Kite or wing repair

[Richi]

I'm looking for some advice on what type of thread or thickness I should buy to strengthen some loose stitching on a wing. Im going to try and sew it up by hand with a biggish needle, anyone done this before have any tips? Where would I buy the thread if it's not a standard thread?
thanks!

[Brian C]

Not sure about kites, but for sail repair I have used braided fishing line. It is much thinner and more flexible than monofilament fishing line, and available in many strengths. For example, 20 lb braid is ample strength and it is the same thickness as 8 lb mono. You can buy braided lines at Canadian Tire or Cabellas (Tswassen or Abbotsford). The only downside is that they sell it in long roles (about 100m) which is overkill if you don’t want it for fishing too.

[Richi]

Thanks Brian, good tip with the fishing line. Will ask my neighbour if he can spare an extra foot of it from his tackle box, Cheers, hope to see you out there one of these days.

[Brian C]

Richi, try to scrounge braided line rather than old fashioned nylon monofilament. The braided line is a lot more flexible, stronger, and easier to work with. It’s expensive though ($20-30/roll) so it would be best just to scrounge a bit from someone who fishes. Most avid fishers use it nowadays.