CeeJay Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 I had my bladder burst out of the leading edge on my Ion2 8.5m over the weekend and looking for some recommendations on good repairers? The damage is restricted to the leading edge only and hasn't spread to the canopy. The tear goes pretty much the full circumference of the leading edge and also spread about 6 inches along as well. The bladder has a nice ragged hole about the size of an orange so will probably need to be replaced? The damage happened during a self land in mid air just after releasing onto one line to flag the kite out. I know that there has been a number of threads about good repairers gone bad so would like some info on who is doing good work and a quick turnaround? Quote
ianscott9 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 Peter at kitemare.co.uk is very good! Quote
ianscott9 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 pete at kitemare. boom! haha.... I must learn to type faster !!!! this wasn't wrote when I started my post !!! Quote
Kite Kid Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 Kite mare or Lee from brighton sail repair. Did all my school kites and did an amazing job Quote
RichBox Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 Pete is your man, he is the best and at a damn good price. Quote
GeorgeFromDevon Posted August 30, 2011 Report Posted August 30, 2011 +1 for pete Pete is your man, he is the best and at a damn good price. Quote
CeeJay Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Posted August 31, 2011 Unanimous for Kitemare it seems! I am gonna get the kite posted off to Pete today Quote
GEORGEMP Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 On a related topic, has anyone ever tried to repair their own kite? Don't mean a bladder patch or a bit of DIY sail tape, but a proper stitching job? Are there any guides out there for this sort of thing, or do you just learn by trial and error? Sewing machine is a prerequisite but how about getting hold of the thread and colour matched fabric? Quote
GEORGEMP Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 Ha ha.. worth a go if a kite is going to cost loads to fix and it's an old kite. Dont run a kite repair business by any chance are you? I'm pretty handy with a needle and thread and everyone has to start somewhere! Quote
Jay586 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Posted August 31, 2011 Yep, kiter up here does repairs. Started when sent one for repair and it came back with the bladders stitched, if I remember rightly. Quote
Will Holt Posted September 1, 2011 Report Posted September 1, 2011 This is a common problem with the ions, its happened on both of mine as flexifoil dont triple stitch the leading edge. Make sure that you get whoever repairs it to also sow webbing on over the stitching. Usually the three sections closest to the wingtips on either side does the trick and stops the stitching getting shredded again when self launching and landing, otherwise it is almost guaranteed to happen again. Probably will cost a bit more but certainly saves you time and money in the long run. Quote
CeeJay Posted September 1, 2011 Author Report Posted September 1, 2011 Interesting comments there Will and seems to make a lot of sense. I have heard far too many stories of this exact same issue so if it can be prevented then i'm all for that! I have emailed Pete with the details to see what he reckons to it. Quote
Will Holt Posted September 1, 2011 Report Posted September 1, 2011 Think they might have sorted it on the newer models but definitely a problem on the II's and III's. Since I had mine repaired I havnt had any problems. I was lucky enough to catch it before the bladder exploded though! Its a preventative measure for something that addresses a pretty shoddy design flaw from Flexifoil. Quote
kitemare Posted September 1, 2011 Report Posted September 1, 2011 Hi All and thanks for the glowing reports, I almost feel embarrassed!....First of all can I say we do get very few flexifoils into the repair center here and I will hand on heart say the quality of the materials and build quality are top notch. The taping works on some kites but if closed correctly the edge should never go anywhere. For this type of kite we always double stitch but never triple. The reason....Once you have opened an edge you already have two lines of existing holes. Now sew in another three and you have an instant tear here line! Any good shock loading and you have put so many holes in one place it can split. If an edge is double stitched opposing ways using the correct thread it will be as strong as the day it was made. Self launching is normally the culprit for what was described above and it is good practice for everyone to check their edge regular....The old stitch in time again! Pump up your kite and carefully check the edge. Any loose stitches or worse, bulges then get them seen to. Any repair centre should do this very cheaply and will save £££££! The kite coming in doesn't look like stitching failure as this can blow some gurt big holes in the edges, just bad luck. Thanks again for your recommendations, Peter. Kitemare Company... Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.