A blog detailing our collection of Peter Powell kites, and chronicling our flying of these kites. Plus a bit of PP kite history thrown in. Our collection to date stands at 77 kites and can be seen here. I am keen to expand the collection, so if you have an old Peter Powell kite, whether made in the UK or the US, gathering dust and looking for a new home, why not get in touch? Depending on the kite (does it bring something new or different to my collection?), its condition (is it flyable? how much TLC does it need?), and the price you ask (+ shipping if from outside the UK), we may well be able to do a deal.

Friday 16 February 2018

Black fibreglass spars

At some point in their 'evolution', Mk I Stunters' frames changed from aluminium to fibreglass, and this spar material continued in the Mk II Stunters (and right up to the current Mk III Stunters).

In all the Mk I Stunters I've got in my collection, as well as in all I've seen, the fibreglass used is white. Same goes for the modern Mk III Stunters. And for most of the Mk II Stunters ...

I do have a single Mk II Stunter, with polythene sail, which has a black fibreglass frame, including a black nose and black spar connectors.



When I first saw it on eBay, I thought it might have been a home reframe, but I've since seen pictures of others like this. And recently, another black-framed Mk II Stunter appeared on eBay:


So what's going on here? Interestingly, all the ripstop Mk II Stunters I have and have seen use the 'normal' white fibreglass, so it isn't a simple case of the black fibreglass spars being superior to the white ones and replacing them at some point in time. Was there a period in which Peter couldn't source his normal white spars and had to find an alternative source? Or were these a 'special' version, produced in more limited numbers? If so, what was special about the black frame? Questions which need answers ...
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