 1 minute of drying time needed to achieve maximum bond strength!

Advantages of the backing (ripstop Nylon)
High tensile strength in respect to its weight and size of fibers.
Kite’s sail maintains flexibility throughout repair area.
Translucent; it will be nearly invisible when light shines through it.

Advantages of flexible thermoplastic adhesive film
Easy to apply using an iron set on Nylon or Low.
No drying time needed for adhesive to set, needs 1 minute to gain full strength.
The ironing process welds the substrate to the kit.
When applied the patch, it will ‘wet out’ which prevents edge peeling. The wet out also creates a transition zone that prevents sheering and stress concentration on the edge of the patch.
Permanent repair
If for some reason the patch starts to peel, simply re-apply the iron to renew bond
Easy to manipulate due to a tack free application
Solvent Free
Non toxic

KITEAID Clear Sail Repair kit

The Clear Sail Repair kit is to be used to repair any tear found on the ripstop material of your kite. This product is designed to be applied to the canopy material only. This product gives you nearly invisible repairs as the the tape is crystal clear. KITEAID’s Clear Sail tape is the only product on the market that uses a UV resistant adhesive. When other products fail due to the damaging effects of the sun, the Clear Sail tape bond remains strong. This product will yield an easy, professional and permanent repair for any size tear. Simple align your tear, apply the KITEAID’s Clear Sail tape and hit the water. No drying time needed!
See more here: http://www.kiteaid.com/products#clear-sail-repair-kit

Construction
The KITEAID Clear Sail tape comprises of three layers
Transparent crystal clear film.
Permanent high tack adhesive. Sticks instantly to any kite canopy material. Bond strength increases over a 72 hour time frame. This adhesive has a UV Stabiliser additive to prevent breakdown due to the sun.
Paper release liner

Advantages of the backing (film)
Flexible, strong and light
Transparent
This material resists punctures, tears and water
UV stable; will not yellow in the sun
Canopy maintains flexibility throughout repaired area

Advantages of Permanent high tack adhesive
Permanent bond
Bonds to any ripstop and surface treatments
No drying time needed for adhesive to set
Will not dry up and breakdown like rubber based adhesives found on typical ripstop tape

Advantages of Paper Release Liner
Easy to peel due to it being wider than the backing

KITEAID Bladder & Valve Repair Kit

KITEAID Bladder & Valve Kit is comprised of two products. A bladder repair patch and valve sealant.
See more here: http://www.kiteaid.com/products#bladder-repair-kit

Bladder Patch Utility
The KITEAID Bladder Repair patch is used to repair leaks and blowouts in a kite’s bladder. Easy to apply and requires no drying time. A small round 1 inch patch will suffice to repair a pin hole leak. Use a larger piece of the bladder repair patch to repair blowouts.

Bladder Patch Construction
The bladder repair tape comprised of two layers
A flexible backing film with a possible elongation of 600% before rupture.
A permanent high tack adhesive formulated to adhere to low surface energy (smooth) surfaces

Advantages of the flexible backing
Flexible backing will contour to your bladder’s shape
The flexible backing has an ideal thickness for manipulation and utility.
Will not de-laminate after inflate/deflate cycles
When applying, the flexible backing will not wrinkle or fold on its self.
Acts as a reinforcement in the area around a blowout where its structural integrity has been compromised.
Aerospace grade material.
Will not degrade over time.
Resists UV rays.
Resists salt water.
Will not impede bladder performance.
The strongest bladder repair product on the market

Advantages of the adhesive
High tack aerospace grade adhesive.
Bond increases in strength with time as apposed to a rubber based adhesive that dries out and fails
During application the patch can be repositioned without loosing effectiveness as apposed to a rubber based adhesive that gives you only one chance to get it right
Will not degrade over time.
Permanent bond for long lasting repairs.
Resists UV rays.
Resists salt water.

Valve Sealant Utility
The KITEAID Valve Sealant is used to reapply de-laminated valves to the kite’s bladder. Also, it can be used to seal the seam between two Bladder Repair patches if multiple patches are required for a repair.

Valve Sealant Makeup
The valve sealant is a solvent based polyurethane adhesive.

Advantages of the sealant
When dry, it remains flexible.
Protects against abrasion.
Considered the industry standard for use on flexible elastic repairs.
Dries faster than other products in a humid environment.
Remains flexible at sub-zero temperatures.
Dries faster in humid environments

KITEAID Leading Edge and Strut Repair kit

The Leading Edge and Strut patch is to be used to repair any tear found on the dacron material of your kite. This product is designed to be applied inside of struts. This gives you nearly invisible repairs. KITEAID’s LE and S kit is the only product on the market that allows you to repair a tear from the inside out. Thsi is due to it’s use of a thermoplastic adhesive that is non-tacky at room temperature. This product will yield an easy, professional and permanent repair for any size tear. Simply iron on, let cool and in minutes, your are ready to ride again.
See more here: http://www.kiteaid.com/products#leading ... repair-kit

Construction
The KITEAID LE and Strut patch comprises of two layers
Translucent substrate, natural white in color. Flexible, strong and light, this substrate is made out of Dacron. The same material is used to manufacture kite struts.
Flexible thermoplastic adhesive film with high peel strength (resistance to peeling). An application temperature of around 160ºC (Iron setting: Nylon/Low). About 1 minute of drying time needed to achieve maximum bond strength!

Advantages of the backing (Dacron)
High tensile strength in respect to its weight and size of fibers.
Kite’s strut maintains flexibility throughout repair area.

Advantages of flexible thermoplastic adhesive film
Easy to apply using an iron set on Nylon or Low.
No drying time needed for adhesive to set, needs 1 minute to gain full strength.
The ironing process welds the substrate to the kite
When applying the patch to the inside to the strut, it will ‘wet out’ which helps prevents edge peeling. The wet out also creates a transition zone that prevents sheering and stress concentration on the edge of the patch.
If for some reason the patch starts to peel, simply re-apply the iron to renew bond
Easy to manipulate due to a tack free application surface
Solvent Free
Non toxic

So for the leading edge, the heat activated patch can be used with the kite bladder in place?

No, you have to move the bladder out of the way as it will melt with the heat. For struts, it is simple to remove them so it is easier to just take it out. For the leading edge, i use pinch clamps that you find at hardware stores to hold the bladder on one side of the leading edge while doing the repair.

Hi,

Thought these pictures would be useful for the community.
Here are some pictures of repairs done with KITEAID.
I also included pictures of what the products look like up close. Please let me know if you have any questions about our products.

sk

We at EPIC KITES do stand behind KITEAID products. This is the reason why you will find in all our EPIC kite bags a "KITEAID" kit.

I've been using KiteAid products since 2010 and I love 'em! One kit offers many, many repairs for you and your friends. Easy to use, effective, permanent, and can really be a session/trip saver! I never travel without them. Super products - super value. I dig and highly recommend.

KITEAID is giving 35% off all website orders until January 15th.
Please check out our FACEBOOK page for more info.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151315433889936&set=a.465236389935.252457.253170859935&type=1&theater

We have something special to offer our Dealer network as well. Please contact us directly at info@kiteaid.com to see what Santa left behind for our most devoted supporters while returning to the north!

Happy New Year!

The KITEAID Team

That clear sail tape is MAGIC!

Had a rip in the kite here in Cape Verde, repaired it with the new tape thinking it would at least last for a few classes.

It is bomb proof! I can hardly see it, it is so supple and soft on the fabric and it seems to stick like hell. The kite has been through the washing machine here on cape verde numerous times when students crash it in the shore break and there is not even a corner peel on that stuff. Mitu saw the repair and asked where he could get some of that stuff

I just wish i had more for future repairs (one roll will only last so long in a school), and that i had taken more care to really clean of all sand. Then the repair would have been invisible indeed.

Cheers to Kiteaid!

The KiteAid website instructions don't say, but when repairing a ripstop sail tear with the heat-activated Sail Repair Kit, is it intended to place a repair patch on both sides of the canopy?

-joedy

@Joedy:

No, you need only apply the thermal patch on the inside/underside (intrados) of the canopy. The thermal sail repair is amazing and permanent. It is my favorite/most used KA product.