Best DIY Kiteboarding Kite Repair Tutorial

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Update: The kite is still flying great! My friend is learning, so he's smacked the water with it pretty hard. The repair is holding up great! Probably would be fine with tape on just one side, or with narrower tape (maybe 1"?) I think my next repair I'll do with 1" tape on each side of the tear.

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Another update: Kite ripped, but in a new location. So clearly at this point the repair is stronger than the original! We will repair the kite again and get it back in the air. It's becoming a Frankenstein kite, but that's ok.

[@diegocebrian2125]

Can you tell me the brand and model of your sewing machine??…..not every machine do that kind of pattern…thank you so much, you saved me here in jamaica we do not have no one to fix our kites and still a lot to learn

[@dutchwebswebsites6057]

Awesome dude!! Thanks for sharing!!

[@jannikstach3494]

Hello Steve, i'm struggling to find a tape wich you can buy cheap in the eu(Germany) Do you have any reccomandations?

[@ThePhatWabbit]

I don't have a sewing machine. Is it alright if I just sew by hand? My rips are relatively small (around 3 inches).

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Totally! A sewing machine just saves time. I got mine for $12 used at Goodwill.

[@djgplumbingandbuildingltd7332]

Hi steve great video and also a great repair, could you kindly tell me what tension number you set your machine at please mate? Many thanks much appreciated steve

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Hello! Thank you! I think I keep the tension set pretty high on that machine. I'm not very well versed in sewing, if you find any helpful information, post up a comment and let us know! My only experience is that if it's too loose, it can jam the machine. Thanks for the comment!

[@djgplumbingandbuildingltd7332]

Thanks Steve for your reply I really appreciate it, yeah you are totally right mate, as I read that the tension needs to be pretty lose which I did for two attempts but it knotted up twice and I’ve had to unpick it! Bloody nightmare as it obviously leaves loads of pinholes in the canopy and I’ve had to patch them up again.. it’s a really fine balancing act as if it has too much tension it gathers the canopy and the zigzag stitch just looks terrible... I’m during a 14/90 needle with v40 bonded polyester thread. Turns out ok on practice bits but on attempts on the kite it gathers and turns cr@p! Ripstop isn’t easy to machine that’s for sure....

[@stevevanpelt4475]

@@djgplumbingandbuildingltd7332 Shoot! Sorry about that. You could try some oil/lubricant on the needle- if it's getting stuck on the tape adhesive that may help. Hope things get easier for you!!

[@djgplumbingandbuildingltd7332]

@@stevevanpelt4475 Hello Steve and thanks again for sharing your knowledge, you are a star mate, you were totally right! So for anyone trying this this repair keep your tension in the middle setting your machine, on both the bobbing and also the upper tension, on my machine that was set at 5, and same bobbing tension is very important.. Steve was 100% right, I had both my tensions a bit to low and it just knots up under the ripstop and eventually jamming the needle! Right mess! Also I found out my needle was too small for the thread, I was using a size 70 needle at first as I was worried about the holes being to big...(dont worry about this. it is not an issue). Make sure your bobbing is also fully filled and not tangled up at all, and feed the ripstop nice a steady with about a medium foot speed presure on the pedal and you should be goog to go... I used V40 bonded thread with a size 90/14 needle and it turned out lovely, in the end... BIG MASSIVE THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO STEVE VAN, you the man dude

[@stevevanpelt4475]

@@djgplumbingandbuildingltd7332 Dude! I'm stoked you got it figured out! Thanks for coming back for the update!!!

[@brendan-shanahan]

Hi Steve. How long did you wait after applying the tape & Dacron before sewing? I am doing a repair and keep breaking the thread as the needle is becoming sticky with the adhesive from the tape.

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Brendan Shanahan Hey! Dang that's a bummer. The tape doesn't have any drying period as far as I know. So you shouldn't have to wait to sew it. I have 2 guesses to what's happening. My first guess is that the glue is getting warm and becoming tacky and sticking to the needle. If you're working in a warm area, you could give it a try somewhere cooler possibly. You could also try sewing slower, as the friction of the needle can heat up the glue. The other possibility is just that the needle is too small for Dacron. Perhaps you could use a larger needle with the Dacron, and a smaller one on the rest of the canopy (ripstop nylon)? I broke needles a few times when I was learning, but it was usually the thread getting tangled due to incorrect winding of the bobbin. Hope one of those things helps! Good luck with the repair!

[@brendan-shanahan]

Steve Van Pelt Thanks, unfortunately I was unable to get the house below 25c today even with the AC on. Will leave it for 24 hours and see if a cooler day combined with hopefully some setting of the adhesive gives me more luck.

[@brendan-shanahan]

Hey Steve, just a follow up. I waited another day for the glue to set & also brought new needles. I rubbed each needle on a bar of soap before using it, and not sure if one or the combination of things helped, but I managed the repair with only 1 needle breaking. I have used the kite a few times now - all good. Thank you so much for your tutorial!

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Awesome man! So glad you were able to make it work.

[@stevevanpelt4475]

And good tip on the bar of soap. I'll have to remember that.

[@Kelvin555s]

Hi, what needle size you recommend for canopy?

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Hi! My kites are old, so I don't worry too much about the needle size. I just did a little Google search and it looks like anywhere between 90 and 110 is recommended. Someone else may have a better recommendation though! You just want the smallest needle possible (weakens the material the least) while still allowing the thread to pass freely. 👍👍 I did research this when I did the repair, but just ended up using whatever needle was in my machine already. I think it's still strong enough.

[@Kelvin555s]

Thanks Steve, I got a big straight rip from leading edge to trailing edge. Will try this way. Cool

[@stevevanpelt4475]

@@Kelvin555s Yes, I've repaired 4 of those rips now. Each time from tomahawking the kite into the water. Haven't had any problems with the repairs yet! Hope this works for you 👍

[@Kelvin555s]

@@stevevanpelt4475 Hey, one more query. What thread size you used? I was looking for Bonded Polyester 46 as mentioned in some blogs, but can't find any. Only getting V69 threads or higher.

[@stevevanpelt4475]

@@Kelvin555s Hi, yes I originally ordered from Sailrite.com, but recently re ordered some thread and couldn't find v46 on sailrite, but confirmed it really is the right thread. I ordered some from here www.seattlefabrics.com/Heavy-Duty-V46-and-V69-Polyester-Thread_p_860.html But it can also be found on eBay and Amazon. The "bonded" part is a coating they add to the thread that helps it sew smoothly at high speeds, so I THINK that for our purposes, it's unnecessary. It doesn't have any effect on the longevity of the thread. So as long as it is V46 polyester, it should be good. Polyester is inherently UV resistant, I'm unsure if any additional UV coating as added to sailrites threads, but all the polyester threads I've found list UV resistant as one of their properties. Maybe more blabbing then is useful... Haha. Here's an eBay link I ordered, too. rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F261216276495 I'm not sure if I've tried any of the new thread on kites yet, but it should work. Good luck with your repair! 👍👍👍

[@alex644100]

what is exactly thread size, brandname, number?

[@stevevanpelt4475]

Hey, sorry for the delay. The sticker on the spool says DABOND BONDED POLYESTER V46AX White. 10687867 1 OZNET. Googling that should get you to what you're looking for 👍👍

[@charleswood1779]

Could have done without the music tbh, your commentary is good enough without it ;)

[@p.r.540]

Can't hear you dude 🤷🏼‍♂️