31 replies to this topic

[Bear]

Have had a few 1.5 SLE's for about 10 years now and flown in abusive winds on the Essex coast in the UK with no problems (touch wood), just got a second hand Blast, only flown twice and not a mark on it, really is as new. I flew it for the first time in about 14MPH winds and the SLE spar snapped both ferrules, not a sound though, it just folded up on itself.

Anyone had similar problems or have I missed something in the setup which was as per the video on the less powerful bridle setting.

[Mike]

Did the ferrules break? Or did the spars break?
When the leading edge is assembled, if a ferrule isn't inserted all the way into a spar it's possible to break the spar.

[Bear]

Did the ferrules break? Or did the spars break?
When the leading edge is assembled, if a ferrule isn't inserted all the way into a spar it's possible to break the spar.

Thanks Mike, it was both the ferrules, I checked the spars over before I flew it to make sure they were clean and grit/sand free and seated together as the should.

[nckiter]

In 15 years of rev flying I've broken 2 spars. First a vert. on an EXP when a sudden gust hit it and snapped the vert. in the center in mid flight. Probably my fault. The second was a blast SLE but it was the rod not the ferrule that broke Like Mike said the rod was not seated completely over the ferrule and with a bit of flexing the ferrule split out the side of the rod. I've never seen an internal ferrule break much less both of them. If the LE was correctly assembled I would be suspicious of some damage by the previous owner or one of those rare times that a piece of defective material got by the good folks at Rev.

[Rev'ed up]

I had the same thing happen when I did not realize that the loop in the center of the sail along the leading edge was not attatched to the bridle.

[awindofchange]

Very strange indeed. Do you have a picture of the broken ferules? That may help. Normally the rod will break either on the end or in the middle after a very hard contact with the ground. Usually it won't break when it hits the ground but that impact will weaken the rod substantially and when the kite is flying in what one would consider normal wind flying, the rod will finally give way and snap. Even if the rod is not inserted all the way, what usually happens is the end of the rod will split open. I don't know of hardly any instances where the ferules snapped off and the rods remained intact.

Perhaps you could contact the previous owner to see if they had done anything special to the kite. You may also want to visit your local Rev retailer and see if they could take a look at it. At least your retailer will be able to get you some replacement rods for you.

[Baloo]

Sorry to hear about your problem.

I have flown a blast in much higher wind than that and have bee fine, except for being dragged around quite a lot.

I would suspect earlier damage, just because it has only been flown twice and looks in very good condition will not always mean thaere might have been some previous stresses.

I would agree with Kent, try to contact the previous owner and make further enquiries or go to a local retailer. However a Blast might not be a stock item for many UK Kite shops.

And welcome to the Forum BTW.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

[RevWizard]

Could you please post photos of your Blast so we can determine, actually, what year it is?
As Kent advised please also post photos of the damaged ferrules.

[Bear]

The images are from the original post on the auction site I bought the Blast from, chap said he had bought it a couple of years ago and could not get on with it, was sticking with his EXP, also attached are the pictures of the ferrules and the associated spars. First time attaching images so I hope it works.

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[Jonesey]

The images are from the original post on the auction site I bought the Blast from, chap said he had bought it a couple of years ago and could not get on with it, was sticking with his EXP, also attached are the pictures of the ferrules and the associated spars. First time attaching images so I hope it works.

Obvious thing from the previous owners photo is that the vertical rods are on the front not on the back which if flown like that in any breeze would put more load on the leading edge but I would expect the bungy's to break before the rod ..

Second thing is that your photo of the broken rods are the remnants of the ferrules still in the rod ends? if so they look (and its hard to be exact) lighter built then my ones (thinner walled) so maybe the previous owner replaced them with some spare rods or something??

Either way I would agree with all the above and say its almost impossible to break the ferrules without breaking the rods first unless there is something wrong with the ferrules.

I have broken 2 blast leading edges but in both cases they were race frames and I was to blame (don't ask!!!)

[Jonesey]

Looking at that again the outer rods in your picture look completely different finish/construction to the centre?? and there are 4 pieces??? how many joins/ferrules were there?... something doesn't add up

[REVflyer]

no Jonesey, you've misinterpreted the photo, I did the same thing. The pix shows two rods and the split-off ferrules actually = 4. They look like they've been run against a chainsaw now, that's for sure!

It couldn't have looked like that if he could correctly assemble the leading edge though. Now whether or not the poor kite took a huge beating prior to new ownership I can't tell. But if it was powered up, assembled incorrectly and flown with some significant speed into a diagonal landing/crash several times,... Crash damages ARE cumulative in case you didn't know. He could have epoxied those busted up sticks such that it could be sold to another unsuspecting individual. I doubt anyone would do that, but all things are possible nowadays!

Bear, you need an entire new leading edge set of spars unfortunately and I doubt you could honestly blame the manufacturer for the parts' failure. That stick/ferrule combination is designed to survive a beating even if cumulative crashes eventually matter. Folks have learned how to fly quads on the speed series. (They wouldn't be my recommendation for a first choice or flight either)

[Jonesey]

no Jonesey, you've misinterpreted the photo, I did the same thing. The pix shows two rods and the split-off ferrules actually = 4. They look like they've been run against a chainsaw now, that's for sure!

It couldn't have looked like that if he could correctly assemble the leading edge though. Now whether or not the poor kite took a huge beating prior to new ownership I can't tell. But if it was powered up, assembled incorrectly and flown with some significant speed into a diagonal landing/crash several times,... Crash damages ARE cumulative in case you didn't know. He could have epoxied those busted up sticks such that it could be sold to another unsuspecting individual. I doubt anyone would do that, but all things are possible nowadays!

Bear, you need an entire new leading edge set of spars unfortunately and I doubt you could honestly blame the manufacturer for the parts' failure. That stick/ferrule combination is designed to survive a beating even if cumulative crashes eventually matter. Folks have learned how to fly quads on the speed series. (They wouldn't be my recommendation for a first choice or flight either)

Ah yes .. good spot! its obvious now you point it out .... I suspect foul play .. lets organise a posse of unruly rev flyers armed with SLE's and linch the perpetrator

Either way looks like a call to kiteworld for a new leading edge

[RevWizard]

The images are from the original post on the auction site I bought the Blast from, chap said he had bought it a couple of years ago and could not get on with it, was sticking with his EXP, also attached are the pictures of the ferrules and the associated spars. First time attaching images so I hope it works.

Can you provide us with your photos of the actual BLAST as you received it. What is on eBay can sometimes be misleading.
One thing I will say using the photo provided is that this appears to be the newest series of BLAST which came on the market in early 2009(last year).
To my understanding this BLAST was delivered with two frame sets. One set being the normal SLE (7/16") rods for normal winds. The other set is UltraLight (1/4") rods for very light winds.

Concerning the photos of the rods. They are really toooooooooo blurry to reasonably be able to determine what might have gone wrong. Where the broken rods 1/4" or 7/16" ID? Do these broken rods have Revolution labels on them?

[Baloo]

I have broken 2 blast leading edges but in both cases they were race frames and I was to blame (don't ask!!!)

Go on Jonesey, tell me about the other One. I was there for the first.

Looks like the fix is to get a new LE Bear. Unless you can get the old ferrules out and put new ones in?

As the other guys have said, difficult to tell from your picture. Are they Rev Rods?

Edited by Baloo, 15 October 2010 - 08:52 AM.

[Bear]

Crumbs theres a lot of replies, thanks to all. The picture had the spars on the wrong side just to show them, that was all, he said in the blurb they were on the other side when flying. They are the 7/16" spars and are slightly larger outside diameter than my 1.5 SLE's and the wall thickness is 0.03" instead of the 0.02" on the 1.5's, they have the Rev stickers with three feathers which I believe means three wrap. It did come with a set of 1/4" ultra light rods and a set of 1/4" race rods. The pictures are definatley the Rev I received, or its twin brother.

[RevWizard]

A clear picture of the broken ferrules in the rods will definitely assist us all in giving you better advise.

If the rod itself has not been damaged then you can probably remove the broken ferrules and replace them with new "original" ferrules which you should be able to acquire through your local kite shop that sells Revolution. If they do not have them, nor will/can acquire them, there are several kite shops on this forum that can provide them.

[awindofchange]

Agree with the above, but you won't have to purchase the entire leading edge, just the two ends. I am assuming from the picture that the broken ferule ends have already been removed from the center rod. I doubt you will be able to just replace the ferules as it is nearly impossible to get the broken end out of the rod without damage. Also, most kite shops only stock replacement rods, not the ferules.

The Blast is the latest design (2009 and newer - panel design by Bazzar), and you are correct that the 3 feathers designates 3 wrap rods (aka Ultra Light). Contact your local kite shop and have them get you a couple replacement Leading Edge end rods and your back in business. Be sure to check your center rod and make sure that the broken end rods have not damaged the ends of the center rod. If desired, you may just want to pick up another center rod as well - for a spare if needed. Revolution also makes a 4 wrap SLE leading edge rod for the Blast and Power Blast 2-4 series kites (aka 4 feather - Revolution Equipped). If you are flying the kite under powered conditions a lot, the stronger 4 wrap rod may be a better purchase for you. For lighter winds you still have the 1/4" rods so weight of the SLE is not an issue.

If your local shop does not want to help you - or if they have no clue to what you are asking for, let me know. We have all leading edge models in stock. Shipping may be the only problem.

Hope this helps.

[Bear]

Clearer pictures of the spars and ferrules attached, the ferrules are in front of the associated spar they snapped from.

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[RevWizard]

Clearer pictures of the spars and ferrules attached, the ferrules are in front of the associated spar they snapped from.

It doesn't look like the rod itself is damaged. I think they could be repaired if you want to try it.
First you would need to see if you can ram the remnants of the old ferrule out of the rod. You would need something solid and hard that fits the internal diameter of the rod that is at least a few inches longer then the rod. Wood is probably to soft. You would need to ram this rod inside and try to force the ferrule out.
If it works gets some new ferrules and glue them in with something like epoxy.
The alternative is to get a new set of rods.