One of the best thing about Wing-Surfing is the speed in setting up. But you do have to be careful to ensure you have not had any bladder movements before reaching full pressure or risk potential bladder damage.
Join Robby as he runs through an easy sure fire way to ensure your bladder is correctly in place during the rigging procedure and reduce the risk and increase safety before your next session.
Note: Not just helpful for Naish, this can and should be done on all Wings.
Enjoy,
Learned a lesson the other day. I hung up my wing by the handle to dry for the first time. Took it to the beach and the strut bladder popped right next to the tube that joins it to the main bladder. What happened was the bladder dropped down the strut due to being hung up. Got doubled over and trapped when I inflated. Do not dry your wings by hanging them from the front handle. If you do give, the strut a good shake as you inflate it slowly.
Yes I have had this issue as well as I used to hang it up to dry.
I would usually stop at the same point Robbie does to let the air fill in but checking around the strut to leading edge connection area is a good step to add in.
I also stopped hanging my wing and now just dry it semi rolled up lying flat.
And you could just never hang your uninflated wing by the front handle, it's been working great for me.
Don't see the point in washing wings - I just roll it up and chuck it in the bag. Your wings will age from waves/ general use. Cleaning it won't contribute much in my opinion. Plus I am most likely using it in following few days..... very tedious process if you ask me
Select to expand quotewaterlife said..
Don't see the point in washing wings - I just roll it up and chuck it in the bag. Your wings will age from waves/ general use. Cleaning it won't contribute much in my opinion. Plus I am most likely using it in following few days..... very tedious process if you ask me
This has nothing to do with washing your wing. It is drying it after a session.
Select to expand quoteWindbot said..
And you could just never hang your uninflated wing by the front handle, it's been working great for me.
Please read my post above for the issue you could have.
The bladder material normally neatly fills the tube as you inflate. Any voids or twists can be seen as a slightly concave wrinkled section in the tube. You need to keep an eye on those sections as you pump. To an extent the bladder material will stretch to fill the tube.
If you have a pale coloured leading edge or strut you can hold them up against the light and see the actual wrinkles and twists. It can be a bit scary to see all that stuff in the leading edge.
A tiny amount of dampness can cause the bladder material to be a bit sticky and twists will lock themselves in. It is possible to have a 180 twist in one section of the bladder and a series of other wrinkles in the opposite direction elsewhere. They will not come out with pumping. You have to do something to sort them out.
I noticed a 180 twist in the leading edge bladder. I unzipped the leading edge and straightened the twist by hand, which was good for a couple of sessions. Eventually I pulled that end of the bladder out and reseated it. Now I have a nice neat leading edge.
None of this is a problem with kites because the bladders are narrower. There simply isn't enough fabric for the bladders to twist, and there's more struts and attachment points to keep everything secure.
I have a drying rack hanging from the roof of my garage made from some 50mm plastic tube. I just hang the wing over that, either partially rolled if it's just the leading edge that is damp, or flat along the centre strut if it's all wet.
If the wing is only a little damp and there will be wind the next day I just leave it loosely rolled in the car.
Select to expand quotehilly said..Windbot said..
And you could just never hang your uninflated wing by the front handle, it's been working great for me.
Please read my post above for the issue you could have.
Not sure what you're saying. I dry my wings inflated and out of the sun and have never had any problems.
