My jumpingkite is leaking :(

My best jumping kite, a Cabrinha Switchblade is leaking air… Luckily there is no wind this week, so there is plenty of time to fix it, but how to do it?
The only way to be absolutely sure of where the slow leaks are coming from is to pull the LE bladder out and check. But first, we’d recommend checking the airlock valve itself. Be sure that the rubber o-ring is still in place on the under side of the valve. This piece looks similar to the rubber washer found in a common garden hose. Without that o-ring, the kite can slow leak from the valve. If you’ve lost it, then you can check to see if you still have the spare in the front pocket of the kite bag (usually packaged with the manual). Or simply order a couple of spares from your dealer. If the o-ring is in place and the kite is still leaking, then you’ll need to pull the bladder out and check it manually. Instructions on this process can be found in the back of the manual.

Punctures will not appear from nowhere. And also not from impacts with the water. This is usually the result of beach landings with any sort of small debris on it or from folding up your kite on the beach. This isn’t very common. But thankfully when it happens, it not too bad to patch up and keep going. It just takes a bit of time to find the leak(s) and the time of re-installation.

Here is my Cabrinha Switchblade 12m -08 edition in action without leakage 🙂

Cabrinha Crossbow IDS leaking air

Two of my Cabrinha Crossbows, the 11m and 13m are leaking air and it’s very annoying to be forced to ride back to land after less than an hour of kiting, just to blow up the soft spongy kite again. I have emailed the support to Cabrinha and I´m currently waiting for their answer. This is what I just wrote to them:

Hello!

I have three Cabrinha Crossbow kites (9, 11 and 13), all from 2009 with the IDS system. They are all used, but not in excess and they are still in very good condition. However, I recently noticed that two of them, the 11 and 13 have punctures. I can only ride with them for max one hour before I have to go back to land to pump them up again. I have located the puncture to the leading edge, since all the struts keep the air when the vents are closed.
I havn’t smashed the kites in the water or something like that, the punctures just appeared from nowhere. Do you have any idea of what the possible problem can be and how it can be fixed. Is it the bladder or the main vent that is broken? Perhaps did other people report airleakages from their 09 Crossbows?

Any help is appreciated! =)

Best regards,