Kite Repair — Frequently Asked Questions

WindFire Designs repairs all soft-wing kites and fabric wings — leading-edge inflatable kitesurfing kites, ram-air foil kites, paragliders, hand wing foils, and power kites of all sizes. If it was made of fabric and flies, we repair it.

We repair any and all brands. Cabrinha, Best, North, Wainman, Liquid Force, RRD, Ozone, Flexifoil, Wipika, Slingshot, F-One, Naish, Core, DuoTone, Gaastra, GK Sonic, Peter Lynn — if yours isn’t listed, send it anyway. From a fabric construction standpoint they are all essentially the same to us.

Almost certainly yes, if the kite was in good condition before the damage occurred. Simply email us a few photos showing the damage and we will tell you honestly. All assessment advice is free.

The most important limiting factor is the remaining life of the cloth, largely determined by the ultraviolet exposure it has received.

The process is straightforward:

1. Print or hand-copy one of our repair tickets and include it in the box.
2. Allow the kite to dry and shake off loose sand.
3. Pack the kite in a box that will survive the trip both ways.
4. Ship to WindFire Designs.

That’s it. See the checklist for the full detail.

No. Removing kite bladders is not necessary for our fabric repair process. Pack the kite as-is.

Dry the kite and shake off loose sand. If it cannot be cleaned before shipping, that’s fine — we may add a small cleaning charge of up to 30 minutes labor if it needs it before going through our machines. Pack it in a box sturdy enough to make the trip both ways. Put some scrap paper between the fabric and the box opening. Styrofoam peanuts are not needed. Battens and removable spars should be removed prior to shipping. Kite bags are not required but can offer some protection.

Ship via UPS Ground, USPS Priority Mail, or FedEx Ground. Priority Mail is generally the best coast-to-coast option. We have never seen a soft wing damaged in shipping. Shipping insurance is optional — let us know at the time of return if you want the wing insured for the trip back.

Current turnaround time is 1–2 weeks (updated May–June 2026). Rush service is available at no extra charge — just write TIME SENSITIVE on the outside of the box.

Yes. We gladly rush kite repairs. Write TIME SENSITIVE on the outside of your box. Normally we can meet any reasonable deadline at no extra labor charge.

Our prices relate only to the time we spend on your repair. We have no minimum charge. The price range of repairs is generally between $25 and $180 — they can go higher for complex fabric wings like ram-air foils and paragliders. Some damage looks bad but is relatively easy to fix; the flip side is that some damage looks simple but takes longer due to its position in the structure. We do not mark up cost of replacement parts. Our customers consistently tell us our prices are extremely reasonable — we intend to keep hearing that.

When the repairs are complete, we will email you with invoice, tracking, and all the payment options offered in our modern world. Zelle, Venmo, Apple Pay, paypal, credit card, Check, Cash, Coinbase. We know you'll think of another one here. Try us.

Email us to discuss payment options. Our customer-oriented policies are both easy and unusually generous. If you are not completely satisfied with our work we will do it over, or refund the cost — it is that simple.

Yes. Minor bladder damage is often repaired in place without removal, at a minimal charge. For bladders that cannot be repaired, we will order and install replacements at standard parts cost plus labor.

Yes. We fabricate and repair all kinds of high-performance tension systems and line elements for kites and paragliders.

Yes. We repair paragliders and all other ram-air foils and hand wing foils.

The core principles behind WindFire Designs kite repair:

• All repair work is guaranteed forever.
• Dimensionally accurate to within <1mm — fiber-for-fiber alignment.
• OEM fabrics, threads, needle gauges, and stitching patterns throughout.
• UV-resistant materials that will never gather sand or mildew.
• Techniques that preserve the natural dynamic shape and stretch of flying fabric structures.
• Zero performance loss — kites fly exactly as they did before the damage.
• Fast service with personal attention from Tim Elverston and Ruth Whiting, professionals in kites since 1994.
• Good will, customer-oriented pricing and payment policies.

For small, clean-edged rips under about 6 inches in a low-load area of the sail, a well-applied adhesive patch can hold. We recommend self-adhesive dacron over standard ripstop tape — it does not gather sand, does not leave residue, and comes up cleanly if a professional repair is needed later.

Never rely on an adhesive-only patch on the leading edge or struts, or on any rip over 6–8 inches. Pressurized air will work on that patch continuously and it will fail.

See our full DIY kite repair guide for material selection, surface prep, and application technique.