Leaky Fender Valve

H

hardee

New member
I tried to find anything on this in the search. Closest was a"Tear in Fender". Not the same.

I have 2 Taylor "Hull Gard" fenders that have recently decided not to maintain air pressure. Putting a dab of liquid soapy solution on the valves confirmed a slow leak.

Has anyone figured a way to over come this situation? I have always wet the inflation needle prior to putting it into the valve. Any way to fix instead of replace?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey,

Is the leak coming from the valve insertion, where you put the needle in, or is it around the perimeter of the valve area? If you are interested in a one-time fix that might make filling a little harder later you might try running a toothpick coated with "goop" into the needle insertion opening. that might give enough extra seal so air would not leak. (Never done this, I'm hoping you will be the guinea pig! :) )
 
Patty here. I think I remember that Taylor fenders are guaranteed (as long as YOU don't do something dumb to them) so you can take it back to a dealer and get a new one. I did that once and there were no questions asked.
 
Thanks for the tips. I was trying to avoid having to replace, at anyones expense. Maybe I will call WM and see if they will still replace if I try the "Goop" trick and it doesn't work.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I had a set of ball fenders by Taylor and had the same problem with both. Took them back to West Marine and confirmed the leaking so they gave me 2 more. They too leaked so back I went. Confirmed again with soap and water so we went through the entire stock in the store and they all leaked. At that point, I got a full refund. I then got Polyform A Series round ball fenders (In Defender's electronic catalogue, they show up when you search for buoy) and they can go for 2-3 years or more before they need a sllight air addition. The key is that they have a much better valve than the Taylor ones and then, there is a screw in plug that further seals the valve. Every fender I use now is Polyform of one type or another with the same results. The quality is so much higher than Taylor and the cost is essentially the same. The only thing is that they do not inflate with a bicycle pump as their valve is a lot thicker and take their own pump or an adapter available from Defender.
 
Harvey-

I thought about the sealing the valve off permanently solution, too, but decided to to advise it because the fenders loose air though their walls from diffusion naturally, and periodically have to have air added. Sealing the needle valve off permanently would be the beginning of permanent gradual total deflation, IMHO.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
mcc272":2q7frczg said:
I had a set of ball fenders by Taylor and had the same problem with both. Took them back to West Marine and confirmed the leaking so they gave me 2 more. They too leaked so back I went. Confirmed again with soap and water so we went through the entire stock in the store and they all leaked. At that point, I got a full refund. I then got Polyform A Series round ball fenders (In Defender's electronic catalogue, they show up when you search for buoy) and they can go for 2-3 years or more before they need a sllight air addition. The key is that they have a much better valve than the Taylor ones and then, there is a screw in plug that further seals the valve. Every fender I use now is Polyform of one type or another with the same results. The quality is so much higher than Taylor and the cost is essentially the same. The only thing is that they do not inflate with a bicycle pump as their valve is a lot thicker and take their own pump or an adapter available from Defender.
Click to expand...

Hmmmmm. Very interesting and good info. Thanks!! :thup
 
I have had similar problems try this from PINCH a penny corp (pool store)Its called Lube tube it comes in 1and 4 oz. .Pump up fender to desired width then as you pull out the inflater put the lube on and insert again this should stop the leak it works
 
"...I have had similar problems try this from PINCH a penny corp (pool store) It's called Lube tube it comes in 1and 4 oz. .Pump up fender to desired width then as you pull out the inflater put the lube on and insert again this should stop the leak it works."
Click to expand...

Jim, I found PINCH Penny, but could not find anything about Lube tube. Would you supply a link please? Thank you.

It sounds like that might be what I am looking for.

The Polyform A fenders sound like a good replacement.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I had ordered Taylor fenders in the Mocha color that matched the Jenny B's trim. One arrive deflated and since the Mocha color was discontinued, I called Taylor. They sent me replacement valve kits and instructions on how to replace the valves. Been over five years now and at my age I clear memory cache fairly often so unfortunately I can't give you details. I do remember it was pretty easy to replace the valves.

Hope this helps

Don
 
In almost twenty years I've fixed several slightly leaking Taylor fender valves using a dab of silicone grease on the pump needle. Fill the fender, run the needle in and out and twist it back and forth, and usually the leak goes away. Only this year for the first time I was unable to correct the problem using this technique, and that was on a twelve-year-old fender.
 
OK, Here's where we are at. Spent some time at our "local" West Marine this afternoon, getting several things accomplished. One of them was the fender. This was an 8.5" X 27" Hull Gard by Taylor, catalog price, $49.99. It took me longer to get the fender whip off than it did for the manager to get the new fender off the shelf. No questions asked, just replaced. When I asked him if they send it back to Taylor, he said no, the store just eats the loss.

Not only did he swap out the fender, he provided some nice, OK Very Nice, prizes for our Sequim Bay CBGT weekend after next.

That is why I support local as much as possible. And Dan, if you read this, you made points today for sure.

And BTW, the Fix-A-Flat just messed up the needle for the valve.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I will go down this weekend and get the tube and take a picture and post it . No Charlie it's not a sex toy . I tried to look it up on Pinch-a penny's web site I could not find it also . but it works like a charm

Charlie batten down the Hatches I hope this Storm misses all you guys on the East coast . Living in Fl. I know first hand the nightmare that Hurricanes produce Our Prayers and thought s go out to you guys
 
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