How do you maintain a kite? 12 tips to prevent wear

12 tips for kite maintenance. Minimize the wear on your kitegear:

Do you want your kite to last longer and not wear out ? Then read the following 12 tips and do longer with your stuff. Save repair costs, replacement costs and avoid unpleasant surprises on the water. Influencing factors are:

Sun
Salt
Sand

Moisture
Heat
Wind

Tip 1
Do not leave your kite in the sun for an unnecessarily long time. There is a UV protection coating on it, but it does not last forever. Better known as chalking: the coating falls apart due to UV rays.

So look for the shadow. Unfortunately, this is often not possible on beaches. What is possible, is that you apply a new UV coating to your kite over time (both sides). This is available in a spray tube. Perhaps they can also apply it for you in a kite repair shop. Afterwards, your kite will crackle like new, it will be water-repellent again, will become less dirty and will discolour less quickly.

You can also spray the lines with this coating. This prevents dirt and salt from getting into the lines and causing wear. Salt crystals are sharp and cause damage.

Tip 2
Do not leave your kite on the beach unnecessarily long, but look for the grass if there is one. With strong wind your kite is sandblasted. This makes your material wear out.

You could also deflate the kite and leave it rolled up on the beach. Not everyone always feels like it. Put something heavy on it so that it does not blow away.

Tip 3
Remove the sand from your piggtails and bridles before you attach them together. This prevents wear on both lines.

Tip 4
Rinse the sand off your lines and hands before rolling it up. If that is not possible, rinse the sand off the lines when they are rolled up.

Tip 5
Do not scoop loose sand on your kite to prevent it from blowing away, but use a sandbag.

Tip 6
Thoroughly clean the valve and nozzle of your pump. You don’t want (wet) sand in the bladder of the leading edge. This can cause small leaks if you roll up the kite and press the sand into the bladder wall.

Kites on the grass instead of the sand

Tip 7
Remove all the sand in the quick release and check if there is nothing in it.

Tip 8
If you kite at sea there is salt water on your lines. When these dry up, sharp salt crystals are formed. Therefore, always rinse your lines (but also your neoprene wetsuit) in fresh water.

Tip 9
Do not leave your kite in full wind for long. This prevents wear on the trailing edge. By flapping the trailing edge it wears extra quickly. This way you prevent your kite from looking like a frayed beach flag hanging outside day and night 😉

Tip 10
Don’t leave your kite in a car in full sun for days. Temperatures can reach up to 50+ degrees there, within half an hour at an outside temperature of 32 degrees. Not good for the valves of your kite. They can leak.

Tip 11
Do not leave your kitegear wet in the kitebag, but hang it to dry in your storage room or garage. This prevents weather or mold on your kite cloth.

Tip 12
Remove the sand between the zipper of your kitebag and use an extra inner pocket to prevent your kite cloth from getting caught between the zipper and taking damage.

These are our tips to help you enjoy your expensive kite gear for longer. Do you have a good tip that is not listed here, leave a comment at the bottom of the page!