Not Much Wind

We were getting only one or two days a week of enough wind to get out kiteboarding and there is nothing in the forecast for this coming week. I am thinking about heading south. Altata looks a little bit better and then on the 18th, 19th and 20th of May is a Mexican kiteboarding tournament in Vallarta. It is put on by http://www.akcm.com.mx/. Should be a great time !!!

For the people that are out of town but are familiar with the kite shack (also known as the Soggy Peso Bar and a few other names) and the people that work there, here is a recent photo of Noah.

Kite Canopy Repair

Last weekend I had a tough day with my 12M Rhino. First the velcro came loose on the end of the main bladder, allowing the bladder to blow out the end. After cutting and taping the end I was on the water, but only for a short time. After I tried some maneuver or other, the kite lost air and crashed. Wasn't anything very harsh, but it blew the kite out. Ripped it all the way from leading edge to the back of the kite. I repaired it the same way I've repaired other kites. I glued it with Seam Grip. I have found this method to be very effective and will describe the process.

The damage.

First, I clean the kite and tape the kite back together. I used blue painters' tape because it is made to strip off cleanly without leaving any glue residue.

I tape it such that the two sides of the tear are butted up against each other tightly but without any overlap. Then I put a thin layer of Seam Grip on the other side. I let it dry a few hours and put on another layer. I then let it dry overnight or at least 12 hours before pulling the tape off. They make an accelerator that can be added to the glue that speeds up the drying time to two hours but I haven't seen it in the stores. I suppose you could order it from somewhere.

After pulling the tape off, I apply two coats of glue to the other side.

The repaired kite.


After allowing it to dry another 12 hours, I rub some talcum powder on the glue so that the repair won't stick to itself and sand won't stick to the repair. It is now ready to use. I have already used this kite on Saturday in winds from 14 to 30 knots. Please click on the above image to get a good view of just how clean of a repair this is. I used most of a one ounce tube for this repair at a cost of $7.00. I use Seam Grip on any small rips or pin holes as well. The only caution is that the cap will become glued to the tube if you don't clean the top of the tube real well and the tube will dry out in a short amount of time unless you store it in the refrigerator.

Carlos was the last man on the water yesterday. It was a good powered up day and I was out getting used to a new kite - a North 2007 Rhino 7M. Nice kite but the lines didn't come adjusted correctly so it took a while to get it to fly right. We have had five days of north westerly wind, although it was light a couple of days. Forecast doesn't look good the rest of the week.

Back From a Great Trip

The weather didn't cooperate as well as we would have liked but it was a great trip anyways. We had cool temperatures, a bit of rain, and some days only light wind. We got out kiteboarding nearly every day anyway and a couple of the days were super. Below is a photo of the gang.

When the wind blew from the north, an area known as the flats, on the bay side was good with fairly flat water and good launching area.

The gulf side was also an option but we didn't take advantage of it until the last day had had good waves but wind was a little light.

We all had a great time working on new moves and enjoying the different areas. Here is Jean-Francois getting ready to hit the waves. Below are a few more action shots.

South Padre

There are six of us kiters staying at a house in South Padre, Texas. We are getting out and kiting several hours every day, conditions range from marginal to very good. This blog post is short because the wind is already blowing at 9AM. Later.

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