Anyone have a good system for drying out your kite? I usually just unpack it (lines wound) and leave it on my swept garage floor with a far blowing across it laterally. Seems to take only an hour at most to dry that way, but it takes up the entire garage.

I recently just put up two j-brackets with a bar across them that I can put the kite on, and it can take up multiple bars of kites. I just lay the kite out put the bar in the middle of the kite and hang it up. Works well for inspection too. Only problem is that if I parapack then I need to unpack, wind the lines, dry, unwind, and repack.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3321/3314913519_1831cd4f78.jp...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3493/3315741846_c4675be41b.jp...

Wondering what ways other people have for drying/airing their kites, or if an open bag is good enough. I like overly clean & dry kites, must be the OCD...
:wee:

yup, "they (manufactures)" all state never to store kite wet but I never knew why. t'was recently mentioned that the bridals would rot. i never did water stuff or flew in rain much. i did dry kite (in garage but not laying directly on floor or draped over pool table) when in doubt.
Paul

fly it... dry it right out

Can't always avoid high tide A friend has a kite that he left in his bag... closed and it molded/mildewed. Probably no structural harm, but it was certainly discolored.

I hang mine out in the basement from a line I've got that runs corner to corner in the room. We don't use our basement that much so it's a safe place to leave 'em for a while if need be. The tricky days are the ones that I've flown more than 2 different kites but I manage. Right now for example I've got one laid out in a spare room, one hung corner to corner (it takes up the WHOLE basement - the V19) and the Phantom 15 is waiting in the garage in cold storage until I pack up the Venom so I can bring it in and hang it to thaw / melt.

In the summer if I'd been flying over water I just laid/hung them out in the shade and it was dry by nightfall.

mac,
you going out tomorrow. did U go thursday? man it was cold thurs. i had all afternoon outside doing "trench rescue" scenarios and fire extinguisher training.
Paul

Yeah, mighty cold thursday and really odd winds but it was goid to go show the wife what its all about. I think i'm gonna get out tomorrow. If I can, I'll head out to the shindig at elk island for the afternoon. I'm sad that I can't make it for the night flying - it'd be cool to see and that's when the winds' supposed to get good. Perhaps we'll see you out there?

Sorry to jump off topic. I'll let you know if my cold storage plan was a bad one if I take the phantom out tomorrow Arkay.

Quote:

Originally posted by revpaul yup, "they (manufactures)" all state never to store kite wet but I never knew why. t'was recently mentioned that the bridals would rot. i never did water stuff or flew in rain much. i did dry kite (in garage but not laying directly on floor or draped over pool table) when in doubt. Paul

Bridles will not rot, as Dyneema/ Spectra is hydroscopic - won't absorb water - and won't react to it. But the colors in the ripstop can bleed. Then there is the mold mentioned...

I run a line from the front of the garage to the back between some wire shelves and the spring rod for the garage door. I disable the garage door opener. :shocked2: I can make as many loops as I have wet kites. I've strung up as many as 3 before. I have a floor fan to keep air moving around the kites and they dry quickly and out of the sun.

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell Quote: Originally posted by revpaul yup, "they (manufactures)" all state never to store kite wet but I never knew why. t'was recently mentioned that the bridals would rot. i never did water stuff or flew in rain much. i did dry kite (in garage but not laying directly on floor or draped over pool table) when in doubt. Paul Bridles will not rot, as Dyneema/ Spectra is hydroscopic - won't absorb water - and won't react to it. But the colors in the ripstop can bleed. Then there is the mold mentioned...

thanks a bunch for the heads up. i was starting to get a little more anal/stressed about drying (since flying in snow). i can chill out now. info rules:singing:

After a soggy snowkite session I hang my kites up in the basement on a regular clothes line. They dry very fast that way. Probably within a couple of hours. I'd recommend hanging them up over laying them out on the floor. I really don't think a fan is necessary if its hung up.

a couple trees and a rope does the trick for me. Since I fly on the ocean I don't have to worry about mold. It doesn't grow in the salt brine left if you pack your kite wet.

I used to never wash my windsurf sails and just rolled them up wet or damp. They never had an issue with mold. Now when I did wash them with freshwater you had to dry them out really well so they don't get mold.

Scott

Air flow is the key to drying..............aj

Quote:

Originally posted by kiteNH I really don't think a fan is necessary if its hung up.

The airflow wouldn't make a difference in really dry air. If there is much moisture in the air, the fan carries the humid air away from your kite which makes room in the air for the moisture on your kite to evaporate to. In really humid/damp air, the kite might take days to dry with no airflow. If the kite is outside with a slight breeze then you are covered for airflow.

I got a umbrella type clothes line thingy.