Ok, frustration
. I bought an as new kite the other day, a Cabrinha X-Bow 12m.
It was in really good nick so I thought I was onto a good deal, as it happens perhaps i wasn't. The wind was a nice NE so I took my new buddy down to the beach for a ride, I got it out of its bag (still nice an crisp mmmm
) after I pump it up im walking upwind to lay out my lines and I hear a massive bang! It scared the be jebus out of me! I turned around to feel my heart drop as my semi deflated X-Bow was flying off downwind only to wrap around some trees.
I know it's a kite that is a few years old now, and I know it's in no way the sellers fault, but you would think it would last longer than one session. I'm sure in it's hey day this kite was meant to be leading the charge in kite design and safety? Has this happened to anyone else?
I was chatting to a friend once who was holding his kite in the air at about 10 o clock. Next thing we both heard a bang and turned to see his lifeless kite (LF Havoc) drop out of the sky with a blown leading edge. No impact or anything, it just decided to let go...
Watch out at the wingtips and strut ends as sometimes the velcro bits wiggle loose allowing the bladder to set itself free!
Happened to me once on a road trip without a repair kit... 
can also be the result of sand or shells working their way into the kite between the outside of the bladder and the inside of the canvas tube surrounding it.
I was flying my 15 about 2 months and got and got my girlfriend to help land it. She grab's on to the leading edge and called me over, I ran to see what she was yeling about and there was an inch long hole with bladder poking out. It wasn't there whent the kite was pumped or launched so must have been due to weakened fabric finally giving up. Bladder didn't blow miracuously, but could have easiy happened. So even if it appears like your leading edge is fine it may have some defect that just needs the added pressure of the pumped up bladder to give out.
Still surprised my bladder survived
. I bought an as new kite the other day, a Cabrinha X-Bow 12m. ) after I pump it up im walking upwind to lay out my lines and I hear a massive bang! It scared the be jebus out of me! I turned around to feel my heart drop as my semi deflated X-Bow was flying off downwind only to wrap around some trees.. I'm sure in it's hey day this kite was meant to be leading the charge in kite design and safety? Has this happened to anyone else?
. I bought an as new kite the other day, a Cabrinha X-Bow 12m. ) after I pump it up im walking upwind to lay out my lines and I hear a massive bang! It scared the be jebus out of me! I turned around to feel my heart drop as my semi deflated X-Bow was flying off downwind only to wrap around some trees.. I'm sure in it's hey day this kite was meant to be leading the charge in kite design and safety? Has this happened to anyone else?
I had it happen to my trusty old 13m. Due to light winds i gave it an extra 3-4 pumps but then sat on the beach for a fair while waiting for the wind to pick up (which I never do). After about 40 mins i finally went to launch and BANG!! The bloke holding up the kite had instant skids. From now on I resist the extra pumps and if i am gonna wait for wind I will leave it half inflated and go the extra when the wind is actuallly in. The heat on the sand added to the pressure in the bladder/on the seams heaps. Live n learn.
I think you have the right attitude there kitefriend. Sometimes these things happen and if there was no previous repair then the owner probably had no idea it was likely to happen. Get your kite to a decent repairer and it will fly pretty much like new for a couple of cartons of beer costs.
BTW - don't let it dampen your stoke for the kite. After reiring mine I was suss on taking it out for a fair while so spent a few underpowered seshs on my small kite. Eventually i got it out and had the best lightwind sesh i have ever had. Was a fantastic sesh and wish i had used the kite more post repair.
Good luck.
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surely not
. surely not 
and not just some incoherent block of text.
Was it an original Crossbow 1? if so then that model was known for leading edges opening up along the seam and letting the bladder loose, A kite hernia to put it bluntly...I had one that was 1 season old and it started letting go 2 weeks after it blew the 2 left lines out, I was told that repair would be fairly expensive as it wasn't the stitching that was letting go but the material around it that was falling apart. These kites were revolutionary in their day but just weren't built to last. For some reason Cabrinhas seem to be the only kites that don't last too well, look at the SB3s, the material feels like an old tee shirt on the well used ones - Still using crap material trying to keep it light.
I'm going to duck for cover now.....
I still don't get how they build up static to the point of magnetising attraction to trees though.
Seriously I have only seen about half a dozen kites go into trees. Every single one was Cab of some sort. Bizarro.
If buying secon hand, always check for foliage tucked behind LE.
The SB3's definatly look crapy after just one season. I think that they are probably biodegradable, which is probably a good thing as no one wants a second hand cab...lol.
Just joking, but i agree they must use some cheap material.
Have seen and heard of a few "exploding kites" several brands, none in particular, one or two where the leading edge has busted wide open, mostly just the bladder puncturing.
Had my first bladder blow out on my last session, kited for about 2 hours, came in, put the kite down, got a drink out of my bag, turned around and the leading edge had deflated !!!
After carefully removing the one pump hoses and removing the whole bladder I found it had burst about an inch from the end where the bladder gets "bunched up" at the tip - aparrently a weak point in all LEI kites ?
The general area was showing signs of stretching from abbrasion where the flaps that enclose the LE tips fold over the bladder.
Maybe a suggestion for improvement would be to sew this aperture shut so that the bladders fits more snugly and have access points along the LE for removing the bladder rather than pulling it out through the ends ??
This w/e pumped my 10m (Best Nem HP 08) to 65Kpa (9-10 psi)
Came in & an Italian helped land the kite, he must have caught it on a broken shell or stick ………..& boom. Six inch hole blown in the leading edge.
Fourth puncture in 12 months......
sometimes $hit happens........ again and again.
Italian eh? He would have dived for cover and waived a white flag as soon as the first boom went off?
A friend had a leading edge go 400m offshore. Yes, it was a Cab. Fortunately, due to the extensive bridle he was able to limp back to shore with it still flying. Note: always pinch off the strut valves unless you want a rapidly sinking kite too.
Yes was an X-bow 1 and it wasn't overly inflated. It blew out about a half metre hole in the centre of the leading edge (cloth and bladder).
I can understand why some peoples kite burst when they are pumping up to 10psi and the like, then on top of that placing it on hot sand or hot sun. But when you pump up only to 6psi i dont see why this should happen, especially seeing the kite was in great nick (probably used about 10 times). Just glad I wasn't doing a downwinder around a headland or something at the time haha.
