Slingshot RPM biggest weakness - trailing edge wear

TheJoe · **Joined:** Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:13 pm **Posts:** 767

CaptainArgh wrote:

eldadgold wrote:

...f you want your gear to last, and you are not one of those once a week lets go back and forth and just cruise around with our kites then stay away from SS.

...geez, I WISH I got to kite once a week! Damn. I unfortunately don't have the free time or the wind for it.

Definitely noted that you guys who live at windy places are harder on gear. That's why us east coasters (U.S.) never by used small kites from the Gorge, and the folks out there shouldn't buy used big kites from us!

I pretty much get every windy day we get during our windy season. I have had so many days straight I actually wished the wind would die!

It really depends on more than just the kite its self though. Conditions for one. We have a grassy area to set up and launch at. We don't get many days in the surf or on a sandy beach. It all so depends on how hard you are on your gear. I'm a monster towards mine. I self launch and even hot launch in light winds. I constantly crash my kites and hard.

eldadgold: Let me have that bandit for our season. I bet it won't be worth a damn after I'm done with it.

Kites might be bomb proof but they are not Joe Proof!

Galeltic · **Posted:** Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:24 am

Hey dandaka :clap:

i think u should buy naish park or cabrinha switchblade or liquid force envy
so they are good materials :naughty:

ripper tom · **Joined:** Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:41 pm **Posts:** 19

dandaka wrote:

Why SS can't reinforce this part with dacron?

The black line is dacron no ripstop.

RPM 8m trailing edge 27 knots
http://youtu.be/xl5X9rNxydg

The kite does not flapper in the air while kiting.

The kite fluters a lot on land because it jas only 3 struts. To solve this problem just put the board or sand on the kite.

The RPM was built to be extreme leight weight to have it's outstanding flying and re-launching performance.

Who let's his kite flutter like this is absolutely deadhearted.

slingshot kites 4 line self landing
https://vimeo.com/55684239
slingshot kites water relaunch
https://vimeo.com/48475137

FabsPH · **Joined:** Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:57 pm **Posts:** 522

diddo

jedi1 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:09 pm

ripper tom wrote:

The kite fluters a lot on land because it jas only 3 struts.

That's only half right. It is not because of only 3 struts, but because of very wide distance between the struts. Fuel has 5 struts, but the same thing happens to it's trailing edge if you don't take care of it. Never leave any kite flapping on the ground, it'll destroy it. Flat kites are more resistant to flapping on the ground, because of their shape.

That being said, I'd like Slingshot to reinforce the trailing edge more. To compare trailing edge dacron reinforcement in RRD kite.

Zeek · **Joined:** Wed Feb 27, 2013 9:05 pm **Posts:** 8

Interesting.....I've heard of the rpm trailing edge issue but didn't realise it had a Dacron TE.

What about kites that just have the folded bit of ripstop........epic and ozone come to mind?

How much do you think this is down to the junction of different materials.....hard stiff and heavy Dacron working against the light flexible ripstop?

Or are all things equal between the different TE construction methods and it all comes down to how much in flight flutter is in the design and how the kite is stored when not in flight?

moffemand · **Joined:** Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:43 pm **Posts:** 53

The same happen to all our RPM we have in the school. After 1 season you can only use
them as spare parts.

Too weak construction on the trailing edge. SS please change that. We want a 50 g more heavy
kite we can use for more than 1 season.

Morten

UKSurf · **Joined:** Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:09 pm **Posts:** 140

Zeek wrote:

How much do you think this is down to the junction of different materials.....hard stiff and heavy Dacron working against the light flexible ripstop?

The flapping destroys not just the trailing edge but the whole section of material at the back. It starts getting soft cracks all over it - the trailing edge just gives way first. I think slingshot should do something about it since it is damaging their reputation, there are probably alot of people who will not buy any more SS kites after having an RPM fall apart on them.

Babel · **Joined:** Tue May 22, 2012 8:33 pm **Posts:** 17

Well, I think its simple: A kite that cant be left on a beach for a little while is like a car that cant be left in the rain and needs a garage all the time. Useless for me.

dandaka · **Joined:** Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:33 pm **Posts:** 226

Babel, it falls apart even if you don't leave your kite on a beach flapping.

Slingshot RPM biggest weakness - trailing edge wear

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