Kite Hospital
Why is there a Kite Hospital? As with anything that may run into the ground at high speeds, kites may break with normal use. We have yet to find an indestructible kite! So, when you're taking your kite out to fly, be sure to pay attention to your wind conditions to help ensure the least number of breakages! But, if you've broken your kite, do not despair! It can (almost) always be fixed!
Why aren't there parts listed for sale on the website? There as many kite parts as there are kites. As a result, we can not even begin to stock them all on our site! That said, we do stock many common (and some uncommon) parts in our physical shop, so please call the shop to allow us to assist you!
If this is your first kite repair! Before you call, please check out our Flight Clinic to learn about the basics of your kite. Please refer specifically to the page on kite anatomy to ensure that we are able to use matching vocabulary to diagnose your repair!
Kite Hospital Treatment Options
When you call, we'll present you with a variety of options for you to choose from. All repairs incur the cost of parts, but we try to keep your other costs at a minimum!
- If you're on the Outer Banks, bring your kite into the shop when you're in town. If you only fly on vacation, come on in and we'll get you back in the sky! We may ask you to leave your kite at the hospital overnight if the shop is busy so that we may perform the repair with full attention.
- You may choose to pay postage for us to repair your kite. You are responsible for postage both ways, but this is often the easiest repair option for a kite enthusiast who wants to fly at home or on another vacation before they make it back Corolla. Upon receipt of the kite, we will diagnose the repairs needed and advise of all costs before moving forward with the operation.
- In some cases, we will refer you to local parts suppliers (a few lucky customers are within driving distance of a kite hospital). This will often be utilized to help save you time and money. Kite parts are often expensive to ship considering the relatively low cost of the parts themselves. Especially in the cases of inexpensive "mystery" kites, it will be more cost effective to do a repair locally than pay postage in multiple directions.
- In a few (very rare) cases, we will refer you to the manufacturer or a more specialized parts supplier. This will most often happen with specialty fittings that we don't have in our toolbox or a rod that is no longer easily available for a vintage or one-of-a-kind kite.