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October 17, 2008
This man of many talents focuses on repairing kites
By ANNE BOWERS  Kim has lived all over the world -- Hawaii, Korea, California, and New Jersey. After 20 years of vacationing on the Outer Banks, Charlie moved here permanently in 2004 and is now a resident of Frisco. In the mid-1980s, Charlie began windsurfing. It was a sport he loved and was apparently pretty good at it. “I liked tricks. I could loop forwards and backwards. Even learned to do the Vulcan when it first came out,” Charlie says. But in the late ‘90s, his attention was drawn to the new sport of kitesurfing when it burst onto the scene and captured the attention of many windsurfers. Charlie was one of those windsurfers. “Once I started kiting, I was hooked,” he recalls. He remembers his goal of kiting in the waters of Brooklyn, N.Y., which he met in the summer of 1999. He remembers the feeling of being out on the water with a group of windsurfers. He was the first one to ever kite there. “They thought I couldn’t do it, but I did it,” Charlie recalls with a smile. A few years later, Charlie sold his business and moved to Hatteras. He was born in 1952 and has done many things to make a living. On Hatteras, he has pieced together all his knowledge to make a living. Very bluntly he states, “Living on this island is not easy.” Many know this man as the Charlie who makes sushi at the Village Market in Avon. Others have met him as a Tai Chi instructor. Visitors may have enjoyed a hot tub or pool maintained by him when he works for Hatteras Realty. He even teaches people to kitesurf at Ocean Air in Avon. But Charlie’s main gig is repairing kites. Since kites average around $1,500 new, his customers love the fact that there is someone who can fix their kite for as little as $30, depending on the extent of the damage. Rarely do repairs run over $100. Charlie is a smart guy who quickly identified the fact that repairing kites would provide a stable income for him. “A kite has to fly,” Charlie explains. “When you consider gravity and weight, it can’t be made bomb proof and has to fly without the benefit of durability. The more technology that gets put into kites, the more fragile they become.” Considering that kitesurfing is one of the fastest growing sports in all age groups, Charlie’s customer base is growing, too. He is the only kite repairman on Hatteras, which is one of the most popular destination spots for kiters. Charlie taught himself to sew and repair. Over the years, he has repaired sailboat sails, bags, and tents -- but mostly windsurfing sails. “Windsurfing sails are very durable, unlike kites,” he says. “Most repairs on windsurfing sails require you to replace the entire panel which takes time.” Since new windsurfing sails are significantly less expensive than kites, the cost of the repair was proportionally a lot higher. In Charlie’s experience, his windsurfing customers would opt to replace the sail versus repairing it. The opposite is true with kite repairs. Behind the Island Garden Center in Frisco sits Charlie’s house. His place is part home and part business. Though his living room has a TV, couch, and chair, it is mostly a repair shop. Three sewing machines and tables take up most of the space. The corners are stacked with bagged kites to be repaired and current repairs in progress line the floor. Stacks of repair tape dominate the coffee table. Other repair paraphernalia are seen in every location of the room. In spite of all the projects in motion, it looks a bit organized. All the furniture is covered with towels because Charlie says, “I’m always wet.” Charlie proudly points to his new floor which is a wood laminate. He bought his home last November, and it came with carpet which trapped the sand and was hard to dry. “Without these new floors, I am dead,” Charlie points out. It’s hard to see the floor for the sewing machines. His biggest one cost him around $4,000 and he describes it as “very heavy duty.” In layman’s language, Charlie explains how it performs a four- step zig-zag that is necessary for making a strong seam. The second machine operates at 7 pounds per square inch and makes a tight stitch, which is needed for an air-tight seam. The third and smallest machine is your basic sewing machine, which he says he uses a lot for lighter repairs. Salt, water, and sand wreak havoc on the sewing machines and fighting rust is something this kite repairman has to deal with. The needles cost quite a bit of money, and Charlie says they wear out quickly. “It’s not polite to bring a wet and sandy kite to be repaired,” he said with words he had trouble finding. Most damaged kites need tears or rips sewn back together. It is common for kites to be torn by shells, rocks, trees, car doors, and improper handling. As kites age, wear spots develop and the cost of repairing a wear spot is significantly less than replacing the kite. Not all kite repairs are easy. “Some repairs may look very simple but are in a place that I can’t get to unless I take it apart,” Charlie says as he shows a recent repair. “It was a very small tear but I couldn’t get it on my sewing machine without undoing these seams.” Repairs come into Charlie’s shop from all over the East Coast. He also does all the warranty repairs for the kite manufacturer Eclipse. Local or visiting customers can take their kites to Real Kiteboarding, now located in Waves, or to Ocean Air in Avon. Customer can contact Charlie directly by going to his Web sites at www.obxkiterepair.com and www.obxkitefix.com. He can also be reached by email at obxkiterepair@yahoo.com or the more traditional means of calling 252-216-8819. |
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