Leucate Voilerie, kitesurf craftsman in Leucate

Leucate Voilerie is a sail repair workshop opened in 2005 at the far end of the Leucate Village craft zone, close to the surf shops and the spots. Its founder, Cristo, a windsurfer and kitesurfer, started it after breaking his sail at La Franqui and finding nobody to fix it; Franck, a trained upholsterer, joined in 2010. The bright workshop covers more than 200 m², enough to lay out large sails.

For kitesurfing, the workshop repairs canopy tears, replaces panels while trying to reproduce the original printed graphics, and works on struts, leading and trailing edges, zips and foil kites (snowkite, buggy, traction kites). It fixes leaks, bladder hernias and valves, and fits new French-made bladders. It also repairs wingfoil wings and windsurf sails (monofilm panels, mast sleeves) as well as boat sails, and makes custom marine upholstery (covers, sprayhoods, sunbeds). Customers include riders, shops, schools and brands, for which it handles after-sales repairs.

Most repairs come with a one-year guarantee and are done entirely in the Leucate workshop. The stated turnaround is 24 hours for a kite or wing, and gear can be sent by post and shipped back the day after it arrives; quotes from photos are free.