Andy55 Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 I have recently purchased a Prism Hypnotist, this has an exceptionally noisy sail, even in the lightest of winds, the left wing tip vibrates, I can hold the kite up by the bridles, and see the trailing edge and spar tip vibrating. Have emailed ?OPrism, through my dealer for a solution, has any one else had this problem. It is mainly the one wing tip, and occurs in quite light winds, right through to about 15kts, I haven't yet flown in more than this. I don't really want to fit a line in the trailing edge as I think prism should sort this one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midibot Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 I forget whether the Hypnotist has a leech line (and your post upon rereading implies not), but if it does it is a line which goes through the trailing edge and is then tied/wound to each wingtip. Adjusting this line is the fix. If there are vinyl end caps on the wingtips, pull it off the noisey side to see how at is set up, and take note before you unwind/untie. Tighten to lessen noise but not too much. May need to experiment incrementally. My Hypnotist is not immediately to hand or I would reach for it for more immediate thoughts. No doubt someone else will jump in to set us straight if there is better information. The old Field Cards Prism did for each kite were quite useful in this regard, but unsure if there was one for the Hypnotist offhand. HTH. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midibot Posted July 6, 2020 Report Share Posted July 6, 2020 I put my hands on my Hypnotist finally. It does not have the leech line. The sail is kept taut by a bungee which is hooked onto a nock on the end of the leading edge (wing tip), under a vinyl end cap. If I wanted to reduce flutter (and attendant noise) in the sail I would try retying -- tightening by shortening the knot in the end of the bungee cord. On mine the bungee is larksheaded to a cloth loop sewn into the sail. If the bungee is really far gone (the elastic might deteriorate over time) it can be replaced either with new, or perhaps by a hank of bridle line tied and looped on, permitting easier adjustment. There are instructions out there on how to tie such a tensioner. As far as wind range, I tend not to fly Standard wind kites in much more than about 20kmh, and find more pleasure in less. Just having my butt dragged otherwise, and wing chatter increases. Some kites do better in higher winds, or I switch to a vented. Or to a quad HTH . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy55 Posted July 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2020 Thankyou for your reply, I have tried tightening the bungee cords, and it still has the same problem, I have been in touch with the dealer, and he has contacted Prism, so as a result I have had to send detailed photos for Prism to look at. What I have noticed is an area of slack material on the trailing edge in the sewing, this has created a loose flap of material which even vibrates if I hold the kite in the wind above my head by the bridles. Having been a sailmaker in my past life I think this is an error in tensioning when the kite was sewn. Hopefully Prism may have the decency to replace the kite because of this, it is very obvious in photos, one trailing edge a nice curve, the other has an obvious misalignment and slack in the material. If the dealer will not replace the kite, I will swap the elastic tensioner for dyneema, or bridle cord, and also try fitting a leach line between the standoffs and the tips. I flew the kite a couple of days ago in exceptionally light winds, the kite only just creating enough lift to fly, and the trailing edge was flapping badly, and making noise just in the area of slack material. If I end up keeping the kite, it will have to be modified slightly and will have to be flown in lighter winds, while I look for a replacement. This is my first Prism kite, having previously owned a couple of Spirit of Air kites in the late 90’s, a few Revs and a number of HQ kites, which I do rate highly. I have never flown a kite before which makes so much noise, and causes the leading edge spar to vibrate on the one tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midibot Posted July 6, 2020 Report Share Posted July 6, 2020 Hmmm. While you wait, lets continue the detective work. Standoff length: on mine both sets (4 standoffs in all) are all ~11" from bottom of the sail to the end of the standoff, including the vinyl end cap at that end. Same? Based on your observations the sail sewing is not consistent on both sides. What are the lengths of the sail trailing edges on each side? The same? . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy55 Posted July 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) I have attached photos of the right and left wing tip, showing how the left wing tip has a slack area of material, the standoffs are all 11 inches, the trailing edge 56 inches both sides. The lower spreaders are identical in length. Edited July 7, 2020 by Andy55 Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy55 Posted July 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2020 I sent photos to the dealer, who forwarded them to Prism, they accept there is a problem with the kite and will replace it or I can choose else. Don’t know if I fancy another prism, shame the shop doesn’t sell Level One stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerfvoliste Posted July 7, 2020 Report Share Posted July 7, 2020 I have attached photos of the right and left wing tip, showing how the left wing tip has a slack area of material, the standoffs are all 11 inches, the trailing edge 56 inches both sides. The lower spreaders are identical in length. Looks like a pair of scissors would take care of that...@Sent from my Lenovo TB-8705F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midibot Posted July 8, 2020 Report Share Posted July 8, 2020 Good outcome for you so far -- what can you pick from? That pic is foogly. How did that kite get out the door? Slipped through QC somehow... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy55 Posted July 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2020 Choice a bit limited really, HQ Infinity, HQ Mantra possibly, or they have HQ Maestro 111. I fancy the Infinity or Mantra really, the Infinity has a narrow flying window, 5-18kts, the Mantra 4-25. Or I could have another Hypnotist, but I am a bit dubious of Prism now. All these at Kiteword Uk. Shame they don’t sell Level One stuff, I would have gone for a Badass. I have thought of a Badass but I would have to get that from a different dealer. Have to use my credit for now at Kiteworld UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy55 Posted July 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 Update, the dealer refunded my payment, which I didn’t expect, I was trying to make up my mind what else to buy, but he was waiting for new stock of a couple of kites I had short listed. Anyway 10/10 to Kiteworld in the UK for customer service and also to Prism for acknowledging the fault. Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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