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i picked up a mates kite at cabrinha the other day as long ocean paul is not taking in or returning kites directly any more. the price of the repair was R590, and the turnaround time was 6 days ( dropped off saturday got it back following friday)
 i was at the beach when his kite tore, 1 straight rip all the way down, and a short 10cm rip sideways as well. less than a year ago he ripped the same kite much worse and it only cost him R350, turnaround time: 2 days.

I know paul must be busy and he does a great job but R600 seems excessive for 1-plus-a-bit tear ... is there really nobody else out there that does kite repairs?  i dread it happening to me and being without a kite for a whole week

I have been wondering when Paul was going to do this.

 

Yes I think Paul is the only one that’s can fix kites to this standard and I also know the reason you do not see him on the beach much.   It's because he works every hour that good sends fixing every ones kites and sails

 

I would also charge.

 

Every body is like you they want there kites fixed yesterday now imagine having 50 + euros all stood at the loft with the wind blowing all wanting there kites, *** that I would also work through the shops.

 

Also I feel he has been under charging for years it takes so long to fix a kite and he does an unbelievable job. I have had kites repaired that I thought were ready for the bin.

 

If the rip is small its easy enough to fix it, most kites come with some form of tape to fix small rips.

 

And until some one can give him some competition he has the monopoly.

 

Good on ya Paul keep up the good work.

 

Hope to see you on the beach a bit more.

Paul makes most of his money off Yacht Sail repairs. One yacht sail repair equals about 10 kite repairs, and with business picking up on the yacht side he is raising kite repair costs to bring his average rate per hour up.

I do believe that kite repair prices are getting a bit expensive. There's more than enough kites ripping year round for at least another 2 kite repair businesses to open - competition would be welcome and can only bring good things to the end consumer (us). There's a dozen shops and boardmakers in South Africa, why is this market over saturated yet nobody is interested in the kite repair business?

All that being said, Paul does an outstanding job and his service is great. Just a pitty that prices and turnaround times have increased considerably.

Most of Paul's delays are due to his ability to make a kite fly as good as it did prior to the damage.  His abilites to repair almost anything is amazing.  I definatley believe that what he charges for repairs is more than worth the bill. 

Recently Paul has moved to using shops as drop of points and this is due to constant interuptions causing delays to those waiting on kites.  He has all of the materials and colours for most kite brands and sometimes it is hard to find the repair. 

There are other peope about to do repairs, just as there are for boards, but the difference here is Paul is quality and the others tend to butcher the repair. 

I know the following brands ONLY recommend Paul and for a bloody good reason.

Naish
Flexifoil
North
Gaastra
Cabrinaha
F-One
Takoon
Best

NOBODY does a better job and if you want to go down the road for other, be my guest, you will end back up at Paul's or one of the shops for a new kite.

Rob

PS - if you are not happy about pricing, talk to Paul, he is about the nicest guy in this sport. 

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Naish Africa

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Rob I know a lot of people say some *** things about you. But I think your OK.

You could not have summed it up better than that 100% on the button.

 

Carlo with all due respect you haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about.

 Paul specializes in Windsurfing sails, kites, Marine covers and awnings.

When did you get to know Paul’s business strategies?

 

He has done this so he has time to get his work done in business hours instead of dealing with clients all day and having to work to midnight to get his work done. 

haha alan you seem to be getting pretty worked up. great to see that you're hanging on to my every word, but I never claimed to be in on his business secrets, just voiced my opinion. I had a chat to Paul a while ago, and his sentiment was that the sail repairs pay a lot better than kite repairs, and with the amount of kite repairs that are coming in he's not getting to the bigger jobs (not that he is abandoning kites at all), and yes he does other repairs too.

Rob - you are right Paul's craftmanship is second to none. I wouldn't send my kite to anyone else for big repairs. Competition is always healthy in any industry, though.

Yes Carlo on that point you are correct you do tend to work me up.

But I feel I’ve known you for to long to let it come between us 

Paul's tops in my books; he's very accomodating considering the type of repairs he often has to deal with, and I'm proud to show off his repairs to other kiters.

If it were so easy, supply and demand would have already given rise to plenty of opposition.

 

All the best to Paul, and long may he continue his excellent work.

Have had several repairs done by Paul, his work is top draw stuff!
And, as can be expected with good quality work is $$$
Keep it up mate...

I think we should all remember that Paul is in business to make a profit and provides a service that we are lucky to have in Cape Town. It takes time, concentration and not a little skill, to affect the kind of quality repairs that we have all come to expect from him.

 

The fact that nearly all the kite shops entrust their repairs to him should tell you how much he is trusted and respected for this rare talent. The additional fact that there is no effective competition should also tell you that this is no easy money. Paul does the work himself to ensure quality and reliability.

 

For him to provide this service through the local kite shops is a natural and sensible business strategy. He can get on with the business of repairing kites without continual interruptions, which obviously slows down the process and increases costs.

 

As for the repair costs themselves, they are a fraction of the cost of a new kite and well within normal hourly rates for a highly skilled person.

 

Finally, remember, Paul didn’t rip the kite, you did! If you cant do the time (off the water) don’t do the crime (on the water)…