Hello again guys
I have so far repaired successfully all my blowouts, rips, tears and pin hole repairs but by far the hardest I have found is fixing the one's at or very close to the seam. Do some people have some tips and or experience with success in this area. ( I always put one patch inside which usually does the job but also one patch on the outside too, the worst is where someone else has put a patch on the outside with a wrinkle in it and you can't remove the patch you just have to cut a bigger hole and do another patch)
I just heat seal the edge a bit further in. I use an iron, baking paper and some dowel.
Just lay the dowel on a table, cover with baking paper, place the bladder over the dowel wit the line to be sealed running along the dowel. Another piece of baking paper on top then using the iron to seal the edge. Practice on a scrap bladder to get the temperature right.
You might be able to remove old, wrinkled patches by immersing in boiling water. It softened glue on a kite valve, had to be boiling rather than hot.
I had all sort of damage around a seam and repairing the individual holes made things messy. I eventually laid the damaged area out for repair, put a straight edge down and ironed along it to make a new very neat seam.
I haven't tried the dowel method, but it sounds like a good thing to check out. I bias the pressure of the iron onto the edge and it makes a nice neat weld.
There's a heap of stretch in the width of a bladder so it's no big deal to make it a bit narrower. Not so much stretch in the length because of the seam along it.
Thanks guys both good tips, and I think in future sealing the seal further will help a lot with this issue - thanks 
I found this demonstration on YT but you may need to cover you ears as the music is...
I understand why home bladder repairs are done, but is it worth the risk? Saving $80 versus a failed repair 1k offshore seems hardly worth it.
Even when I was clocking up 400-500k a week on my bicycle, I'd only repair a tube if I had too. Much better to chuck a few one in.
Select to expand quoteairsail said..
I just heat seal the edge a bit further in. I use an iron, baking paper and some dowel.
Just lay the dowel on a table, cover with baking paper, place the bladder over the dowel wit the line to be sealed running along the dowel. Another piece of baking paper on top then using the iron to seal the edge. Practice on a scrap bladder to get the temperature right.
Wow Airsail thanks , learn something new everyday .
Kersh it's really hard to get replacement bladders foir some brands , this is a life saver.
Select to expand quotePiros said..airsail said..
I just heat seal the edge a bit further in. I use an iron, baking paper and some dowel.
Just lay the dowel on a table, cover with baking paper, place the bladder over the dowel wit the line to be sealed running along the dowel. Another piece of baking paper on top then using the iron to seal the edge. Practice on a scrap bladder to get the temperature right.
Wow Airsail thanks , learn something new everyday .
Kersh it's really hard to get replacement bladders foir some brands , this is a life saver.
Looks like a v1 smik bladder. I have these in stock if you want a replacement. Much better if it's already had some serious work done imo
Ry
The Sail Doctor
Select to expand quotekersh said..
I understand why home bladder repairs are done, but is it worth the risk? Saving $80 versus a failed repair 1k offshore seems hardly worth it.
Even when I was clocking up 400-500k a week on my bicycle, I'd only repair a tube if I had too. Much better to chuck a few one in.
I have over 30 bladders in my quiver of kites and wings, you get leaks, it happens, would cost a fortune to replace every time a minor leak happens. Add to that some brand bladders are very difficult to get.
Tear Aid is definitely your friend, also works great on boards to seal a crack prior to getting it repaired properly.
Ok....understood on the hard to get front, and it makes sense.
I thought having 4 wings was a reasonable number.... but 30 @airsail, that's massive and would make even more cents.
I've only been winging for 2 years and to date, have had one minor leak. How common are minor leaks generally? Is it caused by sand inside the valve, manufacturing defect or just general fatigue and wear and tear?
I've had several slow leaks on two wings from the strut valve on the leading edge half peeling off. You can tell there's a slow leak because you can hear a hiss when you release the strut clip before deflating the wing. You need to leave the clip closed and deflate the leading edge to prove whether the leak is in the strut or the leading edge.
Peeling valves don't normally leave you stranded because the high internal pressure keeps everything mostly sealed up. I had lots of sessions with slow leaks. It's only when the valve peels off mostly that the wing won't hold enough air to get to pressure so you can't pump it up in the first place.
I repaired my valves with urethane glue. It held for about 50 hours. Eventually I moaned to the manufacturer (well after the warranty had expired) and they sent me two full sets of bladders and a tool for fitting the hose collar.
I'm a big fan of being able to diagnose faults and do basic repairs. It's essential to understand how the gear works and to be able to save your sessions if you have a problem you want to fix quickly or you're travelling or whatever.
I've got about 4000 hours under kites, and now wings. I have had so few kite problems that they essentially don't happen. Wings are much more like to experience random damage and malfunctions because they're so close to the water and other gear. It's got very little to do with skill (although that does reduce it a bit). All it takes is a random oops or push from a wave and you've got some scary looking damage to repair.
