Wreck Wing Repair

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lucid

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Location
Miami, Fl
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Whats the best way to patch a hole in the bladder of a Dive Rite Wreck Wing? I am starting a DIRf class tonight and last night I noticed that my wing has a hole in it.


FYI -- If you have a dive rite wing take a look at the metal drain rivets towards the bottom of the wing. Those are what punctured my wing. They wore a hole through the bladder. It may be worth beefing up your bladder under those rivets to avoid this. Its definatly a design flaw.
 
Just checked the bladder on my Rec wing - 6 years old - no wear at all, no "drain rivets."
Got a picture?
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Repair - get a wader repair kit from your local hunting goods store.
Rick
 
So how does your wing drain? Mine is a outer shell with a bladder in the middle. The shell fills with water through the zipper and then drains out of the holes in the bottom. Is your wing different? Is it a Rec wing?
 
Yep, a porous, heavy cordura shell with a bladder inside - there are no grommets in the shell; it drains right through the material. Bought it directly from Dive-Rite is '97.
Rick
 
A little late for the class, But I would call DIve Rite and tell them what the problem is. Most likely they will replace it. At the same time ask for suggestions on what to do to make a temporary fix.

omar
 
lucid once bubbled...
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Whats the best way to patch a hole in the bladder of a Dive Rite Wreck Wing? I am starting a DIRf class tonight and last night I noticed that my wing has a hole in it.


FYI -- If you have a dive rite wing take a look at the metal drain rivets towards the bottom of the wing. Those are what punctured my wing. They wore a hole through the bladder. It may be worth beefing up your bladder under those rivets to avoid this. Its definatly a design flaw.
...and called EE about it. They told him to just use aquaseal on it and it would probably be fine, but to watch it closely. They mentioned they had a bunch of them in rental with aquaseal patches and they had held up for years.
 
I called them. And as always they are very polite and I am sure that they will repair it free of charge and I will have it back by next weekend. But, this is the third time in 2 months that I have sent stuff to Dive Rite for Warranty Repair. Its getting old.
 
I have repaired punctures in polyurethane bladders.
Note: aquaseal is a polyurethane adhesive!

You can patch small holes polyurethane bladders, with a piece of polyurethane (I used an old scrap bladder ,ask if your LDS has some.)
Cut a patch about 2 inches in diameter for holes up to about 1/8 inch diameter. Use sand paper to rough up the area around the hole and on the mating face of the patch. Apply a smooth coating of aquaseal to the area, roll on the patch to eliminate air bubbles. Cover with saran wrap (or similar) Cover with an iron, or flat board and 2 lb wt. until curred (over night). The saran wrap stops any glue that might squeeze out from sticking to the iron.

Polyurethane can also be heat welded, by clamping two layers between hot surfaces. This procedure requires precise control of temperature, time and pressure. I would not recommend it to the inexperienced.

Mike D
:blfish:
 
Hi Lucid,
Thanks for the warning i also have a rec wing ,just out of interest how old and how many dives have you done for this to happen as i will be checking mine regularly.
When i recieved mine the inflator hose had no ball bearings in so had to return ,but they had a new one to me within two days no questions asked.
But we to expect more quality control and longevity !!!

Regards,

MAL..
 
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I have had it for almost 7 months and put about 60 dives on it. Some thing must have been sitting on it or leaning on it causing the grommet to pierce the bladder. I will say that I take very good care of my equipment so its not abuse. Just normal wear and tear. Dive Rite should look at protecting the bladder a little more. Metal against the bladder isn't very smart.
 

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