16 replies to this topic

[lamrith]

I pulled my B midvent out yesterday to fly and noticed that the sail is worn under the upright. The sail does not look to be worn paper thin, but on one side there are small holes all the way thru.

I know the new pro's come with a re-inforcing strip, can that be done to a Rev B midvent as well? Anyone know of a place up here in WA that could do it? :cough: BAZZER? :cough:

Curious on cost for this sort of modification/repair vs get a new sail..

[RevWizard]

Give Theresa a call at the Kite Shoppe in Vancouver, Wa. She might be able to assist.

[LS Kite Stakes]

Bazzer is busy with the Masterpiece challenge atm. I don't stress out on the wear under the verticals, all our Revs do that over time.

[terry w]

On my maple leaf pros I do have Bazzer sew in a wear strip where the uprights are ... It does cost extra
In the past I and others have used 3/4" or !'' insignia tape ( available from a sailmaker) on our full sails ... easy to apply ... it works extremely well and appears not to affect performance at all .
I am not sure how it will work on a regular B - mid vent but I am sure it is doable ... just shorter pieces
Cheers
Terry
ISLAND QUAD

[kwmf]

I have a number of my sails with 2" Insignia tape running behind the verticals to fight the effects of sand sticking to the verticals and wearing the sail.

Same thing goes for the spot behind the vinyl vertical end cap that wears - a good strip of insignia works well.

When/if the insignia wears I can either replace it or add a new layer on top of it.

I have also done a test where I wash a sail after every beach fly versus washing every now and then ... turns out that washing out all the sand and salt is much better for the life of your sail

[Madquad]

Just fly untill you can buy a new one.....

[REVflyer]

I wholeheartedly agree MadQuad,..... fly until you can replace.

that wear point on the sail is like a blood stain on your Black belt!

you should leave it there
as a proud reminder of how much you give,
in pursuit of this activity

I've never ever washed a sail, wad 'em tightly into the bag, sometimes I'll dry them out first though! (only if it's convenient)

I fly over asphalt more than grass or sand, and probably more aggressively than most pilots regardless of location. My sails last a couple of thousand hours generally, then it's time to replace, either the whole kite or at least a new skin. I have lots of sticks already and use different bridles. So if you only fly occasionally, that darn thing will last for decades. If you ride it hard and frequently you'll get a couple of seasons before it's thread bare, punctured, taped and looking kinda' ragged overall.

I still have that first rev somewhere, it's a reminder of my humble beginnings, a backtracker.

A new (old) guy joined us this past 1st Sunday on the Mall. He had a Rev 2 with kevlar lines and metal clips, cute, little stubby handles and no experience. Dugard and Ashworth reworked his lines to even, but the guy wanted it stock. Anyway, when it was all tuned-up, the kite was a howlin' good time. Double axels and magical 3-D stuff. Those darn clips would hook on my fingers just spankin' it around though. Kevlar lines, they should be spray-painted safety orange as a warning. The kite had been bagged for close to a dozen years, maybe with a couple of owners, but it was still perfectly flight-worthy with a little knowledge/experience mixed in.

We lined-up to chase this old thing, . . . . ignoring our latest and greatest kites for a piece of history with a new member of our local kite club.

The point is, either abuse 'em and replace when necessary, or protect for your grandkids and miss out on all the excitement now.
That wear point is your blood stain, Revwarrior-san!

[SparkieRob]

That wear point is your blood stain, Revwarrior-san!

Here here!!

[lamrith]

Thanks for the replies. I have a SLE that is what I call worn. the fabric you can see is scuffed/worn about 1/2-1" wide under the upright. I have also seen a few peoples high hour kites @ revclinic with the classic horizontal tears under the uprights from the fabric getting worn thin.

This kite does not show the wear/discoloration like any of those, the fabric still has good color and the holes are not like tears. If I didn't know any better I would almost say moth eatn, they are just small round holes. I will track down some sail tape, that sounds like a perfect fix!!

Though maybe I should buy a B midvent to match my full vent (limited edition pattern from rev)? :-p

[hyzakite]

The way I see it, although 95% of the time/people suggest run right out and buy a 1.5b as your first Rev, I feel the EXP is the right choice of material to start with, to learn with, to abuse unknowingly.
Things like too much wind for the sail or the sudden change of direction like dive stops, it's like bungee jumping with a loggers chain instead of a bungee to the human body, something is going to give, in this case it's the material, it happens to Icarex. The more slackline flying you do the less holes you'll see, the more buzzing of the sail you hear the more holes you'll see.

[kwmf]

Badge of honor, right of passage, or lack of maintenance ... depends on your own personal point of view.

Personally the exchange rate means i cant afford to abuse my kit and replace at will, plus i cant bring myself to not look after something.

Fly it and care for it in a way that makes you happy, its your own kite and nobody elses :-)

[mbro]

You can get insingnia tape @ goodwinds.com, I think there pretty close to where you are. Same state anyway!

Michael
P.S. they sell it in 1",1.5",2" what ever you need, I put 1" on my B std works great. Also sell by the yard.

[SkyPuppet]

If you do tape the back along the path of the verticals, don't bother taping (i.e. repairing) the holes on the front side of the sail as well. Although it's not detrimental to performance if you do, it's not necessary IMO. The tape along the back fixes the holes and provides future protection.
Full sail only, I've read.
I might say the Zen is an exception. Never taped my Zen, no problems/holes to report about after a year and lots of flying time! But my standard B has benefited from it, I'm sure.

[hyzakite]

I just popped 2 rods through my leading edge of a Black Rainbow SUL, and! and I knew to begin with, the rods weren't planted together, there was at least a 1/16" gap between the rods, I didn't stop and check it out. Now I have a nice beater kite. BTW, it has the same wear through the sail if not more than your kite Larry.

[lamrith]

Well had it out today for a better look. It does nit look like it is upright related, it is not under the upright. Almost looks like moth holes. Thinking i will still tape it and go.

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[hyzakite]

Well had it out today for a better look. It does nit look like it is upright related, it is not under the upright. Almost looks like moth holes. Thinking i will still tape it and go.

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Ah, those look like poke throughs caused by an object, stress is usually higher on the sail. I can't picture your holes getting worse, and tape might make it look worse than the holes, maybe a small dab of glue or like that. But you won't see the holes at the end of your lines anyways.

[Stephen Hoath]

Ah, those look like poke throughs caused by an object, stress is usually higher on the sail. I can't picture your holes getting worse, and tape might make it look worse than the holes, maybe a small dab of glue or like that. But you won't see the holes at the end of your lines anyways.

I'm inclined to agree. Use Super Glue Gel first put some tape on the back of the kite, apply the gel to the front as neatly as possible, then when the glue has dried completely, remove the tape from the back of the sail. We have used this technique well on much bigger holes than you have there.