Forums > Kitesurfing   Newbies / Tips & Tricks

Small hole fix

Reply
Created by Ducati man > 9 months ago, 27 Dec 2016
Ducati man
NSW, 3 posts
27 Dec 2016 8:10PM
Thumbs Up

Hi,

I'm a newbie & still working on my kite control. Today I was out practicing with my kite & as I was rolling it up I noticed two very small holes in my kite. I bought the kite (Cabrinha switchblade) second hand but don't seem to have a repair kit. Is there something I can do in the meantime until I get a repair kit? The two holes are no bigger than 2 very small nail heads??

Thanks

cauncy
WA, 8407 posts
27 Dec 2016 8:49PM
Thumbs Up

Tear aid type a
A clear high flex adhesive tape
Alcohol wipes
Hair dryer
Nylon roller
Clean and dry, cut 20 cent circular pieces
Place over pin holes, add a bit of heat from hair dryer and roll
Sticks like shidt to a blanket
Looks better than coloured too

Ducati man
NSW, 3 posts
28 Dec 2016 7:26AM
Thumbs Up

Thanks very much I'll give that a go!

NorthernKitesAUS
QLD, 1061 posts
31 Dec 2016 9:05AM
Thumbs Up

Select to expand quote
cauncy said..
Tear aid type a
A clear high flex adhesive tape
Alcohol wipes
Hair dryer
Nylon roller
Clean and dry, cut 20 cent circular pieces
Place over pin holes, add a bit of heat from hair dryer and roll
Sticks like shidt to a blanket
Looks better than coloured too


Yeah I second the hair drier step. It like hot seals the tear aid to the bladder.

But you've got to wonder how Cauncy came up with that tip? Do you use a hair crimper too Cauncy?

Gorgo
VIC, 4911 posts
31 Dec 2016 11:36AM
Thumbs Up

I assume you're talking about holes in the canopy and not in the bladders.

I use spinnaker repair tape. It's about $12-15 a roll from any sailing shop. I generally use black tape. Transparent looks crap and matching colours is almost impossible.

If you want to keep flying your kite you can use duct tape or any old sticky tape to avoid the risk of the holes developing into a split.

Repair as described by the earlier posts.

I use metho and a cotton swab to clean the area.

I usually go through my change collection and pick a couple of coins to use as templates for the patches. Usually a 20 cent and a 10 cent work well. The trick is to have different sizes so the edges don't line up. That makes a hard edge 3 layers thick.

Better than a hair dryer is a glass or metal bottle filled with hot water. Not boiling but quite hot. Apply the patches then lay the fabric on a resilient surface (blanket, towel, book) then roll the patches with the bottle. The heat will set the glue and the rolling will press it down and smooth it out.

ActionSportsWA
WA, 950 posts
31 Dec 2016 11:12AM
Thumbs Up

Hi Ducati man,

Some good advice but be wary of the hair dryer, as Gorgo said, hot water in a bottle is much better idea. The repair should be done with sticky back sail cloth not Tear Aid for canopy repairs. Any hole or tear larger than 1cm should be stitched as well as stuck. It also depends on where abouts the holes are. Some parts of the canopy are under much greater tensional loads and should be sewn regardless of size.

Tear Aid is not good for anything other than emergency repairs to canopy just to get you back on the water as it stretches and can allow the tear to extend. Gorgo's advice is solid with regard to doubler patches either side not lining up. I'd make any patch 3cm in radius larger than the hole itself and 2.5cm on the back side.

Make sure both sides are completely clean and dry before applying the patches and use the back of a spoon to rub the patch all over with a bit of heat to allow the glue to permeate the cloth it is sticking to.

Go to it!

DM

Ducati man
NSW, 3 posts
31 Dec 2016 7:41PM
Thumbs Up

Thanks guys for your advice it is greatly appreciated. I went with the tear aid type A & patched both sides as described. So far so good. As a newbie it's great to be able to run things by the experienced kite surfers & potentially save my self a heap of grief!

Thanks again & happy new year!

cauncy
WA, 8407 posts
31 Dec 2016 8:45PM
Thumbs Up

Select to expand quote
Gorgo said..
I assume you're talking about holes in the canopy and not in the bladders.

I use spinnaker repair tape. It's about $12-15 a roll from any sailing shop. I generally use black tape. Transparent looks crap and matching colours is almost impossible.

If you want to keep flying your kite you can use duct tape or any old sticky tape to avoid the risk of the holes developing into a split.

Repair as described by the earlier posts.

I use metho and a cotton swab to clean the area.

I usually go through my change collection and pick a couple of coins to use as templates for the patches. Usually a 20 cent and a 10 cent work well. The trick is to have different sizes so the edges don't line up. That makes a hard edge 3 layers thick.

Better than a hair dryer is a glass or metal bottle filled with hot water. Not boiling but quite hot. Apply the patches then lay the fabric on a resilient surface (blanket, towel, book) then roll the patches with the bottle. The heat will set the glue and the rolling will press it down and smooth it out.


transparant looks better unless you can match the canopy material
spinnaker and le material is knob imho, too thick and not enough elasticity, ive repaired heaps and have had more issues especially adhesion with these types of tape, they leave too much of an edge, a back to back tearaid repair is bomb proof, im currently riding a 9 vegas with a slice in the le( repaired with type a clear), 25 plus sessions in above 25 knts and its as good as the day i did it, type a is a fantastic material, if you do a repair as i described ill assure youll not have an issue, if its a slight L shaped tear you can re- aline the tear on the reverse with a piece of standard tape whilst you place your preferered patch, another handy hint is to use the reverse side of masking tape (sticky side) and dab around the area, this removes ingressed salt etc and is handy if you dont have alcohol swabs, then apply your tape, and a flat surface is great to assist with a pro job



Subscribe
Reply

Forums > Kitesurfing   Newbies / Tips & Tricks


"Small hole fix" started by Ducati man