12-25-2005, 01:39 PM
[cool][#0000ff]That is probably one of the most common "what if" questions to come up from non-tubers and newbie tubers. It IS a real question. A leak in your craft is serious. The good news is that most leaks are only "pinhole" leaks and there is not a sudden deflation of your tube. You will notice that your ride is sitting lower in the water, or that the once-taut cover now has wrinkles in it and you will usually have plenty of time to get back to shore before you have to walk.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The key is to be observant. You need to remain aware of what is going on with your system constantly. You will usually not see bubbles escaping, but you might. If you notice a "softening" of the air chamber(s) then you need to quickly decide whether or not it is a leak, or if you have gone out underinflated...or if maybe the cold water is shrinking your previously full air chamber.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here is a "cut and paste" from the section of my book on dealing with problems afloat:[/#0000ff]
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[font "Times New Roman"]LEAKY TUBE:[size 3] There are a couple of situations in which a noticeable loss of inflation may not be serious. 1. After a long period of storage. Even the best valves will lose a bit of pressure over time. 2. When transferring your craft from direct warm sunshine…or a hot vehicle…to cold air or into cold water. Hot air contracts when cooled.[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]You DO need to be concerned if you begin to notice that you are sitting lower in the water, after you have been fishing for a while. One of the first bad indicators is seeing wrinkles in the cover of your craft. Covers should always be aired up tight. If your cover was taut at the time you launched, and has lost enough pressure to allow wrinkles to form, you may have a problem.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]PREVENTION: [/font][/size] [ol] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]If your craft has a tire inner tube, treat it with preventative sealant before putting it into service. This stuff will help seal pinhole leaks as they occur. It provides peace of mind when you are catching spiny fish, or when carrying your craft through stickery brush, etc.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Fashion a spine-proof “apron” to hang over the front of your craft, to minimize holes from spiny fish or carelessly handled tackle or knives. Naugahyde works well.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t let your craft drop onto the ground. There are all kinds of unseen sharp points in the parking lot and the shore where you launch and beach. These hazards lie waiting to put holes in your craft and ruin your trip. Always set your craft down gently, and only on the cleanest surface possible. [/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t let spiny fish touch your craft. Control them with a net, or “lip and flip” them, before they can poke a hole in an air chamber.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Keep all hooks, lures and other sharp pointy things in protective containers. [/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t lay rods across your craft with lures or hooks in the keeper rings, or hooked to guides.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t use a knife to cut bait or anything else on the top of your craft. A brief slip and you will walk ashore. [/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t carry your inflated craft through thick brush or trees, especially if they have sharp branches or spines.[/font][/size][/li] [li][b]Take care of your craft. Wash everything off in fresh water and store in a cool, dry place after every trip…in fresh or salt water. This will help prevent dry rot and seam separation.[/li][/ol] [black][size 2]REMEDIES:[/size][/black] [ol] [li]When air loss is evident, inflate craft back to taut-cover status. You may do so on the water, if the valve is accessible and you have a pump on board. Use a tire pump for inner tubes, and pump or lungpower to inflate vinyl or butyl bladders. Carry a piece of plastic tubing to add air to large valves on vinyl chambers while afloat. [/li] [li]If your craft holds pressure, go back to fishing. It was probably a temperature thing.[/li] [li]If air loss is continual, go ashore, take your system apart, locate and repair the leak. [/li] [li]If air loss is dramatic (cut in chamber or split seam), repair the air chamber, if possible. If the damage is too severe, replace it. Extra air chambers and/or repair kits are useful items to carry on every trip. Tire tube repairs require the special adhesive and patches designed for rubber inner tubes. Vinyl chambers typically come with small repair kits. Pinhole leaks are easy to fix, with just a drop of the cement. Larger holes and tears require another piece of vinyl, cut and glued over the hole, with the vinyl cement.[/li][/ol][/b]
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[#0000ff]The key is to be observant. You need to remain aware of what is going on with your system constantly. You will usually not see bubbles escaping, but you might. If you notice a "softening" of the air chamber(s) then you need to quickly decide whether or not it is a leak, or if you have gone out underinflated...or if maybe the cold water is shrinking your previously full air chamber.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Here is a "cut and paste" from the section of my book on dealing with problems afloat:[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[font "Times New Roman"]LEAKY TUBE:[size 3] There are a couple of situations in which a noticeable loss of inflation may not be serious. 1. After a long period of storage. Even the best valves will lose a bit of pressure over time. 2. When transferring your craft from direct warm sunshine…or a hot vehicle…to cold air or into cold water. Hot air contracts when cooled.[/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]You DO need to be concerned if you begin to notice that you are sitting lower in the water, after you have been fishing for a while. One of the first bad indicators is seeing wrinkles in the cover of your craft. Covers should always be aired up tight. If your cover was taut at the time you launched, and has lost enough pressure to allow wrinkles to form, you may have a problem.[/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"] [/font][/size]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]PREVENTION: [/font][/size] [ol] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]If your craft has a tire inner tube, treat it with preventative sealant before putting it into service. This stuff will help seal pinhole leaks as they occur. It provides peace of mind when you are catching spiny fish, or when carrying your craft through stickery brush, etc.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Fashion a spine-proof “apron” to hang over the front of your craft, to minimize holes from spiny fish or carelessly handled tackle or knives. Naugahyde works well.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t let your craft drop onto the ground. There are all kinds of unseen sharp points in the parking lot and the shore where you launch and beach. These hazards lie waiting to put holes in your craft and ruin your trip. Always set your craft down gently, and only on the cleanest surface possible. [/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t let spiny fish touch your craft. Control them with a net, or “lip and flip” them, before they can poke a hole in an air chamber.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Keep all hooks, lures and other sharp pointy things in protective containers. [/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t lay rods across your craft with lures or hooks in the keeper rings, or hooked to guides.[/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t use a knife to cut bait or anything else on the top of your craft. A brief slip and you will walk ashore. [/font][/size][/li] [li][size 3][font "Times New Roman"]Don’t carry your inflated craft through thick brush or trees, especially if they have sharp branches or spines.[/font][/size][/li] [li][b]Take care of your craft. Wash everything off in fresh water and store in a cool, dry place after every trip…in fresh or salt water. This will help prevent dry rot and seam separation.[/li][/ol] [black][size 2]REMEDIES:[/size][/black] [ol] [li]When air loss is evident, inflate craft back to taut-cover status. You may do so on the water, if the valve is accessible and you have a pump on board. Use a tire pump for inner tubes, and pump or lungpower to inflate vinyl or butyl bladders. Carry a piece of plastic tubing to add air to large valves on vinyl chambers while afloat. [/li] [li]If your craft holds pressure, go back to fishing. It was probably a temperature thing.[/li] [li]If air loss is continual, go ashore, take your system apart, locate and repair the leak. [/li] [li]If air loss is dramatic (cut in chamber or split seam), repair the air chamber, if possible. If the damage is too severe, replace it. Extra air chambers and/or repair kits are useful items to carry on every trip. Tire tube repairs require the special adhesive and patches designed for rubber inner tubes. Vinyl chambers typically come with small repair kits. Pinhole leaks are easy to fix, with just a drop of the cement. Larger holes and tears require another piece of vinyl, cut and glued over the hole, with the vinyl cement.[/li][/ol][/b]
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