elnica - 22-8-2011 at 12:59 PM
So I just got a used kite last week on fleabay, about to return it. Fabric looks kinda bad to me, white wrinkles all over. Looks sunburnt or
something. What do you guys think?
that and the control bar rubber is coming off and the bag zipper is broken. The guy said he thinks the kite is in great shape and thats how the fabric
looked new but that I can return it if I want. He didnt realize the bar was like that until he was going to ship it so he glued it on or something.
And also didnt realized the bag was broken...lol...
What the kite looks like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66664730@N07/6070827494/in/phot...
What the other one I already had looks like (same brand, year, and color, just different size):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66664730@N07/6070281203/in/phot...
indigo_wolf - 22-8-2011 at 01:42 PM
There's a lot of subjectiveness to kite condition and people have various levels of OCD about their kites.
When kites are new, fabric is crispy due to the coating on the nylon. As the coating breaks down the kite will develop a softer more supple feel.
The coating is on the kite to to decrease drag. In the case of kites used on the water, the coating also retards the kite's tendency to absorb water.
If the coating, is in good shape water should rolls right off the canopy. As the coating breaks down, water will bead, but will be sluggish about
rolling off. When the coating worn, water will actually be absorbed by the fabric, and the kite is a good candidate for being treated with something
like Seal n Glide to recover some of its performance.
Not really sure what you mean by "white wrinkles".... the only time I have seen something like that is with a kite that had been in sea water and
hadn't been rinsed off before drying. In that case, the "white wrinkles" was dried salt. A thorough fresh water cleaning and the kite was pretty
much minty fresh new again and still smelled store bought.
UV rays will cause the colors on the canopy to fade over time and that might be what you looks sunburnt to you. White nylon can look dingy from dirt
or yellow from UV fading. Hard to say without seeing pictures.
The broken zipper should have been mentioned in the ebay description, but the general consensus is that you don't "fly the bag". If the bag was
exposed to a lot of sand, blowing it out with compressed air and/or treating it with something like Krytech can bring it back to life. Is the zipper
sticking, jammed or is the zipper pull actually seperated from the teeth?
Contact cement can can take care of the control bar rubber, but that also should have been mentioned in the description or showed up in pictures. Is
the neoprene just seperating from the bar or is it actually torn?
FWIW: I have received a fair number of kites from eBay.... some had been lovingly cared for or such low mileage that they would be hard to tell from
new.
Have you flown the kite? Do any of the seams seam stretched? Could be that it flies great, even if it not a prom queen anymore.
In the end, it's going to be your call as to whether you go your money's worth.
Lest everyone jumps all over eBay, it's as good or bad as the individual people involved in the transactions... just like craigslist, forum sales etc.
On the plus side, at least the guys isn't making a return a hassle.
EDIT: The sunburnt look is definitely UV fading, which is always most apparent on deep dark colors like navy and black.
If you look at the kite closely (including the inside through dirtouts or intake vents) do you see any flaking? Was this a kite that would have
been exposed to salt water?
ATB,
Sam
awindofchange - 22-8-2011 at 01:50 PM
Normally, the crispier the sail is, the better shape it is in. As nylon wears, it gets softer and more porous. When it is new it will be somewhat
stiffer and crispier.
Hope that helps.
revpaul - 22-8-2011 at 02:39 PM
hard to judge the product from images shot with flash against shiny reflective surface(nylon), camera shake and sketchy exposure...
from what i know of white(and off white) stains from salt/alkaline water they are easily recognized as a typical "stain". i do not see stains on your
images.
i can't see fading from the images.
the "white wrinkles" that i see look like creases. like he gathered into a ball kite and stuffed it into sac instead of rolling/folding.
the seems/stitching look OK. the bar i did not see.
elnica - 22-8-2011 at 02:53 PM
Hi Guys!
About the kite... yes its a saltwater kite (2009 switchblade) probably been in OBX most or all of its life. Sand/salt on the kite/control bar/lines
suggest it wasnt washed with fresh water very often.
I took it outside and took some better pictures of the "white lines". They are much more visible from inside the kite. According to your description I
would think it absorbs water just from feeling the texture of the canopy. I havent flown it yet.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66664730@N07/6070638211/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66664730@N07/6071181132/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66664730@N07/6070638747/
about the control bar.... No the rubber isnt ripped just coming unglued.
about the bag... The zipper pull is only attached to one side of the teeth, teeth corroded at the end. My main concern is the kite and bar.
Thanks for your help!
indigo_wolf - 22-8-2011 at 03:27 PM
The inside looks much worse than the outside. I think Paul is right about the kite being balled up and crammed into the bag on a repeated basis.
Heaven only knows if this was done with sand thrown into the mix which would have made matters worse.
Might be time to consider the return unless you feel like doing a lot of TLC in the backyard. Is that sail tape repair in the last pic of the second
group?
ATB,
Sam
elnica - 22-8-2011 at 03:50 PM
yes, sail tape for a pin hole he did describe in the add. I didnt take it off to check though. But pinholes I thought were ok right? no big deal?
Don't really feel like doing a bunch of repairs on $500 + shipping 10m kite. And Im about to build a travel board and running out of time anyways. I
just emailed the seller asking for his address to send the kite back.
so I guess Im looking for another kite now :tumble: have been thinking about a charger, just not sure because Im a beginner and Ive heard its really
fast turning which might be bad for me?
I have a 12m switchblade and looking for a couple of kites that dont overlap too much on wind range:
one bigger one for water
one smaller one for water + land
main criteria is beginner friendly and portability, I am in ohio so most water kiting will be via airplane. dont want to spend more than 600 on each
kite. Really need a smaller one first though because I'm going to brasil in october with my 115lb girlfriend. I weigh 175
Bladerunner - 22-8-2011 at 04:26 PM
Sounds like a typical Ebay deal!
Kamikuza - 22-8-2011 at 08:11 PM
Ah 2009 Switchblade ... yes, the material did that white line thing. My 2010 Crossbow looked the same while it was new but now it's had a bit more
use, the 'cracks' have faded. They were explained on the kiteforum.com as being trivial so I forgot the details but don't worry about it 
Cab changed the material they use in 2011 and now people are complaining that that material is a cheaper Chinese version. You can't win if you're
Cabrinha - there's lots of haters, it seems 
Cabrinha bars up to 2011 are notorious for peeling off of the grip - I've glued mine a few times already and it was brand new when I got it 
it's just something that happens with bars ... I've experimented with a couple
different kinds of glue - superglue works the best but leaves a hard seam as it were. Shoe-repair type glues usually come unstuck. I'm thinking of
trying silicon sealant next.
The Mistress of Disaster had her Switchblade out last night and the grip on her bar is almost completely peeled off :o
Pin-hole repairs shouldn't worry you - Auntie has a SB12 that she uses almost non-stop and it's covered in patches. HOWEVER, I thought the golden rule
with patches was that they extend at least an inch around the edge of the hole and have round corners - rounded the better, a circle is best?
$500 for a kite & bar is an ok price. I think I'd be a bit disappointed too if the bar was ratty and the bag was borked. Yes you don't fly the bag
but you don't fly the kite 24/7 either and you gotta be able to stash it somewhere without it spilling out all over the place ...!
Kamikuza - 22-8-2011 at 08:15 PM
The rest of the bits in those picks eg. the IDS line, all look like they're in fine condition though ...
elnica - 22-8-2011 at 09:30 PM
Kamikuza... so your kite was like that new? I have a 12mSB and the fabric is way different, nice and smooth:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66664730@N07/6070281203/in/phot... (same pic as the first message of this posting).
500 is a good price, I agree, but I dont like to buy fixer-upper anything anymore. RTF all the way. Interesting that you had the same issue with the
bar, the guy said he used Aqua Seal to fix it before shipping it. the seam is peeling back though.
agree with you on the bag thing. Definitely need a working bag to store the kite.
RedSky - 22-8-2011 at 09:54 PM
My 7m 2009 and 9m 2010 crossbows are also just like that. White creases, no longer crispy. Probably from folding and squashing into undersized bags.
The 2009 bags were very tight. Later bags got bigger and bigger.
Mine are still great kites and fly perfectly with weekly usage. Come to think of it just about every kite I own now look like that.
You pays your money and you takes your choice. I'd keep the Switchblade, looks fine to me and you can't fly a bag. Either repair it or stuff the kite
in another. :D
Kamikuza - 23-8-2011 at 03:24 AM
Can't speak of the 2009 bags, but the 2010 16m is a tight squeeze into the bag
when the material was fresh and stiff, it used to take me AGES to get it in ... now the kite has softened up some, it's much easier.
2011 bag for the 13 and 10 are HUGE. I should swap them over I guess but ...
I got my 16 "used" ... but you couldn't tell. I think to avoid sales taxes, the dealer I got it from unpacked the kite on the beach, sprinkled some
sand on it and repacked it the 'cracks' have faded with time but the kite is
still 100% awesome. All the screen printed stuff like the Cabrinha text-logo were glossy and bold ... bit more faded now.
Don't know about AquaSeal, we have J-market stuff only really. Some Selley's stuff but it all seems to be pretty much the same - I used the "strongest
water-proof" glue but it still peeled at the seams after a while ... such a shame they a. didn't do it right in the first place and b. don't offer a
recovering service. Especially on bars like Cabrinha where you can't remove the bar-ends :o
... good excuse to get the 2012 bar though :D
revpaul - 23-8-2011 at 12:16 PM
here is another thought to consider...a "slightly rough around the edges but still flies right" kite has it's rewards.
old beater truck that i got rid of and now have spanky new truck. never gave a second thought about when/where i drove that old truck. now i always
hesitate to use my new truck and i'll usually take the wife's instead. i am foolishly by trying to avoid my first scratch/door ding/rock chip/getting
dirty etc. the thing just sits in garage collecting dust.
if you return kite and/or wind up with a new kite how would you feel about your first crash/rip/pin hole etc?
elnica - 24-8-2011 at 08:09 PM
got some wind so I test flew it today, flies nice. However, I noticed I can see the sunlight through all the cracks, which can only mean the fabric is
really weak there. Saw a friends cab contra and it had absolutely no cracks in it. the fabric on the contra feels wonderful compared to that, and so
does the otehr SB I have.
I had almost decided to keep it but it's going back tomorrow. I dont mind a few pinholes here and there but when the entire canopy is faulted, I'd
rather look for something else.
Thanks guys.