Bought some Holmenkol seal n glide to hopefully keep the sticky sand I have here from sticking even to a perfectly dry kite.....

It's a 2 part formula you mix w/ water and sponge on your kite....I used half the bottle and it was twice as much as I needed... 1 bottle will do 4 12m kites easy....

It was 40$ so 10$ a kite wouldn't be bad....

The colors on the kite look much brighter, and it feels nearly like a new kite... Its crispier, not crunchy....

We'll see, soon as the wind picks up i'll go drag it around on the beach and report back.........
---------------------------------------------
7/30
Tested my pulse 12 w/ the seal n glide applied..

Unrolling it on the beach the colors looked much brighter.. Not saying it looked like new but looked close....Flew it on the water for a while, didn't dump it.. ( probable should have just to see. didn't think about it was having too much fun ) It flew great as usual, winds 14-16 mph.. I didnt have to work the kite at all was cruisin up and over the waves w/ ease.

Landed the kite and went to the car to get a beer...... Sat there for a bit (10 minutes) and went back to the kite.... It was still puffed up like a pillow... I don't think it lost any air.. Usually it gradually deflates even w/ the zipper closed...

Which brings me back to the water time... I didn't have to work the kite, i'm thinkin it had better pressure...

Rolling it up the sand didn't stick to it nearly as much.. Our sand will stick to teflon, but just a little shake and off it went...
A definite improvement.

1/4 of the bottle will do a 12m kite both sides... 40$ a bottle thats 10$ a kite... I am happy w/ that...

I'm going to do the 17 SA and I bet my results will be better.. Kite will be pressured up better.. The SA deflates fairly rapidly without opening the zippers... That kite will be the real test...

I'll keep you updated....

I give this product a

7/31 SA update.....
Treated my well used speed 17 SA this am.. I used the same dilution ratio that I used on the pulse... After applying the dried kite looked much better, and had a crispness to it...
Before this kite was like angel hair, absolute total limp fabric... It still has that light feel but when you roll it up its not like a wet dishrag.. ( i'm having trouble describing the difference..)

Took it to the beach for a test fly.. Wind 9 kts.. Flew great, tried it out on the water, but just could not keep going.. My biggest board is a 143 fairly high rocker..

Packing up the kite, no more sand sticking issues.. A little shake and it falls off... Mission accomplished... That's what I was hoping for...

I'm very happy with this product, did what I had hoped it would do and made the kites look nearly new again...

1 bottle ( actually 2, its a 2 part formula) they say covers 50-80 sq. m of kite.. I did a 17 and a 12 which is 58 sq. m of kite and I threw away some because I made too much on the first kite...

nice ,

how long to dry per coat?

blow it up tight with the leafblower, wipe on? def need !

fresh slick! right on

It says 3 hrs to dry before you flip it over and do the other side... Mine was dry in 30 minutes so I flipped it and did the other side.... From the reviews i've read others have done the same and have had good results.....

I'll give it a good test, keep you posted.....

I think my Speed and Phantom 15 could do with that ...! Although I seem to remember Mr. Lynn saying he used regular clear lacquer ...???

awesome find man!!! keep us posted when you know how it worked. I'm just gonna have to get me a bottle of this for the scorp and synergy.

LOL and for you speed freaks on the water. Try this on your board

Aquaspeed is the ultimate finish, based on "nano" technology, for significantly reducing the friction between water and hull. With the added advantage of making the hull surface resistant to dirt and other contaminations. For maximum performance gain Aquaspeed should be applied on a regular basis.
Use on:Boats, Surfboards, Water Skis, Kite Boards


http://www.sailingproshop.com/Products/Holmenkol-AquaSpeed__...

Thanks Man
shaggs

Send me a box, I'll try it out ... I only just found actual real WD-40 last year - we only had CRC till then :o

seal n glide is good stuff for kites that have lost most of the original coating BUT it does have a downside. After you apply SnG you will not be able to repair the kite using tape untill the coating has lost most of it effectivness. So you should think about if the kite really needs it (or do you just want the colors to be brighter) before putting it on your kites.
Another good use for SnG is clothing. Kite and friends did some testing with it and found out you could basicly take any pair of pants you wanted and make them waterproof.

do your really want close skin contact with those chemicals?
might be harmless, but also might cause problems...

otherwise - very interesting. could make old kites shine. how much does the weight increase?
is it just a few gramm, or more ?

Quote:

Originally posted by Krohn1999 After you apply SnG you will not be able to repair the kite using tape untill the coating has lost most of it effectivness.

couldn't you still use tape for repair on the inside?

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell Quote: Originally posted by Krohn1999 After you apply SnG you will not be able to repair the kite using tape untill the coating has lost most of it effectivness. couldn't you still use tape for repair on the inside?

That depends on how much and how deep it goes into the fabric.
If you have a kite that has not much coating left and then you soak it down good with SnG then it won't stick on the inside either.

Updated original post w/ first test info....

Updated original post w. second test info

Dumped the silver arrow in the gulf tonight, relaunched it but the wind had died so landed it wet.... Went to the kite and sand had stuck to the water droplets... Gave it a shake and it all came off like magic... Usually it would have been a sand coated mess.. Even letting it dry in the sun the sand would still be stuck....

Rolled it up and it was completely dry and no sand sticking.....

I HIGHLY recommend this product..... It has done exactly what I was hoping for, now the question is how long will it last....

I'll keep you posted......

... doubt it's available here - do those stores ship overseas?

Kami, been using the stuff for some time, I like it alot. Makes the kite fly with less resistance, so they say. I can send you some if you want.

Swee-eeeet!

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell Quote: Originally posted by Krohn1999 After you apply SnG you will not be able to repair the kite using tape untill the coating has lost most of it effectivness. couldn't you still use tape for repair on the inside?

Talked to the manufacturer and found they have a remover for the SnG, so sailors can apply numbers to the sail. If you need to do a repair, you remove the SnG in that area, make repair, and reapply to the repaired area, good as new.
Most kite manufacturers, (the good ones) DON'T recommend using SnG on new kites because they have applied some sort of finish already. But older kites or ones that have been out in the sun,(UV break down) will benefit the most from SnG.

What about th texture change in the kite. is it stiffer?

Quote:

Originally posted by arkay What about th texture change in the kite. is it stiffer?

I found it does make the material stiffer if it is the cheep stuff, crispy would be a better term.

It puts a little crispiness back in the kite... Makes the colors look much better... Sand and water dont stick anymore... And its cheap... 40$ bottle will do 4-12m kites....

Quote:

Originally posted by herc do your really want close skin contact with those chemicals? might be harmless, but also might cause problems... otherwise - very interesting. could make old kites shine. how much does the weight increase? is it just a few gramm, or more ?

that's kinda what I'm thinking if it's "nano" "tech", then it's likely jsut small particles which will transfer and get stuck in your pores and soak through your skin such fun. FYI there are a few types of sun screnes, one is "nano" based and the research is not so positive on it.


Ok, so on another note, how the heck did youactaully apply this to a big kite? Big garage? I couldn't find application instructions online.

Can't remember the ratio, I mixed up both bottles at once and did a bunch of kites at once.
Use a large sponge(I used a sponge from Home Depot, yellow 2x6x8 for cleaning tile work) and get the sponge wet not dripping and wipe down the kite like it was dirty and you wanted to clean it. And laid out the kite on the deck and did as much as I could up to the seam say in the middle and them let it dry and did the other half to the same seam, and so on. My deck is covered and large enough to lay out a 18m Phanny to do completely from end to end. Hang up the kite off the roof and do another kite, and so on. If I run out of kites or SnG I stop and will do it next batch.
I do use latex gloves when I do the job, keeps my hands nice and soft, not water proof and crinkly
I have done it out in the yard on the grass, when I did a bunch of little kites.