Rip Stop-->How long does it last?

Joshiebaby · Since 14 Oct 2007 569 Posts Vancouver, WA Addicted

Hi Guys,

I know that this is supposed to be a temp fix but wondering how long it will hold up.
I'm stuck in northern OK for the immed future and shipping a kite off to have a relatively small repair done seems expensive. I say small but it is about a 3" tear...

Looked at the forum saw the post below but still wondering how long will the rip stop will last before it gives out,

http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-923.html&highlight=rip+stop

I'm sure this depends on how much sand you get into it and the like... Any experience? Amy I crazy trying to kite with this for a while or?

Thanks!

Joshiebaby

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

Wouldn't kite with it, period... Order some Tear-Aid TYPE A and fix it yourself.

mobettah · Since 13 Mar 2007 18 Posts Pickering, Ontario

Had a 16m kite that the trailing edge was starting to deteriorate due to age. I would get tears in the kite. Used Tear-aid A (about 10 ft of it) to keep on repairing the kite to make it last to the end of the season. There was never a problem with the patches!

Sure there is probably a place in the States but here is a place in Canada you can get a little kit.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442623108&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302803669

backtoCaLi · Since 15 Mar 2008 74 Posts Nor-Cal

I use sail repair tape from west marine $10 & lasts a loooong time. even works on my paraglider (tho it sayz specifically not to!).

FlyDunes · Since 09 Oct 2007 1034 Posts Aloha XTreme Poster

Ditto. I've used sail tape on small tears on foils and LEI kites with no problems. The only issue is that sand tends to creep in around the edges over time, and you need to replace the patch eventually.

cnett · Since 23 Aug 2010 115 Posts PDX Stoked

I've been looking into this myself.

Go to http://www.kitefix.com/ and fix it yourself.

Here's an article comparing the value of your kite after self vs professional repair.

http://www.thekiteboarder.com/wordpress/2010/01/kite-fix-economics-101/

How long would any of you keep flying a kite after a major tear in the canopy that you fixed?

What are the general guidelines for retiring kites after damage, in respect to safety? Does anyone know?