How long do kiteboarding kites last

Harness Really comes down to quality on this one. My first harness lasted one season. My 2nd harness lasted five seasons. Thank you Dakine. Wetsuit Sooner or later we all rip our suits one way or the other. They can still be fixed though, glued and stitched together so a good wetsuit should last many years. So if you get out most weekends of the year you can expect most of your gear to last at least three seasons, often longer. Sounds like a lot of money, but take care of your gear and it can last for a long time.

Bar and lines not as long. Sun, heat and how much you use it and treat it will shorten the life span accordingly. Just like your girlfriend. Many thanks guys for all your comments and insight. Really helpful. I look after my gear and check it out regularly so I should be able to keep them for longer than expected.

I will Pay more attention to my safety line though as this seems to wear fairly quickly. Select to expand quote Kajo said.. Thanks Kajo. I'll keep an eye on those lines! I've seen the video too. Excellent explanation! I go through lines mainly due to sand that I pick up when I am launching.

As soon as I can after I launch, I dunk the bar and lines to get rid of the sand. Most of my kite wear comes from self launching.

Sticks, rocks, sand Select to expand quote bigtone said.. I like tether launching with a rope and sturdy clip off my bull bar when ever I can - generally reduces the slicing and dicing that come with kites sliding over the shells rocks twigs etc on the beach.

There is a guy here on seabreeze selling his hand made sand anchors - not a bad option when you cant drive your 4b'y onto the beach - check out Wombles page.

New kites usually come with a small canopy repair patches. Damage to kites outside of the usual wear and tear can almost always be fixed.

So if your kite does have an unfortunate accident or otherwise gets broken, it can be repaired back to its original performance with little to no change in the overall lifespan or usability of the kite. Many kiteboarding lesson centers or stores offer repair services, and there are also mail-service companies that specialize in fixing kites.

Every kiter must know how to properly assess the wind strength and quality before launching a kite, confirm that there is a safe and obstacle free launching and landing area, thoroughly assess the unique conditions and hazards of the area you will be riding in, avoid riding near obstacles and in shallow water, keep a safe distance from other kiters and watermen, avoid unnecessary multi-tasking put the kite down before attempting distracting tasks , be mindful of potentially dangerous situations, know when to disable the kite and always be prepared to self-rescue.

In addition to keeping yourself safe, as a kiter you have a responsibility to be courteous to and protect all bystanders as well.

Kites are deceptively powerful and can become dangerous when paired with incompetence or over-confidence. Quick Release Systems: A kiter attaches himself to the control bar and thus, the kite itself in two places on the kite harness. At both of those attachment points, quick release mechanisms allow the kiter to easily and instantly detach from the kite. Primary Quick Release : Control bars have a harness loop which attaches to the harness.

On the harness loop is the Primary Quick Release. If the kite becomes out-of-control, or the rider otherwise needs to separate from it immediately, the rider activates the Primary Quick Release mechanism which opens the harness loop and releases the rider from the kite.

Secondary Quick Release : So that the kite is not lost when released by the Primary Quick Release, the rider wears a kiteleash, which attaches the harness to the leash line on the control bar also known as a kill line or disable line. If the kiteleash is properly attached when the Primary Quick Release is activated, the rider should still be attached to the kite by way of the leash line, which disables the kite so that it cannot fly or pull, while preventing the kite from being totally separated from the rider and lost.

In the uncommon event that the rider needs to separate completely from the kite, there is a Secondary Quick Release on the kite leash that can also be quickly and easily activated.

A kiter must first detach from the harness loop to activate the leash, then determine if it is necessary to release the leash as well. Thanks to new lightweight and large surface area kite models, it is now possible to kite in as little as 8mph wind.

Both light-wind and strong-wind kiting require advanced skills and specific equipment. In light-wind scenarios, it takes experience to keep the kite in the air, to re-launch, and to stay upwind.

In strong-wind scenarios above 25 mph which experienced kiters get very excited about , kites become very powerful, fast and sensitive, and thus, more difficult to control. The best all-around wind strength for most levels and styles of kiteboarding is between 15 and 25 mph. There are many resources available to kiters regarding local riding locations as well destinations around the world.

Contacting a kiteboarding shop in your area or your vacation destination is always a great way to get good information. In addition to that, listed below are some popular and recommended online resources:. WindAlert — Up to the minute wind readings from everywhere, plus the best forecasting and historical wind data available. Travel insurance, safety information, listings of certified and accredited schools and stores for destinations around the world.

Bladders can start getting pin wholes. And after a while I'm sure even the best glue on t valves will start leaking. Tue Aug 27, 13 pm Re: Buy new bar and lines. Sasquatch wrote:. Tue Aug 27, 13 pm. I did not kite before I met Aeolus. The man is persuasive. Tue Aug 27, 13 pm Wind and sun. The less time your kite spends in the wind and sun the better. The thing I find that matters more than anything is not leaving your kite out inflated on the beach when you're not riding.

And the sooner your can put it away once its dry, the better. Inflating two kites and leaving one different size out on the beach for two hours is as much wear, maybe even more, than using it for a session. The sun cooks it, the wind whips it, and the sand blasts it to pieces. I've gotten seasons out of kites before the trailing edge comes apart from the sewing, but the key to keeping them nice and crispy has as much to do with what you do when you're not flying them as it does when they're in the air.