light Canopy repair - kitefix vs sailtape vs ?

[RobH]

Im looking for recomendations to repair a 2-3 foot section of canopy that was damaged by a sharp object dragging across the canopy. The impacted area is almost 3 foot long, its not one long rip, but several small rips or punctures in the canopy. Since this kite isnt used often I plan on fixing with tape instead of having it sent down to be repaired with sewing. First thought was to simpy use sail tape and aqau seal on both sides, or perhaps try the kitefix canopy repair product. ANyone have experience with either or recomend a fix ? I was about to order kitefix but stopped short when they wanted 15 bucks to ship, so if any local shop carries that it would be good to know as well.

Thanks in advance

[Jag]

I have used sail tape on low stress areas and it has worked great-just make sure seam-joints are exactly lined up so you don't get wrinkles or flap. If it is a stress area-tape both sides and run a sew line down each side. Jag

[scott8888]

Hey Rob,

Try Coghlan's Nylon Repair Tape, google it, it is actually for repairing tents , etc. but very similar woven material to kite fabric. about $1.07 for four 2X8 patches so it is pretty cheap compared to the other options as well as lightweight compared to sail tape, if you have to put a bunch of it on. I had an old waroo that got a beatdown by a set of surfboard fins and it held up for two years of riding no problems. Just use it like you would sail tape, make sure the areas are clean, dry and flat, tape both sides, done.

hope you get it fixed. cheers.

[Mike W]

Rob, nylon tape on both sides would probably be just fine. Barry P. and I have done some experimenting with Kitefix vs. Aquaseal. We have discovered that the mesh sold with the Kitefix pack is the same stuff you can get in a roll at Home Depot for sheetrock repairs-- it is a fiberglass mesh. Kitefix glue is a faster drying version of Aquaseal. So, for bigger repairs or repairs in high stress areas (leading edges or struts), I recommend Home Depot nylon mesh and Aquaseal-- much cheaper, easier to get, and equally effective. For smaller canopy repairs, nylon tape on both sides.

[slopecat]

I need help with a small repair issue that sound similar. I just picked up a used kite at the swap and found three small tears on it when I got home. They are about 1"-2" long. This should be an easy repair, but being new to all of this I need some advice on how to do it and what products to use.

The kite came with four 8.5x11 sheets of fabric for patching but what do I do with it? There is a white sheet that has an adhesive on it with a liner that peels off. It looks like I could just stick that on - but there is no white fabric on the kite! The colored sheets are just plain kite fabric without any adhesive. So how do I make use of these colored sheets? Is there some kind of adhesive that I should apply around the tear and then stick a piece of the patch material to it? Should I try to do that on both sides?

Is there a clear tape that I should use instead of cutting and gluing the patch material? If so is there a certain product I should look for? The Coghlan's Nylon Repair Tape recommended above would probably work but I dobut I could come close to matching the color of the kite with it.

Thank you,
Mike

[RobH]

Great responses, that helps a great deal. Thanks much,
Rob

[stefen.L]

http://www.rei.com/webservices/rei/Disp ... erralID=NA

slopecat

Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Repair Tape. its at rei and midwest

clear tape , put it on the front and back side of the small rip.

[davepark]

Rob,

Just take a blow torch and melt the material back together.

[Tom L]

I've used both. I think the tape looks better, & easy to remove if it starts to fail. Kitefix is pretty permanent & doesn't look too hot either. I used kitefix on an LE tear and it has held up, but it looks pretty crappy.

If you use the sail tape, heat it up with a blow dryer after it is applied & apply lots pressure to get the adhesive to set into the fibers on the canopy. Be careful not to heat too hot and melt the fabric.

[rookie]

Cabman; I have a sewing machine just like bills at B&S. What color canopy is it?

[lukedjr85]

Ron hyland

call me

I spoke with Scott and I have a question that only another Cabrinha man could answer.

850 559 5600

[Matixsnow]

Hey Rob,

How did you end up repairing your kite? I have a 5" by 5" L shaped panel tear needing repair. Its overwhelming how many repair products and methods there are...and they are all so different. Glue, mesh, patches, tape, sewing, panel replacement.

It'd be nice to quickly repair with clear nylon sail tape, but not sure if that will hold up over time. Anyone have any clear nylon tape willing to sell a couple feet? I can't find any in the cities.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks!

[RobH]

I did do the repair with a trip to Home Depot, picked up the tape in teh sheet rock section and applied aqau seal. Worked much better than I expected - a bit messy with some extended dry time, but soo much cheaper and easy to get the tape. I only felt the need to tape on the inside of the canopy