Me and trancein1 recently got a Cabrinha Crossbow, the kite is great with enough wind. I have a few questions to see if i can make it better. Its a 7m crossbow.

1. The inflation valves have a problem, the "check valve" they have to stop the air coming out doesn't always work right. is there a way to fix that, without replacing the bladders? This thing is a real pain when you're trying to fill it up because when you take the pump out the air starts going out right away, and its impossible to do alone. The only good thing about this is that the main leading edge stays inflated.

2. Would extensions make the kite fly more in lower wind speeds? and if so how long would i need the extensions to be?

Thanks in advance guys, its our first LEI so were not to sure if there are simple fixes or not.

My stoppers sucked on my 1st kite also. I could just pinch off the air , to a degree , just at the bottom of the valve. There is a kit for intalling new valves but I think you guys are on a budget.

The 7m Crossbow is designed for exremely high wind. Try to ge it to fly early is going against the design ?
This is the kite that folks around here started riding storm winds and feeling a bit safe with so it will serve it's purpose.

Well the valves don't open up by themselves, the ball is the only thing that doesn't work properly, was just wondering if there's a way to get it to work. I don't want to poke around the ball unless i know its ok to do it.


Sadly yeah on a budget, still in college., just have a part time job that doesn't pay too well.

Assuming all your inflation valves have stopperballs, pump your struts up to the desired PSI and turn the strut upside down while leaving the pump nozzle in the valve. Wait for the stopper ball to fall in place and plug the hole. Remove the pump nozzle and put the plug in place. This may be a little harder to pull off on your leading edge but you should still be able to make it work.

If the valve is worn out and your stopper balls are sliding/shooting out, you can put a ziptie at the base of the valve and lessen the diameter of the valve by tightening the ziptie. Tighten the ziptie in small increments otherwise you might warp the shape of valve to a point where the plug won't form a proper seal.

If all that fails, then you might want to buy some new valves. There are valves by a company called Airtime that don't use stopper balls. They work on the same premise as typical inflatable toys.

Well the balls work when they want to.

sometimes they do other times they don't, the valves aren't worn out, but its a pain in the rear end filling it up.

Yea hold the valve down when you pull the pump out. Your kinda stuck for low wind. Only thing you can do is really sign the kite. The smaller kites tend to develop more aparrent wind.

Im sorry im not too familiar with the terms.

Sign the kite?

He meant Sine, as in a Sine Wave.

example:

Thanks bb

Alright thanks...

What are extensions good for then?

I had the same problem with my Airush Flow - my solution was proper inflation - you really need to pump these things up in order for the ball to seal properly - when you can thump your finger against a strut and you get a hollow drum sound, you're there. The holding the valve upside down and then inflating works as well - but you really need to get that pressure up - I saw a kitesurfer at the beach filling up his LEI and was amazed at how much pressure he put into it before concluding that he was done.

Pump the kite up until you just can't pump anymore.

higher than 8 psi is ideal.

Then (really) quickly pull the pump nozzle out. The ball should set into place. This works really well on my Waroos.

Sometimes it won't work...

Pump until you can't pump again. This time right after you pull the nozzle out, just cover the hole with your thumb, and then plug it up just as quickly. So that as little air as possible releases.

Extensions just give you a longer power stroke as you move it across the window. It's not that the kite becomes more powerful but the power just stays on longer. They could help when you're getting on the board in the water.

You really don't need them, especially on your 7m. The 7m flies so fast that you can just fly it more aggressively around the window and you'll get more power.