bc bladder repair/replace? Aliikai

[fubari]

I was bringing my dive buddy's bc back from a trip. Near as I can figure, my bc's lp-inflator port punctured their bc during luggage handling.

It is an Aliikai BC - puncture location is back, about 2 inches below the right-shoulder dump valve. Nylon shell and a small hole in the white plastic bladder.

From a safety point of view, do I have any repair options?
I don't want to just squirt some aquaseal in there and be posting
about it later this season on the incident/accidents forum.

Any advice for me?

 

[Molecule]

I'm not sure about safety concerns on repair the bladder. But I just repaired my wing with Seamseal. My is double bladder and has leaks on seam between the two bladders. Seamseal is better suited to seal Nylon fabrics with Urethane coat which is the material of my wing bladder. Aquaseal is suitable for Neoprene-Wetsuits. I'm going test it in pool, next week or two.

 

[livewire]

Another fine choice for the bladder would be 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant. I've repaired BC leaks with this stuff and have had great success. I use the quicker drying stuff that comes in a red and white tube but both the quick dry and slow dry formulas work. This stuff is used more for boat repair (inflatables) so you'll find it at boat repair shops or online. It's white in color so this will match your white bladder. You'll want to have clear access to the bladder (don't sweat the hole in the nylon exterior) and put a generous thick layer of the adhesive over your leak. Ready for a dive in 24 hours. Be careful with the stuff, too, as it probably won't come out of your clothing and doesn't wash off your hands easily either, so I'd wear gloves and use a popsicle stick, cardboard or wadded paper to apply it. Try not to get it on the rest of the BC either. Best of luck!

 

[fubari]

I'm not sure about safety concerns on repair the bladder.

Oh - the safety part is easy - perhaps I'm worrying too much... but since I have no experience with patching this sort of thing I would hate to put in a poor seal or something and have my buddy lose their buoyancy. Might not be a big deal, then again... it could turn out badly. Anyway, unless I'm really sure it is safe, I can't let them use it. Plan-A is to fix it, but plan-B is to get them a replacement.

But I just repaired my wing with Seamseal. My is double bladder and has leaks on seam between the two bladders. Seamseal is better suited to seal Nylon fabrics with Urethane coat which is the material of my wing bladder. Aquaseal is suitable for Neoprene-Wetsuits. I'm going test it in pool, next week or two.

Interesting - thank you, that was the sort of data I'm looking for.
(p.s. I was joking about using Aquaseal ).

 

[fubari]

3M Marine Adhesive Sealant. I've repaired BC leaks with this stuff and have had great success. I use the quicker drying stuff that comes in a red and white tube...

Neat - thank you. I'll be adding some of this to to my dive toolbox.