LE Bladder Removal Problem

[mobettah]

The end of my LE bladder on my 16m Naish Boxer 3 just let go on the beach. I've watched the video on the Naish site on bladder repair and they suggest tying a line to end of the bladder to pull it back through once you've repaired it. It appears the end of the bladder is about 10" up from the end of the leading edge. Any suggestions how to snag the bladder to put the pull line on?

Also does it make sense to take out both sides of the LE bladder when I know the problem is on one side?

Thanks

[tweekster]

get a set of tongs or something that'll fit in the access hole to grab the bladder. fish it up in there and get ahold of that rascal and gently pull 'er out.

10" doesn't seem so far that you couldn't use your fingers. stick your thumb and index finger in there and push the LE down onto you fingers like you're putting a condom on...

[mobettah]

get a set of tongs or something that'll fit in the access hole to grab the bladder. fish it up in there and get ahold of that rascal and gently pull 'er out.

10" doesn't seem so far that you couldn't use your fingers. stick your thumb and index finger in there and push the LE down onto you fingers like you're putting a condom on...

Thanks that helped. I've got the bladder end out.

[mobettah]

The end of my LE bladder on my 16m Naish Boxer 3 just let go on the beach. I've watched the video on the Naish site on bladder repair and they suggest tying a line to end of the bladder to pull it back through once you've repaired it. It appears the end of the bladder is about 10" up from the end of the leading edge. Any suggestions how to snag the bladder to put the pull line on?

Also does it make sense to take out both sides of the LE bladder when I know the problem is on one side?

Thanks

Now that I have the end of the bladder out I can see that the hole is right on the seam of the end of the bladder. I can pull 3-4" of bladder out the end of the leading edge at the end. What are folks thoughts on just doing the bladder repair with the bladder out the end? Here are some pictures...

[mobettah]

Also could this damage be caused by pumping the leading edge up too much?

[tweekster]

doing the repair right there should be no problem. seeing as the bladder was 10" up into the sleeve that hole was more than likely caused by the bladder not being secured properly when it was last installed. make sure that it is seated correctly and also that the bladder is folded over with (inside) the extra bit of LE that gets tucked in to close off the LE end.

[mobettah]

doing the repair right there should be no problem. seeing as the bladder was 10" up into the sleeve that hole was more than likely caused by the bladder not being secured properly when it was last installed. make sure that it is seated correctly and also that the bladder is folded over with (inside) the extra bit of LE that gets tucked in to close off the LE end.

Thanks.
I've patched it and will see how it goes tomorrow afternoon when I pump the kite up....

[cglazier]

I see this kind of bladder repair all the time. It is caused by the bladder falling away from the end of the kite and leaving a void. Next time the bladder is inflated there is nothing to encase it there ..so it pops.

A piece of Tear Aid self adhesive tape should fix this quickly. Or just reseam the bladder an inch shorter .. all bladders are a bit longer than than they need to be.

Be sure to have the bladder folded in the kite fabric tube when you reinstal it so it does not slip away from the end again.


Chris Glazier

[Darktanyan]

Use an iron to seal the end of the bladder. Takes just a few seconds.