Bambooben - 18-7-2011 at 12:16 PM
I finally got my wife out to fly my Hydra yesterday, including some body dragging. She is hooked, which makes it a lot easier to convince her to let
me buy new toys.
Bad news is when I was packing up and checking the kite I saw that the stitching on a seam has unraveled to make a hole about the size my thumb could
fit in. Plus, a couple of other seams look like they might be about to open up too. I have been letting a lot of friends try out flying so there
have been a lot of crashes lately. So question is, how to I fix it before it spreads? Do I go through the deflate zipper and sew the seam back from
the inside? Buy one of the new iron on patches? Help me out here..............
The hole is at the very top of the leading edge (red is current hole, yellow looks like it is getting loose)
Below is an actual pic:
DAKITEZ - 18-7-2011 at 12:31 PM
you can use sail tape and patch it from the inside and out side on a small hole like that .... or fixmykite.com
Pulsar - 18-7-2011 at 02:28 PM
Pretty small hole... Best fix would be to open the trailing edge, and repair the seam through the hole using a sewing machine. Then you close the
trailing edge again. Lots of work though, and you need to work very carefully. It'll be as good as new though, with no patches or other clearly
visible fixes anywhere.
A patch over the hole will work just as good, but will be easily visible.
kitemaker4 - 18-7-2011 at 02:31 PM
I would repair like Pulsar said. Sewing it up is the best.
Susan (npw goddess)
shehatesmyhobbies - 18-7-2011 at 04:09 PM
Band Aid! 
Just kidding, I would also tackle that seam with a sewing
machine!
Bladerunner - 18-7-2011 at 05:07 PM
I am with Susan if it isn't ripped , sew it.
This almost looks like a warranty issue? How long have you had it ? It this coming undone do to abuse ? Doesn't look like it?
HQ are very good . If this isn't your fault I would contact them . I think they would at least want to know it is happening.
tridude - 18-7-2011 at 05:21 PM
Check on your warranty like BR mentioned..............if youre keen with a needle and dental floss sew it yourself or
fixmykite.com......................repairs guareented for life and fast turn around.................
markite - 18-7-2011 at 07:13 PM
As all have mentioned - sew it. It looks like a simple loosening of the stitch around the rib and outer skin panels and no ripped material. You can
access it from inside and just do a simple re-stitch on that little curve overlapping into the existing stitching a little bit to lock it in place. if
using a machine you need to access both cells either side of the rib so that you can sew through the rib and seam allowance overlap for the outer
skin. Doing it by hand you can access from just one side of the rib and try to follow the the stitch line where the thread came loose.
PHREERIDER - 19-7-2011 at 09:47 AM
needle , dental floss and your will to fix it. tape will do it stitches are worry phree. plus YOU own the kite, problem and the solution, and that
alone is deeply satisfying and ..AND you'll pass on the the message of CONTROL to the friends who are slamming your kite carelessly and when the
kite pops doubtful if any will be as willing to carelessly drop the cash on you.
a trainer really allows you to learn the sport , this is part of it.
good on you for DETAIL recognition on seams!
Bambooben - 20-7-2011 at 04:33 AM
Yeah, I understand it's a trainer. That's why I'm not really upset about it. Right now I'm asking around to see if anyone has a sewing machine. If
not it will be needle and thread.
And they actually aren't crashing carelessly, they just need a lot more pratice. My boss is getting better. We did some really long body drags down
the beach last week and I don't think she crashed once.
PHREERIDER - 20-7-2011 at 04:59 AM
needle and floss thats all you need.
its a small repair. very low stress. tact it before it grows.
bigkahuna - 20-7-2011 at 05:03 AM
I've got a sailmaker's sewing machine, but to be honest, something that small I would try to sew it by hand instead. You can probably "blind stitch"
it from the outside, or by reaching through one of the vents, and then you'd be hard pressed to tell it was repaired at all. Opening up the trailing
edge, although the right way to do it, seems like an awful lot of work for such a small hole. I'd definitely contact the manufacturer first. They
might just ship you a new kite instead.
