Hey,
I spent a while searching for a similar topic but no luck.

Brief Story:
Wind blew out towards ocean.
On land.
Flew kite.
Wind stopped.
Ran away from water.
Tripped.
Kite fell in water.
Sand went all inside foil kite.

Questions:
What's the best method for taking sand out of a foil kite?

I have a blade 6.5 and there are two small velcro slots on each corner
of the kite. How do you use this? The slots are small and sand is distributed
everywhere within the kite. Is there some special way to make removal easy
using these slots?

I know I should have been more careful, but is there anything else I should know about taking sand out of a kite?

Any help would be great.
Thank you very much!

been there..................dont feel bad.......................two options.............let the kite dry then fly the sand out..........................or hang her upside down on a clothes line..............as the sand drys it falls towards the inlets.....as it does tap it out thru the screens......................:duh::duh:

As Tridude said, the key is to let the sand dry. Once it is dry it will mostly shake out. Some may stay forever in your seams, but the majority will shake out once dry.

small velcro slots are Dirt-Outs, you can fly your kite and most should come out from there.

also if the sand is dry you can shift it from cell to cell with the cross venting.

i just use a vaccuum.

Quote:

Originally posted by ripsessionkites small velcro slots are Dirt-Outs, you can fly your kite and most should come out from there.

Yeah I think that if you fly the kite when the sand is dry, it should mostly funnel through the inner channels to the tips. Then you can just open velcro and dump out. Don't know if its possoble to leave dirt outs open when flying so the incoming air pushes the sand out.:puzzled:

if you want to get some (maybe most if you are lucky but not all) of the sand out of the seams give it a good soaking and work the seams underwater to flush out sand from the seams. You'll have to dry the kite thoroughly to finish the job, quite a bit more sand will shake out of the seams after it is dry. I do it to some of my kites a couple times a year in the freshwater lagoon behind my normal spot, lots and lots of water is the trick. There's a little bit of current, too, which is nice for filling the kite with water. Yes, the current is a pain in the butt but once I learned to sorta fly the kite through the current while washing it, the whole job got a lot easier.

If the cells are full of water, the kite needs to be treated gently. wet ripstop is much weaker than dry ripstop. If you pick the kite out of the water with the cells full of water, chances are good you'll stretch or rip something.

I often dry my foils by hanging them from my big bookshelf by the trailing edge and using lots of clothespins to clip most of the vents to a fan sitting on the floor. I also open up the dirt-outs as well so air is moving through the kite. Put a small box heater so the hot air passes through the fan and goes into the kite and it will get bone-dry in a few hours. shake it out cell by cell while it's still hanging up for best results. You might end up with a lot more sand on your floor than you thought was in the kite.

If I had a vacuum, I'd use it... it's sometimes really hard to shake the dirt through the ribs, especially if it is a long way out to an open cell and you have to shake the dirt through a few more closed cells on the way.

One mark of a quality kite is how easy it is to get the sand out... Doesn't always apply though.

Also be really careful with your bridle while doing this, tie it up good because it can get really badly tangled... I had to rebuild a bridle once when I was careless, I couldn't get it untangled otherwise.

didn't know it was possible to write so much about drying a kite!

:wee:

:o

Quote:

Originally posted by shaggs2riches Quote: Originally posted by ripsessionkites small velcro slots are Dirt-Outs, you can fly your kite and most should come out from there. Yeah I think that if you fly the kite when the sand is dry, it should mostly funnel through the inner channels to the tips. Then you can just open velcro and dump out. Don't know if its possoble to leave dirt outs open when flying so the incoming air pushes the sand out.:puzzled:

you can fly your kite with dirt-outs open, actually dirt-outs serve another purpose too, when its super gusty out. we open up the D-O on the U-Turn Nitros to give it a little bit more stability.

Quote:

Originally posted by furbowski Also be really careful with your bridle while doing this, tie it up good because it can get really badly tangled... I had to rebuild a bridle once when I was careless, I couldn't get it untangled otherwise.

:o:o:o
Sounds like a good way to kill a windless afternoon. A good way to become real frustrated

Wow,
Thank you guys so much for the great responses.
I worked for a long time trying to get as much sand out as possible with
the techniques described.
It's good to hear that sand generally migrates towards the ends when the kite is being flown. This should make the rest of the sand easier to remove with time
using the D-O.
Thanks again!

Quote:

Originally posted by shaggs2riches Quote: Originally posted by furbowski Also be really careful with your bridle while doing this, tie it up good because it can get really badly tangled... I had to rebuild a bridle once when I was careless, I couldn't get it untangled otherwise. :o:o:o Sounds like a good way to kill a windless afternoon. A good way to become real frustrated

LOL... Come to think of it, that's when my kites got washed, when the wind died and the sun was shining...

...also my kites have taught me a LOT about frustration....

haven't done it in ages, though....

Quote:

Quote: you can fly your kite with dirt-outs open, actually dirt-outs serve another purpose too, when its super gusty out. we open up the D-O on the U-Turn Nitros to give it a little bit more stability.

I have been opening my DOs in really gusty conditions w/ 4.7 rage. Works great at softening the gusts just a bit.
On my aces, I just take em up high and then throw just enough brakes to make it fly in reverse real quick . The sand comes out in a big puff that almost looks like beige smoke.

Quote:

Originally posted by WELDNGOD On my aces, I just take em up high and then throw just enough brakes to make it fly in reverse real quick . The sand comes out in a big puff that almost looks like beige smoke.

Yeah, when I launched my Imp at Wildwood, there was so much blowing sand that the kite had a bunch in it just from setting up, so I did the brake thing too. It's really kinda cool watching all the sand puff out the front. The Imp has dirt-outs, but if I landed it to get the sand out, it would have been kinda self defeating :D.

Exactly the same thing happened to me the other day, i was flying at the sandy beach, it started raining hard so i ducked for shelter and put the kite on the peg, the wind changed direction as i was incover and blew the kite into the water lapping up on shore, i have velcrow muck outs on the Ace too and they seem pointless as they keep closing lol, in the end i hung the kite upside down on the washing line in the garden and hosed it down, the sand will come out easily enough. Problem is you need to clean it fast otherwise the salt water eats away at the bridles. My dog also got himself tangled in the lines whilst it was hanging up, hilarious as it was..it took me ten minutes to untangle him lol.

So my method is, hang the kite upside down on a washing line, clean it with freshh water through the muck outs if need be.

Last saturday I was flying a friends 1.8 Flexifoil Rage. Dipped it in the drink once. Flew it to dry it out, but didnt completely succeed in doing so. Then I landed it and boy did she collect some sand. Winds were blowing pretty good, and that kite just filled right up.

Had a buddy help dump some of the sand out (most), then I launched it and did the brake tap trick for about 5-10 minutes. After all of that, it was mostly taken care of.

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack1988 Problem is you need to clean it fast otherwise the salt water eats away at the bridles.

I had never heard of salt water deteriorating the bridles. Why do you suppose that is the case? I had heard you would have more trouble if your kite went into freshwater because it was more conducive to growing mold and mildew.

Hey Jack1988, I don't know about your Ace, but my BeamerIV and Access XC have dirt outs, and if you reach inside there is a small flap of cloth, which if you pull out, will prevent the velcro from closing. Then when you fly the kite, the dirtouts stay open, and release the sand.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob Quote: Originally posted by Jack1988 Problem is you need to clean it fast otherwise the salt water eats away at the bridles. I had never heard of salt water deteriorating the bridles. Why do you suppose that is the case?

Because Pansh uses cheap bridles?

Quote:

Originally posted by bobalooie57 Hey Jack1988, I don't know about your Ace, but my BeamerIV and Access XC have dirt outs, and if you reach inside there is a small flap of cloth, which if you pull out, will prevent the velcro from closing. Then when you fly the kite, the dirtouts stay open, and release the sand.

I don't think I've ever seen a that small flap of cloth... But I will freely admit to not having looked for it. I'm going to check on my kites when I get home.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob Quote: I had never heard of salt water deteriorating the bridles. Why do you suppose that is the case? I had heard you would have more trouble if you kite went into freshwater because it was more conducive to growing mold and mildew. I know that salt water will destroy the bridles on a Pansh, not sure on some and I know that PKD has some better bridle material that wont be affected by the salt water. I know the cheaper material will stretch up to 15% (pansh) under load when wet, might be because of the amount of Dacron in the line. For me the rule of thumb is salt water has to be washed out of the kite ASAP because it does deteriorate the kite over time. If the kite gets wet, it has to hang up at home and then put away DRY. It will mold and mildew. The sand Isue is very comon and all the above remidies are great. Once took 3 1/2 cups of sand out of a 2m Ace because it kept turning to the left :wow:

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob Quote: Originally posted by Jack1988 Problem is you need to clean it fast otherwise the salt water eats away at the bridles. I had never heard of salt water deteriorating the bridles. Why do you suppose that is the case? I had heard you would have more trouble if your kite went into freshwater because it was more conducive to growing mold and mildew.

What are Pansh bridles made of, Pasta?

Real Spectra/ Dyneema are hydroscopic - will not absorb water - so will not "rot" per se. But I suppose the biggest danger is maybe the salt water evaporating and leaving abrasive salt crystals??

I have packed line sets away damp (fresh water) many times with no ill effect.

The one time I packed a kite damp following a rain shower and failed to dry it soon enough, I got minor color bleed on the sail. Never again.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob Quote: Originally posted by Jack1988 Problem is you need to clean it fast otherwise the salt water eats away at the bridles. I had never heard of salt water deteriorating the bridles. Why do you suppose that is the case? I had heard you would have more trouble if your kite went into freshwater because it was more conducive to growing mold and mildew.

Im not sure about other kites but on the Ace, the Bridles are just String lol

Quote:

Originally posted by bobalooie57 Hey Jack1988, I don't know about your Ace, but my BeamerIV and Access XC have dirt outs, and if you reach inside there is a small flap of cloth, which if you pull out, will prevent the velcro from closing. Then when you fly the kite, the dirtouts stay open, and release the sand.

Thanks, i will have a look forthat later

Quote:

Originally posted by bigkid Quote: Originally posted by BeamerBob Quote: I had never heard of salt water deteriorating the bridles. Why do you suppose that is the case? I had heard you would have more trouble if you kite went into freshwater because it was more conducive to growing mold and mildew. I know that salt water will destroy the bridles on a Pansh, not sure on some and I know that PKD has some better bridle material that wont be affected by the salt water. I know the cheaper material will stretch up to 15% (pansh) under load when wet, might be because of the amount of Dacron in the line. For me the rule of thumb is salt water has to be washed out of the kite ASAP because it does deteriorate the kite over time. If the kite gets wet, it has to hang up at home and then put away DRY. It will mold and mildew. The sand Isue is very comon and all the above remidies are great. Once took 3 1/2 cups of sand out of a 2m Ace because it kept turning to the left :wow: I still don't get why you feel the salt deteriorates. Except for metal objects, salt has been considered a preservative for centuries. One thing I've noticed is that kites and lines that have been in salt water have difficulty drying because the salt attracts moisture. I like to rinse mine off too for that reason. I'm not picking a fight on this, but just like to understand how things work and I've not gotten the logic yet.

fly it dry

dirt/sand ends up in the tips at the outs

or after its dry open the deflate fold tip to tip shake it out cell crossovers usually in the TE

it all eventual shakes out. dry is the ticket just fly it !

actually not too much gets in unless its wind driven on the ground. open cell or inflates

wet is just messy

salt water, never had a problem my junk lives in the salt and sand

fresh water, MUST BE DRIED OUT IMMEDIATELY it will mildew

BB, nothing to fight about. I have a 6m Airlink, (pansh) that took a swim in the big blue Pacific ocean and after drying out it never flew again, I know the string, (bridle) stretched so much on one side and in the second row it would not fly. I got no answers from the people in the know and after checking the bridle lines with a new kite I found the problem, and the kite has lost that new crispy feel to the material. It now covers the truck when we go to the beach,(sun shade).
I have dumped my other kites in the ocean a few times and I still get pissed off because I don't like taking the chance of destroying another kite. and it's always one of my favorite kites that gets wet.

Kite dirty? Just buy a new one that is clean and has no sand in it. :wee:

Ok, it must just come down to mfr quality. I've dunked my flexi blurr and the blade I had in the ocean with no ill effects. The blurr has been in the water (surf edge or tidal pool) twice due to trying to fly with an offshore wind and obviously not much of it using a 7m blurr (it used to be my largest kite). I just let it dry, shook out the sand, rinsed the kite with fresh water and then hung it in the garage with a fan blowing on it to dry thoroughly. The blurr is still crispy and flies like new (which is very nicely).