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Kite repair for 2010 Naish Cult

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Northwest Kiteboarding -> Gorge / Portland / Oregon Coast
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lawnmower

Since 14 Dec 2007
153 Posts

Stoked



PostFri Jul 08, 22 10:24 am    Kite repair for 2010 Naish Cult Reply with quote

I’ve got a quiver of 2010 Naish Cults that leak air. It’s probably valves coming loose from the bladders. Airtime wants $550 per kite to do the repair which is not worth it.
Does anyone have any DIY info for valve leaks?

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Singlemalt

Since 21 Jun 2015
460 Posts
White Salmon
Obsessed



PostFri Jul 08, 22 10:46 am     Reply with quote

If this is the infamous Octopus system, I’ve performed a full autopsy.

I had a 6m 2011 Park. Leaked at the batten to main bladder joints, the weak point of the system.

When I took it apart to attempt a fix, every last nipple fell off the main bladder. Same thing inside the batten bladders.

Previous to this, I had airtime replace one bladder on a newer Park: $60. I sold the quiver.

Back to the 2011 6m, I was bored, so I put my McGiver hat on and went at it. I used an airtime inflate valve to replace the inflate, and patched over every other connection on the main bladder. I patched over the valve connection on the batten bladders.

I could now inflate each batten bladder individually, but I’d need a needle nose plier to pinch the valve while I put in the plug. I could inflate the main bladder, but needed a pokey thing to deflate. Do all that dance and the kite held air all day.

Did I want to trust it on a 6m day? I’m a strong swimmer, but I’d rather kite.

That one went to the dump. I wouldn’t even feel good about giving it to a new kiter for free, not a safe kite.

TLDR: Not worth fixing. Plenty of great kites available used for less than $400. Treat yourself!

Relaunch Kite Bags makes tote bags and jackets from dead kites. Located in Hood River. 206-972-83sixtwo. You could recycle the old kites.

_________________
Pull the cork.

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Nak

Since 19 May 2005
4199 Posts
Camas
XTreme Poster

CGKA Member


PostFri Jul 08, 22 4:22 pm     Reply with quote

It's not really all that hard to fix the Naish bladders if you keep it stock. Changing up the inflation system is for sure not worth the effort. 2010 kites you want to replace the valves. All of them, on any kite. They just aren't reliable otherwise. Basically, you pull the bladders, use a hair dryer to heat the valves and remove them, clean the bladder, use Airtime valves to replace the old ones, reinstall the bladders, use good teflon tape to wrap the octopus nipples--Oatey gray tape, three or four wraps--and voila! You have a reliable kite that holds air again. Do watch the Youtube videos, and do make sure the dump valve and inflate valve are in the same orientation as stock.

OTH, used kites are cheap right now. Get a two or three year old kite for not a lot more cost than repairing the 2010.

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shred_da_gorge

Since 12 Nov 2008
1251 Posts
Local, not Low Cal
XTreme Poster



PostSat Jul 09, 22 6:37 am     Reply with quote

This might be super easy! If these have the "Boston valves" (outside, not inside on the octopus system), what happens is they have rubber gaskets that compress and dry out over time, leaking air. This happened on my three Pivots and the solution was straightforward. AirTime sells replacement Boston valves ($10 each back when I repaired mine), but frankly you only need to swap the old rubber gaskets out (there's an inner and outer gasket), not the entire thing.

Get yourself a $2 spray bottle at Walmart, fill it with water with just a little dish soap, then pump up the kites fully and spray the valves to see if they have air bubbles coming out from between the inner and/or outer screw caps.

G'luck!

BTW, I have a tool to help remove the bladders in a Naish octopus system if you go that far, and there's a thread here you can search for with a ton of useful info. They are definitely a be-atch to work with but not impossible - much easier to remove than re-install, for sure.

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