Kiteboarding Gear Maintenance
Kiteboarding Gear Maintenance
Properly storing and maintaining your kites is important if you want them to last, so follow the tips below for longer life on your gear:
Sand. Sand is the biggest cause of damage to kites. Before packing down your kite, be sure to wipe off all the sand from your kite. Sand causes abrasive wear on kite materials and can result in worn through kite cloth.
Rig and pump up on the beach. Every launch site is different and not everyone has the luxury of launching from a beach at their local riding spot so try to see what experienced local riders do to launch. Generally, the less walking to the launch spot with your inflated the kite, the better.. If you are rigging on the beach then do it on the beach and this will keep your kite in much better shape in the long run.
Don't pack down a wet kite. Washing your kite isn't really that necessary - but if you do decide to wash your kite every now and then make sure your kite dries properly before packing it down. Packing down a wet kite can cause mildew and smelly odors.
Avoid Self Launching. Self launching on bows and C shape kites add a lot of wear to your kite in the long run. Each time you self launch your kite, contact is being made when your kite briefly scrapes along the surface of the beach. I still self launch sometimes when the wind is steady but in light winds try to use someone to help as you generally experience more ground drag to get the kite to lift in light winds.
Avoid bladder twists. Make sure your kite is laid out flat before you start pumping up. Letting your kite unroll itself while you pump up is a bad habit as this causes bladder twists to form in your leading edge. Also make sure to not put the pump nozzle too far down your kite valves as this stretches the valves.
Use your kite bag. Don't store or transport your kite without its bag, especially when it's in your car. Board fins and any other objects easily pierce through kite material. Use your bag to keep your kite at bay from sharp objects.
Bar and lines. Keep your lines knot free, and wash your bar in fresh water after each session. A knot in a line weakens the line by more than 50% and puts you at risk for a line break. Washing your bar in fresh water prevents the salt water from eroding your lines.
Kite pump. When packing down your kite pump, remove the hose and store it separately. Storing the pump with hose still attached normally puts the hose at risk from bending and forming holes on the bend, causing a leaky hose.
Waves. If you drop your kite in the waves, let go of your kite. If you don't the waves will stretch your material, and bigger waves will tear your kite. As long as you put tension between yourself and the kite there is a good chance that the wave will tear your kite, so just let go and work on your swim strokes.
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