First post, and a brief newbie review

[Escapereality]

Hello hello fliers. I am new to the kite world. I would always get single line kites as a kid and run around until I was dead tired trying to get it to fly. It wasn't until recently on vacation that I was able to fly my first kite. That lead me to a kite shop in St. Augustine where I purchased a couple beginner kites. A small stunt kite and a small parafoil. I flew both of those the rest of the week and I was hooked!

That was last week. This week I decided to commit to the hobby by purchasing a new kite. I bought the Prism Zephyr, in the Orca color scheme. I must say I was absolutely shocked by the nearly 8 foot wingspan. I put it together and just had to go to the park to try it out. There wasn't much wind at all. I just couldn't imagine this beast getting off the ground. A quick tug on the lines and it was soaring. It was a completely different experience flying this full size kite. In the lowest winds I felt like it was just grabbing the sky, and pulling me along with it!

Then today I took it out for a spin for about an hour. All is well until I go to pack it up and head back to work. I had broken the hollow ferrule coming out of the lower spreader. I'm not quite sure how this happened. I ended up purchasing a new lower male spreader from prism. I also realized I could probably just remove the ferrule and replace it...so I purchased some spares and that will be my next project...

So here I am, taking in the huge amount of knowledge this site and forum have offer.

One question...any advice for spare parts or maybe tips on avoiding being grounded from mishaps like the one I had today?

[Escapereality]

I realize there wasn't much of a review in there which is why I titled it "newbie" review. No one should take my advice on a kite as I do not know enough about them yet. Thanks!

[Hasek]

Hello Escape,

I have a few dual lines but haven't flown them in a long time, so I am sure you'll get more informed replies than mine. You have a couple spare ferrules, the other thing i can think of that may break are the spars. Get one or two of the longest spars on the kite. If any of them break and they aren't the longest, you can wrap some tape around the spar where you need to cut it to match the broken spar length, then grab a saw, Dremel, or whatever (high teeth count), and then you're back in the air!

An 8 foot kite? Niiiiiiiiiiice I really like that Orca colour scheme.

Welcome to Kitelife Escape!

[SHBKF]

I too have a Zephyr & it was my first major buy in my recent return to the KiteLife. I broke the same ferrule in a high wind gust last winter. I was able to remove the broken piece & salvage the spar as the female side of the lower spreader. Or I could put a new ferrule in it. I will say the Zephyr & I clicked. I even got a slightly used second one as a back up. Welcome to the forum, you have found a good one. Get out there & fly every chance you get. I have been to Lexington & I am sure there are great places to fly all around you. Keep a kite with you to fly as much as possible. Stay with us & let me know what you're up to. It just gets better & better.

]

[Escapereality]

Thank you Hasek! I will have to pick up some extra spars. I learned today that they can be very expensive if you purchase from the Prism website.

[Escapereality]

Thank you also Dayhiker. If you have any advice for removing the ferrule from the spar I would be happy to hear it.

The female lower spreader is perfectly fine. I have to remove the rest of the broken ferrule from the male end. I've heard putting the tip in boiling water works to loosen the grip of whatever glue they use.

And I am loving the Zephyr. Looks like I should get a backup kite soon...luckily it's raining anyway so I'm not driving myself crazy.

[Escapereality]

Here is a picture of the damage

[SHBKF]

I cut the broken part off flush with a Dremel cut off wheel & counter sunk it slightly. Next I carefully drilled my ferrule out but I have quite a bit of tooling to do things like that. Spars can be mounted in a lathe & drilled exactly on center & straight using a drill bit chucked in the tail stock. I believe there are posts about removing ferrules by heating them & tapping them out with a rod inserted from the other end. This spar is tapered so that rod diameter would be pretty small. I have broken & repaired my kites several times. I have also bought used kites & refurbished them. Reef Runner says "It's not rocket science." But we have those rocket guys on the forum too.

p.s. It looks like the lower spreader was fully seated in the center T when it broke. A hard impact is likely what caused the break if you did not have winds or gusts higher than the kite is rated for. The more you fly the better you will become at protecting the kites. I would also suggest that you get a super ultra light kite as your next kite for your inland flying conditions. There are many good ones available.

[Escapereality]

It could have very well been a gust. However the winds seem much faster when flying this kite. At times it will catch me off guard and pull me forward.

I do recall one impact that could of caused the damage or at least some of the damage. I didn't realize it was actually broken until I went to pack up. I'm just thankful the spreader didn't pop out and puncture the sail.

I did just pick up some heavier and longer lines along with the new spreader.

I'll probably try and find a way to melt the glue holding the ferrule in first. If that doesn't work I'll move on to drilling it out.

[mystainedskin]

Ive had some success with boiling them in water, it releases the glues. Not quite sure if thos applies to your situation.

St.augustine huh? I can guess what shop you walked into! We should hook up and fly sometime. fly! Not worth a crap with 2 lines,but i have a new one to fly

[SHBKF]

It could have very well been a gust. However the winds seem much faster when flying this kite. At times it will catch me off guard and pull me forward.

I do recall one impact that could of caused the damage or at least some of the damage. I didn't realize it was actually broken until I went to pack up. I'm just thankful the spreader didn't pop out and puncture the sail.

I did just pick up some heavier and longer lines along with the new spreader.

I'll probably try and find a way to melt the glue holding the ferrule in first. If that doesn't work I'll move on to drilling it out.

I actually heard my spreader crack when I broke the ferrule so I knew when it let go. Since you did not notice the break until you disassembled the kite it's hard to say what broke it. You can crack tubes during set up & take down. Watch JB's video on assembly. Anytime you notice your kite behaving differently or you see a stand off flapping, land to the side & check it out. I have kept flying broken kites several times not realizing what was wrong. Spares are pricey but since you probably don't have a nearby kite store you need to invest a bit in order to keep flying. I am learning all this too & your posts sound just like my experiences. Drilling is a bit risky but once I already broken something I figure I have little to lose. Next time I'll try the heat & tap out method.

[Escapereality]

Ive had some success with boiling them in water, it releases the glues. Not quite sure if thos applies to your situation. St.augustine huh? I can guess what shop you walked into! We should hook up and fly sometime. fly! Not worth a crap with 2 lines,but i have a new one to fly

Sadly I was just there for vacation. We stayed in the Flagler Beach area...I have an Uncle who lives in Jacksonville so I was up around your area for a bit.

[RobB]

Spares ? I always order extras when ordering replacement parts. If you broke it once, it will probably break again. OR... if you have a spare, you probably won't need it !

Welcome to Kitelife, Escape...

BTW, sounds like you need a tougher kite for higher winds. I put my Z away when the wind goes over 8-10 mph.

[--Pete]

<snip>... if you have a spare, you probably won't need it ! <snip>

This may be why I have boxes and boxes of spares. I tend to buy extras (like RobB), and this seems to cure me of breaking those particular parts.

[trigger]

welcome to the KiteLife!

I just celebrated my 1yr anniversary last weekend and I started the same way you did! I had 5 kites in 2 months and 10 now thanks to the 2 we bought for my wife this past weekend at a festival.

My zephyr has been my go to kite for about 6 months and has treated me very well. I agree with Must86 with the wind range. I will usually pull out my little Jazz or a full vent Rev around 10mph. My wife's foil will probably get out pretty often in that range also. I have been slowly and painfully(especially for my kite) learning tricks and knock on wood have had no breaks on the Z.

I learned on a quantum which is much heavier and stronger, managing to break a leading edge a couple times.

FIRST THING FIRST- GIVE TO THE KITE!!!! if it's going DOWN..... Walk or RUN towards it to take wind out of the sail and slow her down! it makes crashing much easier on the kite!

SECOND- Work on your ground work/recoveries from a crash on a soft surface. Short grass or sand is good. Getting good at ground work takes a little work. I look like a MONKEY SWATTING FLY"S sometimes but it prevents that awful walk of shame. If the kite is on it's belly nose pointed towards you, just stake your lines and go set it up. If not try tugging one line while giving slack to the other and watch how the kite reacts. You may want to stake your lines and walk up closer to the kite and tug on the lines to get a better view(just make sure she doesn't take off on you!) Bottom line is recovery is essential but can also break parts if not done correctly so try to master it as soon as possible

As far as the ferrule goes, I have good luck with a lighter slowly heating it up and then pulling it out with some needle nose pliers. Just keep the flame moving.

There are some places online that also sell BLEMISHED tubes of all sizes and ferrules. I have had good luck with them.

gook luck and enjoy!

jim

ps- if you ever get up to northern Indiana/ s.w. Michigan, look me up! I'd love to fly with you. Maybe we could get some other IKEers to fly too.

[John Barresi]

Welcome to KiteLife, you're in good hands with these kind folks.

[Escapereality]

Welcome to KiteLife, you're in good hands with these kind folks.

Thank you John. Glad to be here.

[Reef Runner]

Yes, welcome to Kitelife, Escape. Sounds if you are getting some good advice. Been there, done most of that, and I try not to do it anymore. I think I heard somewhere, if you're not breaking anything, you're probably not learning anything. I did the "drill-it-out" thing, on a Rev, leading edge spar, sometime back. Actually, it worked much better than I though it would, but as Dayhiker said, "if it's already broken", what have you got to lose.............and as Pete said, if you got spares, you probably won't break it again........... It's a funny game we play...........but welcome, welcome, welcome.

[Escapereality]

I did get the ferrule out, very easily actually. I used a small butane blow torch to head the broken ferrule and gently (if possible) heat the area of the spar where the ferrule was glued. About 15-20 seconds of heating and I gave the ferrule a good jerk/pull with needle nose pliers. Came right out.

It's important to note that I didn't put the flame on the spar or ferrule. Just held the flame 1-2 inches from the piece so that it would it without torching it to bits.

I'll have some spare ferrules in soon, and my spare lower spreader that I bought from prism should be in tomorrow. :-D

[Reef Runner]

Good luck with your repairs. The CA glues (Cyanoacrylate), work quite well, for that kind of repair, and they are very fast (hot). Zap is one of the better known brands [ http://www.zapglue.com ], if you are not familiar.

I have also used plain old two part epoxy, which is quite a bit thicker than the CA glue, but works just fine. Sometimes you have to work on it, to get a good coating of glue, on the inside the new rod. I use a toothpick, to smear a small amount of mixed epoxy, all around on the inside, then I put a small dab just inside the end of the rod, making sure not to get any glue on the end of the tube, or on the outside (it's really best to be very careful and steady, and not get any glue on the outside). Make sure that you DO NOT put any glue on the ferrule itself. Then insert the clean ferrule into the rod, while rotating it slowly as you go, which will help to evenly distribute the glue, up inside the tube. Do NOT retract the ferrule, once you start in. Also, I have found that it is good to measure, and mark the center point of the ferrule (example: 3" ferrule - mark at 1.5"), and make sure that you don't push it in, past that mid-point. When you are complete, you want the ferrule glued at a point, where it will be equally distributed in both pieces of rod, so you don't want to push the glued end, into the rod too far, which will leave the exposed end, too short. During the gluing process, you also don't want to push the ferrule in too far, and then have to pull it back out, which will bring glue with it. This will just create a mess, and if not cleaned off completely (which can be very difficult), will then make inserting the exposed end of the ferrule, into the other rod, difficult, if not impossible. It's much easier, to carefully rotate and push the ferrule in to the pre-determined mark, and stop right there, than it is to go in too far, and then have to pull it back out and clean up. Any amount of retracting the ferrule, is going to bring glue with it and create problems, so it's definitely best to push it in to the mark, STOP, and carefully lay everything aside to complete the curing process. The ultimate goal is to have NO glue at all, on the outside of the rod and ferrule, so you have a clean shoulder, for the other rod to butt up to...........any excess glue around the joint (shoulder), will cause a gap where the two rods meet.

Of course, if you use one of the CA glues, it's even more important to know exactly where to stop inserting the ferrule, because if you stop at the wrong place, it just may end up curing right there. SO, if using CA's, it's really important to know exactly how far to push the ferrule into the rod, which should be done in one smooth motion, stopping at the exact spot, where it will cure, almost immediately.

Again, good luck with your repairs............

[Escapereality]

Thanks again everyone!

I'm looking for my next kite purchase so I will have 2 full size kites in my bag, and couple of loaners for people who want to learn. I am looking for something a little more sturdy that I can bring out in light and some heavier winds. (We don't get many heavy winds here in KY but still)

I've been looking at the Prism Hypnotist and Quantum. Both reasonably priced...but I'm not familiar with many other brands to compare with. Any advice? I've been checking around the forums and it seems a lot of good (and some bad) things have been said about these 2 kites.

[Wayne Dowler]

A little trick - after measuring and determining the center, mark, wrap a piece of masking tape around the ferrule, with 1 edge right on your mark! After gluing, remove the tape. Most of any excess glue should be on and come off with the tape! Check for that clean shoulder with another rod and remove any glue if needed! High spots on the ferrule, created by excess glue, cause stress points that can break whatever you put over it!

Are you only considering Prisms? Many good dual line kites from other companies out there!!

[Escapereality]

A little trick - after measuring and determining the center, mark, wrap a piece of masking tape around the ferrule, with 1 edge right on your mark! After gluing, remove the tape. Most of any excess glue should be on and come off with the tape! Check for that clean shoulder with another rod and remove any glue if needed! High spots on the ferrule, created by excess glue, cause stress points that can break whatever you put over it!

Are you only considering Prisms? Many good dual line kites from other companies out there!!

No I would consider other companies. I definitely would not limit my options to only one company.

[Wayne Dowler]

I don't fly dualies much anymore, mostly Revs! But I have seen John's Kymera in action and was very impressed! Don't know if this fits in your price range - it's $200.00, but very nice!!

[Escapereality]

I don't fly dualies much anymore, mostly Revs! But I have seen John's Kymera in action and was very impressed! Don't know if this fits in your price range - it's $200.00, but very nice!!

I've seen the Kymera and it is impressive and I would love to add it to my bag soon...however for now I'm looking for a cheaper option so that I at least have a reserve/back up kite...$125-$150 price range would be great. I want to see how kites in that bracket perform so I can compare it to the Zephyr.