5 replies to this topic

[Bmwbob]

Yesterday I was static flying in 10-12 mph winds. I thought something looked a little loose on the trailing edge so I landed to take a look.
The bungee holding the longer spar on one side had ripped through the fabric, so it was only held by one hole.
I am having a piece of heavier material sewn over the area where the melted-through holes are for the bungees and some additional stitching done for reinforcement.
Also, instead of the bungee being in a loop, I'm going to run each end of the bungee through a nylon finish washer and tie a knot in it.
This is the way that my 1.5 SLE is set up and it looks more durable to me.
Any thoughts here?
Bob

[makatakam]

The bungee is looped to keep the vertical spar from moving left to right. Doing what you described will allow it to move, and although it will affect the control you have over the kite only very slightly, it creates an annoying thump each time it slips to the other side. 

 

However, feel free to modify and test. It will either create a new standard or reinforce the existing one. The first rev I owned went to the cutting board first and then to the sky.

 

Most of all, have fun and be creative!

[kwmf]

Yep ... the vertical spar is supposed to go between the bungee and the sail - prevents the spar from moving around under all that power, and prevents the bungee from being pulled through the sail.

[Bmwbob]

OK. That makes sense. I didn't get a manual with the 2-4 (a used kite.) though the seller advertised it as coming with one, and, not receiving it with the kite, I requested it, but never received it. It's sad to learn that I did the damage out of ignorance. I usually prefer to do it out of "youthful over exuberance! :-) At my age, ANYTHING I can do that smacks of youth is a pleasant surprise! :-) I just looked at the manual that came with my 1.5 SLE. It doesn't mention routing the spar between the bungee and sail, but since the bungee isn't looped on that kite, I wouldn't expect it to. So I will loop the bungees as per the original and place the spars as you have suggested. I was very glad to see that Ace Hardware carried the exact bungee on bulk rolls for $0.35/ foot. Having the "armored" T.E. attach points (I used seat belt webbing for the reinforcement material) can only give me a bit more peace of mind when I'm buggying a bit above the reccommended wind speed for the kite. Thanks again, folks! In an ideal world, we would get perfectly descriptive manuals with good illustrations with even the used kites we buy. It's nice to have this forum to take up the slack. Bob

[makatakam]

The bungee you can buy at the hardware store is different than the bungee used on Revolution Kites. Although it may be the same diameter and feel that it has about the same amount of tension, I have found through my own experimentation that it is not the same, and may cause you some grief (in damaged sail and altered tuning) which may not be immediately apparent, but will become evident with time.

 

I recommend getting the original bungee material from a Rev dealer, for these two reasons. It is the same as the original design calls for, and it is not very expensive, about a dollar a foot as I recall. I bought ten feet and have only used about four feet in three years of wear and modifications.

[Bmwbob]

I was able to re-tie the original bungees so I didn't have to use the Ace Hardware stuff. Really though, other than possibly losing elasticity or breaking prematurely, neither of which I can see damaging the kite beyond the possibility of losing a vertical spar in flight, I can't see the reason not to use it. Of course,that's just my theory which doesn't trump your experience! :-) Bob