Hi I am curious to know if anyone else has had an issue with this problem. Another OR rider in my area ordered a 13m rise and he claimed to have the same problem.Lucky for him he the issue arose the first time he pumped up his kite.

Now myself on the other hand I’ve used my kite only 5 times - the last time I flew the kite it held air fine. I packed it away for two weeks - now when i go to pump it up it has a huge not small leak. This cannot be due to my fault I haven’t even crashed the kite one time. It has been landed with an assistant all five times I’ve used it.
I love this kite and how it performs and your mako board as well, but this is awfully frustrating when im spending 1300 plus dollars for a brand new kite that has failed with less than 6 uses. If someone can get back to me on what can be done about this I would greatly appreciate the help and it would help instill my faith in your company.

Jim Warner

check your one pump hoses first. I’ve had one split and had me scratching my head for a day or two

I had a similar problem with my 11m as well.  Maybe 15 sessions and never any hard crashes either. I pulled
the bladder and found at least 7 small areas with small ‘areas’ that if slightly pulled would tear apart as if the
bladder was dry rotted. Really ruined my one day available to kite in Brazil.  Get in touch with your dealer.
My dealer made it right for me…may have been a bad batch out of China

Thanks for the quick replies guys. Ill double check both issues first and then get in touch with my local dealer. Its good to hear its at least been somewhat of an issue.
I was just terribly frustrated because it would have been my last day on water here where I am as the snow is gonna be flying very soon. The wind was honking and it was a big let down to not be able to fly when you thought your kite was fine. My 15 m was too much kite for the 20-30 knot winds.
I love these Rise kites so I’m glad to get such quick input back from other crew members. Thanks for the info.

Cheers

Jim,

That is a great avatar… man, you need to introduce me to her sometime!

I am very sorry to hear about your kite leak. Indeed, we did unfortunately have some 2010 kites affected by a faulty bladder material. The material seemed to become brittle over time and would often begin leaking from multiple spots after 3 or 4 sessions on the kite. Not all 2010 kites were affected but it was widespread enough for us to contact all of our dealers to let them know of the potential problem and a quick solution to it.

In your case, I suggest you simply call our offices toll free at 888-544-4969 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with your mailing address and we will have a full bladder set sent to you immediately. If possible please include the last 5 digits from your serial number and the store you bought the kite from so we can track the issue.

Your replacement bladders and all 2011 bladders moving forward are made from US sourced TPU material with added UV protection. Our new bladder material is quite literally the nicest bladder material available in any kite from any company.

This video is an excellent guide to bladder replacement too. Even if you “know” what you are doing I would suggest you watch it as there are good tips included to avoid frustrations and - more importantly - to learn how to recognize if a bladder is twisted when installed, a twist will not pop immediately but will eventually lead to the bladder failing and you being back to square 1!

John Z - OR

I have the same issue, although my 2010 12m has gotten a lot of use, first I had a leak in one of the center struts, and now I have two leaks in the leading edge. Should I try and get a whole new bladder or keep repairing the one I have? Is there anyway to tell from the serial # on the kite if it may have a defective bladder?

Repair the one you have. I stupidly put 48 pin prick holes in a 10m Rise main bladder following an encounter with a gorse bush. Flew just fine once I’d found them all! The patches make the repair as good as new.

Hey ajones,

  Sorry to hear about your bladder problem. Read JohnZ’s post above yours and drop me a quick email or PM to get you sorted out.

  .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

  Cheers.

Kevin,
Sounds good, I’ll forward my information along with the serial # to you tonight.

Kevin

I have two 2010 Rises that haven’t had any bladder problems, yet! If I send you the serial numbers of the kites would you be able to tell me if they have the defective bladders in them?

Blake

PS When do the 2011 Rises ship to the dealers?

It is not possible to trace defective bladders by serial #. If you have a 2010 Rise with mysterious leaks (after thoroughly checking for the obvious) please contact the retailer that you purchased the kite from with the serial #. They will work with us to get you replacement bladders under warranty.

2011 Rises are already in stock at our retailers!

Cheers,

Evan