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| Bladders????? Did you know our kites are filled with air to 8 psi and can bust like a balloon???
AKA HB low down on Kitesurf Kite bladders and a how to repair and fix kite bladders.
Fix Your Leaking Bladder Easily...
Most kiteboarding equipment comes with repair kits these days, but if you kooked out too much and used
yours up, and your friends have become privy to your lame attempts to
bogart some free stuff from them, you can find other stuff. Bladder
leaks can be pretty annoying if you don't fix them immediately, and
even get worse, having to pump up your kite every hour on the hour. If
they are fast leaks, they can prevent you from kiting all-together
becuase the kite won't stay stiff. There's nothing like that sinking
feeling of pumping up the kite at the beach and having it deflate in 5
minutes as you launch, ending your day. Slow leaks can turn into bad
ones, so get it fixed! For alternative choices besides kite repair
kits, check out a product made by GOOP called "Sportsman's Contact
Adhesive and Sealant". Menards and Home Depot should have it. (Menards
definitely has it). Lightly sand the areas of the leak first so get
some very very fine sand paper, as well, while you're there. The GOOP
stuff is cheap, works well, is light-weight, and the package says it
can be used to repair tire tubes.
How to Find and Fix a Leak in Your Leading Edge Bladder...
There
are several ways to do this. First, remove the bladder by pulling it
out from one end of the LE sheathing and be sure to tie a string to the
other end (so you have something to pull it back through when you're
done)....and be very careful with this thin, delicate material. Use a
sharpie marker to draw a line right along the front seam of the bladder
so you know it goes back in straight. Use plenty of talcum/baby powder
when replacing the bladder. The powder will help the bladder slide
easily back in with less friction that could cause another twist. The
line on the bladder will show up through the leading edge casing (a
flashlight shining through the other side helps to see it too), so you
can tell if it's straight.
Use a sponge and some soapy water to
spread over the bladder, one end to the next to find the leak. The
water will bubble. If this doesn't work, you can fill your bathtub with
water, and submerse the bladder from one end, to the other, while
squeezing and looking for bubbles. Check the ends of the bladder, too.
Sometimes the heat seals at the ends come undone and that could be the
source of the leak. Does Your Inflatable Fly to One Side? Bladder Twist and Removal for Repair...
If your lines are the same length, your kite is probably
skew. Test to see if you have a twist in the leading edge bladder.
Inflate the kite and put it leading edge down on a flat surface. If one
of the tips is raised up or the shape of the
leading edge isn't symmetrical when you pick up the leading edge right
in the middle (tips resting on the ground), then you probably have a
twist.
Remove the bladder by pulling it
out one end of the LE casing and tie a string to the other end (so you
have something to pull it back through when you're done)....and be very
careful with this thin, delicate material. Use a sharpie marker to draw
a line right along the front seam of the bladder. Use plenty of
talcum/baby powder when replacing the bladder. The powder will help the
bladder slide easily back in with less friction that could cause
another twist. The line on the bladder will show up through the leading
edge casing (a flashlight shining through the other side helps to see
it too), so you can tell if it's straight.
Sometimes, this
problem can also be caused by a partial twist in the kite's leading
edge outer casing. To fix in most cases, pump up the kite firmly
indoors or somewhere completely out of the wind. Stand behind the kite
and observe the tip struts and how the LE is sitting on the floor. You
will see some asymetry, on one side. Starting at the middle of the LE,
you should firmly grip and twist the LE, every foot or so, in the
opposite direction to remove the twist. Test fly the kite afterwards,
the assymetrical flying behavior should be gone.
Bladder
Twist: Does your inflation nozzle disappear into the sheathing as you
pump up the LE bladder? If your bladder is twisted but the kite flies
fine, you can remove the bladder and re-insert it using the technique
listed above or try a faster method that may work. If the twist doesn't
seem that severe, you can try to pump the bladder a little so that it
just barely holds shape and use the access zipper on the sheathing to
reach in and untwist any prolems. Then pump up a little more, then
reach in again to untwist when the problem occurs. Keep doing this
until the bladder is fully inflated and the inflation nozzle is
properly seated in the hole in the sheathing. This may require some
effort and the problem may persist later.
Prevent Twists: Also,
to prevent further twists, rolling up the kite tightly from the tips
toward the center can cause the leading edge bladder to twist. Folding
is better. Fold the kite toward the center using the
tip-to-first-batten distance as a guide. Basically just fold the kite
at the first batten, then fold again to the next batten and so on,
until each side is folded. Then fold from TE to LE andit should fit in
the bag no problem with minimal twist.
How to Repair a Cut or Scratch in Your Leading Edge Bladder Sheathing...
The
best way to repair small cuts (ie 3-4cm) which have just gone through
the dacron but have not caused a puncture in the leading edge is to use
insignia cloth with, or without, ados contact adhesive. You can reach
the back of the cut areas by pulling the inside of the bladder sheath
thru the zip in the middle. Patch both sides, use insignia cloth, not
sail repair tape, for the older mylar bladder cloth. For the newer
Dacron covered bladders, use ados contact adhesive (waterproof,
flexible, permanant). Clean the sticky glue off the insignia cloth with
solvent, and apply the contact adhesive. This is much stronger, and you
typically only need to patch the inside. Overlap a fair way past the
cuts and keep an eye on it when you inflate, if there is any bulging at
the cuts get is sewn, otherwise just inspect it often in hot weather.
Another option for leading edge bladders is to glue the repair, I avoid
sewing wherever possible. The best glue is a clear, flexible waterproof
polyurethane, commonly sold in camping stores as seam sealer for tents,
shoes etc. The ados F2 contact adhesive you can find on the internet or
at many harware stores. Its readily available. JEFF HOWARD
PRO KITESURF TEXAS & CRAZY FLY BOARDS USA
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