9 replies to this topic

[tommylurvebus]

Hi all glad to be able to plug into so much knowledge.
I finally stepped into the world of 4lines with my fantastic JB standard sail just 3months ago. I am wondering what to do with a very expensive bag of dual line classic s (Coz they wont see the light of day now).
Anyway it was the usual story. The sun was shining, sky was blue, wind erratic and there was I in a tangled panic not flying. 7 hours on that field (told the wife i would be 2) and at last I was flying. A further 8 to 10 hours got me ready for my timely holiday with the family on the cornish coast.
Not that I am counting (the wife is) I spent 35 hours beech flying whilst away those 2weeks and really started to get to grips with those handles. Totally hooked.
Anyway to my question. I have noticed some thin (not holes yet) wear areas on my sail. These thin patches of sail are directly behind the upper part of the vertical spars just below the mesh. One other patch seems to be at the center point of a horizontal wrinkle directly behind a vertical spar.
I have tensioned the sail but its not to tight(I hope) so i guess these worn areas must be caused by friction and sand.
Has anyone else seen this kind of wear? Does anyone have any advise on managing this problem?
I am intending on using Teldar tape to reinforce. Would you consider a sail thats done 60hours to be old? I am certainly not complaining my rev is just brilliant,I just want to do my best to prolong the life of the kite. Any tips?
Good news is my Mid vent is on its way from the states and I am pushing for the Full vent for Christmas. Once bitten never shy.
Thanks for reading
x tommy

Edited by tommylurvebus, 17 October 2010 - 11:46 AM.

[Baloo]

Hey Tommy, and welcome.

As far as the wear at the top of the vert spars is concerned you can put the rods one side of the knot one time and the other side the next time. Spreads the wear.

I dont have wear on my sails, however tend to fly over grass most of the time. The sand will rub holes more quickly.

Try to tension the sail to keep the wrinkles out of it as much as possible, however not too tight. And I would agree with trying tedlar tape on the thin bits.

Glad you are having fun.

[tommylurvebus]

Hey Tommy, and welcome.

As far as the wear at the top of the vert spars is concerned you can put the rods one side of the knot one time and the other side the next time. Spreads the wear.

I dont have wear on my sails, however tend to fly over grass most of the time. The sand will rub holes more quickly.

Try to tension the sail to keep the wrinkles out of it as much as possible, however not too tight. And I would agree with trying tedlar tape on the thin bits.

Glad you are having fun.

Hey Baloo. Thanks.
I see what you mean about moving the vertical spars. I shall do that from now on. I am glad to hear that you do not get much sail wear over grass. Most of my flying time will be inland so with a little care I am sure there will be many more hours left in my kite. The next time I am lucky enough to be on a beach i hope to have 2 vented sails to spread the load.
Thanks also for advice on the wrinkles. My instinct was that sand had been collecting in the tight horizontal wrinkles and rubbing. I was a little hesitant to tension out the wrinkles at first and did find myself flying in fairly high winds (for a standard sail) in salt spray and a little rain. Great British seaside weather! I resisted the temptation to tighten a wet sail (never a good idea) suppose i should have gotten off the beach a little earlier some of the days.
Just cant put the kite in the bag.
Thanks again B. Glad to be a member here.

[Baloo]

If you are in the London area you just HAVE to get to Blackheath on a Weekend.

Some of the best Rev flyers in the World fly there. And are a pretty helpful bunch too.

[dazlarsen]

Hello There

As Baloo has said
get yourself to blackheath,it's the place where the Decorators practice,usually on a sunday,I think.There are a few of us meeting at The Gateway centre,Dunstable downs this coming sunday,so if your able to make it,there will be plenty of flyers to give you a hand(if needed)It's the practice field for the Flying Squad,and there will be flyers of all skill levels,so come along and join the fun(lets hope the weather is good)

[tommylurvebus]

Thanks Guys.
I will certainly be making a trip to Blackheath. I am in north London so Dunstable downs is not a million miles away either. Wont be able to make this weekend as i am tied up with family, work and DIY commitments. Gener be hard not to head for the hills though as i had word from kiteworld uk today that my mid vent has arrived. Oh well guess i will have to set the kite up in the living room and look at it alot (by no means not the first time i have exhibited this kind of slightly worrying behavior) But thank you Daz for the invite. I would like to come along should you meet there again in the future. It would be great to get some help to improve my flying. Hope the weather is kind. Is the wind fairly reliable on the downs? Hope to get there soon.
Take care... tommy


PS. wow just googled some pics of Dunstable downs looks perfect.

Edited by tommylurvebus, 18 October 2010 - 01:15 PM.

[mdilucca]

Tommy, 1" tedlar or any other strong tape along the verticals should fix the problem. I've done that to all my full and mid-vented sails to control this issue.

Cheers
Mario

[tommylurvebus]

Thanks Mario
I am glad to know i am not the only one to have experienced or to consider this type of problem. I will be more proactive with my next kite(S)
Be safe.
tommy

[REVflyer]

icarex stress fractures, ....

leave 'em until they become quite noticeable and then patch with 9640 (3M) bonding tape + another piece of icarex,

or teldar tape

you can fix 'em small too, if you're willing to bother.
tape the sail hole, (aligned carefully on the front side) then run a tiny thin bead of crazy glue down the fracture, after drying remove the scotch tape and it should appear "as new". Folks have repaired kite sails using this method after tangling with barbed wire fencing.

[tommylurvebus]

More useful info RG.

Cheers t