Fender infation i.e. getting air into them!

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Jaguar 25

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Why can't fender manufacturers standardise the air line connectors needed to blow them up or at least supply a le suitabconnector? Struggling to blow up a Plastimo pontoon fender and not prepared to pay over £20 for their connector which looks like a 20p piece of plastic.
 
try the casing off a cheap ball point.

remove the screw on top,
take out the inky bit,
connect a petrol station hose to the top.
use the point to press to the inflation hole.
squirt air in.
 
chewi said:
try the casing off a cheap ball point.

remove the screw on top,
take out the inky bit,
connect a petrol station hose to the top.
use the point to press to the inflation hole.
squirt air in.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Might be worth a try but it has to be done with a foot pump as the fender is screwed to pontoon. I as told to use the needle type connector but this will not pass through the valve.
 
Jaguar 25 said:
Thanks, Might be worth a try but it has to be done with a foot pump as the fender is screwed to pontoon. I as told to use the needle type connector but this will not pass through the valve.
Click to expand...

Footpumping while you hold the "nib" to the intake is awkward. You might be able to do it with an electric tyre pump, if not would be easier in the long run to unscrew it from the pontoon and take it to the air supply at the garage.
 
Last edited:
chewi said:
Footpumping while you hold the "nib" to the intake is awkward. You might be able to do it with an electric tyre pump, if not would be easier in the long run to unscrew it from the pontoon and take it to the air supply at the garage.
Click to expand...

Managed to get air in today using a spare grommet from an outdoor plug/socket fitting. This covered the whole of the valve and kept it pressed against the body of the fender. Not sure of the pressure but seems OK. The owner of Liverpool Power Boats told me that all he does id press the hose outlet from his compressor an blasts the air in. However, I was thinking of taking the fender off the pontoon and going to a garage but it was a pig to fit in the first place especially the lower screws underneath the fender.

And the point regards the manufacturer sending me a connector? Yes on the basis that I send him £20!
 
chewi said:
try the casing off a cheap ball point.

remove the screw on top,
take out the inky bit,
connect a petrol station hose to the top.
use the point to press to the inflation hole.
squirt air in.
Click to expand...
just pushing the hose end hard against the valve works for me, i now have a emergency battery pack with a compressor no adaptors req, just push hard
 
sailorman said:
just pushing the hose end hard against the valve works for me, i now have a emergency battery pack with a compressor no adaptors req, just push hard
Click to expand...

I realise that pushing hard on the hose against the fender works but I still think if a £3 bike inner tube can come with a decent valve why can't £30 to £100 fenders?
 
sailorman said:
do you want a schreader valve sticking out of yer fender
Click to expand...

No, I want it recessed into the fender and adequately supported with a better clip over cover than on current Plastimo fenders (the clip over cover on the pontoon fender no longer clips down into place and it is less than 3 months old). It's not as if fenders are micro constructions.
 
My experience is that fenders with 'proper' brass valves are fine when new, but after x years the valve is stuck solid and it's impossible to re-inflate. The sort with a basic plastic flap valve (not very airtight on its own) and a plastic screw-in bung can always be re-inflated. (sometimes a bit of sealant on the bung needed). When salvaging discarded fenders I always go for the latter type :o
 
Have a look on eBay ;-).

The longer I am on yachts the more I think we need a 'rent-a-tool' for yachting. This little thing for £20, would you pay £5 to rent it including postage?

Here in Gouvia I dream of having a container full of tools and a work bench. Chatting about this at Navigators the other night and it was agreed 'that's a brilliant idea'. We joked that by chance we all had the same buffer bought from the same hardware store when it was on offer and would use once per year. Anyway, like I said try eBay ;-)
 
Yep just realised these were a bad choice of fender

Jaguar 25 said:
Why can't fender manufacturers standardise the air line connectors needed to blow them up or at least supply a le suitabconnector? Struggling to blow up a Plastimo pontoon fender and not prepared to pay over £20 for their connector which looks like a 20p piece of plastic.
Click to expand...

I bought three Plastimo fenders (not pontoon ones but I assume the same 'valve' type) last year to put on a fender board, they were never fully inflated when I brought them and following this thread thought I'd see if I could improve things. So to Halfords and spend £4.99 on a pack with a range of adaptors (needed to pump up kids rugby balls as well).

So I have old style bicycle pump with flexible tube bit on the end, and guess what the only adaptor that fits into the fender female is the red plastic thingy. But red plastic thingy thread does not properly fit thread on the tube from the pump (why did I go to Halfords, just why......). So force on the adaptor cutting a new thread in the process.

Try to pump up fender and oh it is manifestly not taking air. Then I come to understand what the slot on the fender 'valve' does, I loosend half a turn with screwdriver and feel escaping air, comandeer SWMBO for assistance to hold adaptor in fender, and pump like there is no tomorrow, air escapes all the time but I pump hard and after about 5 minutes it is about as inflated when bought. So next remove valve and screw shut by which time most of the air is lost. These are not proper valves, the covers on the valves reliably secure fit down. Now off to buy a Plastimo adaptor.....

Meantime pumped up all the other non-Plastimo fenders on my boat - guess what - with no problem at all using one adaptor or another.

I would not recommend Plastimo fenders until they re-think their valve design to incorporate a proper valave & something that uses standard adaptors....
 
ShinyShoe said:
I wanna know the answer to this.... Coz I'll quite happily rent them out...
Since I can buy them here for less than a fiver ;-)

http://www.force4.co.uk/9170/Plastimo-Fender-Adaptor.html
Click to expand...

Yes that is the adapter; I have one now, it fits onto the fender 'valve' well. But there is another problem which no doubt means buying something else made by Plastimo. The adapter does not fit onto any type of bike pump or my car foot pump or my dingy pump, it is therefore at present no use whatsoever.
 
Gentlemen, of course there is no solution to this problem. After all how much profit can you make selling a small £3 widget to fit a pump? Now think of the profit you could make instead selling new fenders at £30 a pop.

Pete
 
I hate Plastimo

Pete7 said:
Gentlemen, of course there is no solution to this problem. After all how much profit can you make selling a small £3 widget to fit a pump? Now think of the profit you could make instead selling new fenders at £30 a pop.

Pete
Click to expand...

These were new (a year old now) that were not fully inflated on purchase... going forward I'll be boycotting anything made by Plastimo.
 
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