so, on the used market, kites with minor repairs is pretty common. I used to avoid them, but now that I know a bit more, I am not so concerned about it cause I now they can be very strong. But thought I would get your guys' feedback.

basically, are there types of professional repairs that don't last as long as others (ie, depending on location, on the canopy, between strut and canopy, between leading edge and canopy, or leading edge itself,)? i don't think I would be interested in a kite with a canopy that had been torn in half and repaired, but let's say, anything 1 1/2 foot and smaller.

I think I would be less worried about the location and extent of the damage then who did the repair.

PowerZone Kitesports, FixMyKite, and Windfire Designs has a good reputation on this board.

These are their repair galleries

• Powerzone Kitesports
  
• FixMyKite
  
• Windfire Designs

There are a lot of cases where it is suprising the that kite was brought back to life because of the extent of the damage, but in some cases, the repairs are hard to see at first glance, once the repair is complete.

In the case of some repairs, the damaged area of the kite is almost fully disassembled and then repaired as if you were building the kite from scratch.

Keep in mind that there is a liability aspect to all this. If a professional repair shop didn't feel that a repair was viable or cost effective, I would fully expect them to "total" the kite and walk away from the repair, informing the owner of any safety concerns.

When purchasing a repaired kite, I would expect full disclosure from the seller and the price to reflect the repairs.

ATB,
Sam

for the most part, if the repair was done by a pro, it will actually be stronger than the original canopy because the surface ratio has now been decreased. Your biggest worry when buying used LEIs are the condition of the bladders. You can always reinforce the canopy with sail tape or what ever makes you feel lucky.

Of course you want to worry about pulleys, bridals, uni-inflation points ect... but for the most part if the seller has provided good photographs you can make a decision.

Patching up pin holes in bladders is pretty easy, i do it solo

If you just think about the concept that the kite is entirely sewn together from the factory, you'd realize that a repair is the same thing as sewing two panel's together. Kites are not rocket science. They're just sewn together. What I would stay away from is when people use the kite fix glue. That is not a repair. it's a glue job. If you ever see it yourself, you'd see that it is completly stiff. not sure who came up with that stuff. Also like Huston said, all LEI will eventually leak just like all cars will eventually leak oil! But if you want a super cheap kite, find one that some guy doesn't want to fix and he'll dump it super cheap to you!

thanks for the responses,

" if the repair was done by a pro, it will actually be stronger than the original canopy"
nice, I've came across this before, just wanted to double check if this pretty much applies to every area of the kite. From what you guys are saying, it for sure does. Good to hear.

good call on the bladders, pulleys, bridles...I definitely ask about this before buying as well. Thinking of switching of the 9m LEI soon.