Kite Spars - rods?

[deerislandbrew]

Hi,

I'm looking for a good source of fiberglass and carbon tubes that are longer then 54" and under 8 ft.  It seems tough to find anything on the web that is over 54".  Much that I do see is limited to 32" stuff.  I know using ferrules can give me enough length for some projects but I don't want to have to do that for every kite I want to build that has a spine and LE of 60" or greater.  I have seen all the stuff Goodwinds and a few other sites have.  54" seems to be the limit unless opting for over 8ft stuff that incurs a cost prohibitive shipping fee.  Maybe there just isn't much choice out there? 

[riffclown]

Goodwinds will make you custom lengths. There's a link at the bottom of their page for GW Composites.

quote

The possibilities are almost endless and only limited by the size of the oven (for length) and the availability of fabric.

end quote.

The Shipping fee isn't the fault of the company.. UPS implemented in May of this year an additional $10.50 Handling charge on anything over 48".  That, in combination with the dimensional weight calculation that treats packages by size and not weight, makes the shipping as pricey as the spar and even more in many cases. Apparantly FedEx does the same thing.

Depending on the size and volume you want, give Goodwinds a call.. They might surprise you with what can be done for you both in fabrication AND in shipping options..

[11th Hour]

http://kitesandfunthings.com Check them out.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using KiteLife mobile app
 

[dsz]

I would be very happy to see some of those gigantic kites. Please share some pictures

Sent from my LG-D855 using KiteLife mobile app

[deerislandbrew]

Thanks, I will look into these two places.

 

[deerislandbrew]

Here is the answer to my question from Goodwinds:

Hello Alan,

Thank you for the inquiry.

On the fiberglass tubes, unfortunately, we are tied to the lengths we currently offer. Those tubes are individually made on finite lengths mandrels in a continuous winding/pulling process so that product length is preset, and can’t be altered without spending lots of money in making hundreds of longer mandrels.

In fiberglass, yes, the FL 248 is the smallest diameter part we offer.

Sincerely,

Paul at www.gwcomposites.com and www.goodwinds.com

206-632-6151

1829 Railroad Ave.

Mount Vernon, WA  98273

[deerislandbrew]

Kitesandfunthings:

Out of stock on the .230 rods in both 48" and 60"  Just what I needed.  .196 O.D. x 48" is the longest tube offered, way to small O.D. for building bigger kites.

So....no luck there. 

[John Barresi]

Fly Market?

https://www.flymarketkites.com/

[deerislandbrew]

I have looked at fly market before.  Just looked again and found "economy tubes" from china.  The .236 at 47.25" is just right for projects that would use 4' tubes.  The best you get otherwise is .248, but only 32.5" long.   Flymarket pretty much has Goodwinds stock.  I was a bit excited to see economy tube offerings at 74+ inches in .236 and .315, that would be great for bigger kites, however the shipping of 5 pc at a cost of 18.75,  costs another 43.68 by USPS and 58.68 by UPS because of length.  Crazy, yes?  To bad the US does not have more options or production in fiberglass tube.  I will probably order some of the 47.25" stock as it is the best option in a smaller diameter, but it's sad to have to buy from China so much to find what you need.

 

 

[makatakam]

You could check with fishing rod manufacturers to see what is available.

[deerislandbrew]

Yup,

Time to put this tread to bed.  I think I have found all the sources on the web that I can.  Thanks to all for your input!

[riffclown]

Sorry our efforts weren't more productive..