Leading edge split and bladder burst (terminal- but i have a spare). Will it be easier to get the new bladder in by leaving the leading edge repair till last. Or does the stiching need to take place with the bladder out? THe L E has come apart at the stitching where it joins the canopy?

Its a 2010 Naish cult. All (constructive) suggestions welcome.

... just playing devil's advocate here, but I think most sailmakers can repair leading edge with bladder in but you will minimize any risk of accidental punctures if the bladder is out! Bit of string to pull the bladder back in after repair isn't very hard and like I said, you'll probably make it easier for the sailmaker!

Leave the bladder in.

I had one of these repairs and took the bladder out, thinking I was helping the repairer. Neil at HTL told me I should have left it in, and John at SOS said similar when he did the bladder repair.

Live and learn

the bladder doesn't really need to be removed and just about all bladder damage can be fixed unless you've set fire to it. been repairing kites since 1998

There is absolutely no doubt what to do here.
If the bladder absolutely has to be replaced then definitely send it off for repairs minus the bladder. Fit the new one once its repaired.

Yes - I agree its no real hassle for a kite repairer to sew up a canopy with the bladder in - in almost all cases.
Yes - I agree that most bladder repairs can be done without necessarily removing the bladder entirely.
But in this case the bladder (apparently) has to be removed & a new one replaced so its a no-brainer. Get the sail repair done sans bladder.

thanks for the tips.

I do have a spare bladder and the blowout is big so a new bladder will go in. Also only a sailmaker down here. So leading edge reppair first then the new bladder. Next task to wrestle withthe naish one way strut valves....

oldjenkins said...

thanks for the tips.

I do have a spare bladder and the blowout is big so a new bladder will go in. Also only a sailmaker down here. So leading edge reppair first then the new bladder. Next task to wrestle withthe naish one way strut valves....

The strut valves are not as diificult as one thinks. I've managed to remove and replace three faulty valves. The trick to removing is to get two adjacent fingers either side of the female valve and gently lever the valve off. To replace make sure the valves are positioned correctly and are pushed down flush. Use plumbers tape on the male valve to produce a good fit. Once all are fixed, inflate kite and use a hose to fill up the base of the kite with water. Look for bubbles to indicate leaks. Course you will have several struts to do, good luck.

oldjenkins said...

Leading edge split and bladder burst (terminal- but i have a spare). Will it be easier to get the new bladder in by leaving the leading edge repair till last. Or does the stiching need to take place with the bladder out? THe L E has come apart at the stitching where it joins the canopy?

Its a 2010 Naish cult. All (constructive) suggestions welcome.

If you are going to replace the bladder then you may as well stitch the leading edge whilst the bladder is out to eliminate the risk of penetrating it.

Generally you would repair the bladder using the hole in the leading edge. Then move the bladder well clear of the area of the LE to be sewn. It saves a lot of time and money not having to replace the LE bladder. You will find most bladders can be repaired rather than replaced with no loss in integrity. Don't forget to leave your kite inflated overnight to test it before you hit the water. Hope this is of help