Hello,
I have recently purchased a Speed 3 regular fabric kite.
The fabric of the kite appears to be de- laminating on the inside.
Has anyone seen this before?
The kite has only been on water only once and is very new looking beyond the de-lamination.
Thanks

Can you post any pictures?

I doubt it is the fabric delaminating. Canopy skins are not multi-layer.

I suspect what you are seeing is the sail coating breaking down and peeling.

What you are describing can happen if the kite was put away while it was still wet inside. Eventually mildew will form and break down the sail coating.

Is the canopy no longer shedding water?

Was the kite purchased used? Were you told anything about it's history and how it was stored?

If you have no recourse through the seller it would still be possible to retreat the kite, but that would mean an additional investment.

ATB,
Sam

Hi,
Thanks for the quick reply.
The kite was bought used and I did ask as many questions as possible. Obviously not enough though.
It is not shedding water well and the fabric does not crinkle like my other flysurfers.
The peeling is happening on the inside.
Thanks again.

I've seen that on old kites as the material breaks down but mine was much worse. It was like a total "delamination" for lack of a better word as parts of ripstop just started breaking away leaving porous and semi porous blotches on the sail but not holes like from a puncture or tear. You could try sailkote or something like. My kite was much worse off and still flew well but I was not using it on water.

Thanks B-Roc.
The kite's material is extremely porous behind the coating and I was hoping to use the kite for water. It will not be useable in the state it is in.
I have just contacted the individual who sold me the kite and they offered to take it back. Which is amazingly generous.
Before I send it back to the seller I would like to know if anyone has used a spray on sealant and if anyone has an idea why this has happened.

I have seen this with coated ripstop when the material is stored damp. I believe it is the result of bacteria or mold growth but I am not sure.

Sailkote or a new product that BigKid sells would certainly work to make it non-porous, but you would be treating the outside. In the meantime you have all the flaking inside and I personally wouldn't want that.

Unless you stole the kite at way less than market value, send it back.

Shop on, dude. Lot's of Speed 3s coming up for sale lately w Speed 4 out.

Good advice,
definitely wasn't a steal of a deal.
Looks like the seller has integrity, so that's refreshing.
Thanks

Whoa, your updated pic is definately worse than your first and that is worse than my kite ever was. I'd send it back for sure.

There is a thread on FZ about recoating. Clear silicone dissolved in mineral spirits and air sprayed on to inflated kite. Soaked in and sealed it up nice. Or just a soak in Nik-wax, but neither of those will help with the delamination... They would re-seal it for water use though.

.

Try that...

Thanks for the suggestions.
Much appreciated.
The seller took it back.
Tons of integrity in that individual. Cheers to you.
Flysurfer didn't offer much help in regards to the issue.
Oh well, too busy getting out the Speed 4s I guess.