03-29-2004, 12:01 PM
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][blue][size 1]Boston valves. Not my favorite subject. I had them on my 2 Kennebecs and had problems with them on one of the crafts...mine, not TubeBabe's. Mine had a nasty habit of being okay at launch and then developing a leak when I was a long ways from shore. I remedied that with a piece of clear plastic tubing I kept with me to reinflate on the water and reseal the valve.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]Sounds like your valve has dried out while in "cold storage". Either that or you have a piece of something stuck in it. If you have been airing it up by lung power alone, try blasting some air into it from a compressor. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]It may be something as needing some lubrication. Do not spray WD40 or petroleum based oils in the valve. If there are rubber or soft plastic parts, the solvents in the lubricants could damage the valve. Instead, put a drop or two of vegetable oil in the valve, and then work it back and forth with your lungs only. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Heck, it doesn hurt them to get wet, so you can even drop some water in the valve to see if that will loosen it up. No steel parts to rust. But, if you use hard water, it may leave deposits that make the valve stickier. In fact, that may even be your problem, if you have accidentally got some lake water in the valve. Or maybe you got something in your spit.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]If all else fails, take the air chamber back to the place you got the tube. I don't remember what kind of warranty you got on that craft, or when you bought it, but it is worth a try to get a replacement.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1][/size][/#0000ff]
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][blue][size 1]Boston valves. Not my favorite subject. I had them on my 2 Kennebecs and had problems with them on one of the crafts...mine, not TubeBabe's. Mine had a nasty habit of being okay at launch and then developing a leak when I was a long ways from shore. I remedied that with a piece of clear plastic tubing I kept with me to reinflate on the water and reseal the valve.[/size][/blue] [#0000ff][size 1]Sounds like your valve has dried out while in "cold storage". Either that or you have a piece of something stuck in it. If you have been airing it up by lung power alone, try blasting some air into it from a compressor. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]It may be something as needing some lubrication. Do not spray WD40 or petroleum based oils in the valve. If there are rubber or soft plastic parts, the solvents in the lubricants could damage the valve. Instead, put a drop or two of vegetable oil in the valve, and then work it back and forth with your lungs only. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Heck, it doesn hurt them to get wet, so you can even drop some water in the valve to see if that will loosen it up. No steel parts to rust. But, if you use hard water, it may leave deposits that make the valve stickier. In fact, that may even be your problem, if you have accidentally got some lake water in the valve. Or maybe you got something in your spit.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]If all else fails, take the air chamber back to the place you got the tube. I don't remember what kind of warranty you got on that craft, or when you bought it, but it is worth a try to get a replacement.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1][/size][/#0000ff]
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