Fender inflation valve fitting?

[WasdaleWanderer]

Don't suppose you know which adaptor fits this (unmarked/unnamed) step fender please?
Our various car tyre inflators adaptors don't fit.
Thanks in advance for your help. WW

 

[westernman]

Basketball adapter?

 

[LiftyK]

It’s hard to see from the photo but could it be like a football valve where you insert a thin inflating needle attached to your pump?

 

[neilf39]

If you poke a needle one in gently can you feel a spring valve? If so use the tapered fitting that fits the hole and seals around it. You can then use the car pump but you have to hold it firmly in place.

 

[WasdaleWanderer]

It’s hard to see from the photo but could it be like a football valve where you insert a thin inflating needle attached to your pump?

Thanks for the suggestion, the needle adapter just doesn't fit well enough. In fact I ended up bending it. It's something in between the really thin one and the next size up.

 

[WasdaleWanderer]

If you poke a needle one in gently can you feel a spring valve? If so use the tapered fitting that fits the hole and seals around it. You can then use the car pump but you have to hold it firmly in place.

Yes it is .... if I poke it with the metal "needle" valve it lets out the air. The tapered ones we have a standard car kit ones are too wide. You can buy lots of packs but no guarantee you'll get one that fits. Shame they aren't all standard fittings. This is just the first of quite a few we have inherited with the boat.... the start of many puzzles I think.
Thanks for your suggestion, I'll give it a go but suspect too much air will leak out to be effective enough. We'll see.

 

[Ammonite]

I'm not 100% as the photo isn't that clear but it looks like a majoni valve to me in which case they are useless imo. If you purchase the correct screw in fitting it barely works and your best bet having freed up the spring is to rig up something that depresses the spring while sealing against the fender. I bought a selection of fittings on eBay for a couple of quid and rigged something that worked. Alternatively just take it to a garage and hold the air line tight against the hole and it will have enough pressure to force the valve open.

 

[WasdaleWanderer]

I'm not 100% as the photo isn't that clear but it looks like a majoni valve to me in which case they are useless imo. If you purchase the correct screw in fitting it barely works and your best bet having freed up the spring is to rig up something that depresses the spring while sealing against the fender. I bought a selection of fittings on eBay for a couple of quid and rigged something that worked. Alternatively just take it to a garage and hold the air line tight against the hole and it will have enough pressure to force the valve open.

Thank you.

 

[101chugger]

Try just placing the end fitting of the pump hose over the mouth of the fender valve - no special hose to fender adapter. - and make as good a seal as you can between the two. Some of my fenders inflate in this way. Why there's no standard valve fitting for fenders baffles me.

 

[KompetentKrew]

When I had this question I just took the fender to the chandlery and they sold me an adapter. I think that was the second chandlery I went to, in fact - the first one just inflated it for me at no charge.

 

[Daydream believer]

Take a blow gun of an air compressor & remove any end fitting so you have a blunt end. Hold it very tight to the fender & fire the air. You will loose a lot of air but you only need about 3 PSI in the fender & it should inflate to that pretty quickly. I inflate mooring buoys like this & can do quite a large one in about 90 -120 seconds. So I would expect a fender should inflate in about 15 seconds once you get the knack of holding the blower
A tyre firm or a local small garage would probably do it for you if a compressor is not available to borrow. Our club has one.

 

[Halo]

If you use a needle type then a little spit in the valve hole will act as a helpful lubricant

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Try just placing the end fitting of the pump hose over the mouth of the fender valve - no special hose to fender adapter. - and make as good a seal as you can between the two. Some of my fenders inflate in this way. Why there's no standard valve fitting for fenders baffles me.

When Iwas a kid we used to put two thicknesses of cotton handkerchief between the garage air line and the valves on our bikes or footballs, to form something of a seal. Had to be quick though, before the garage man spotted us

 

[Bilgediver]

If you poke a needle one in gently can you feel a spring valve? If so use the tapered fitting that fits the hole and seals around it. You can then use the car pump but you have to hold it firmly in place.

I have a tyre valve that I have ground down the flange end so it is a push fit into some fenders like that . There is a valve that seals once pumped up so just pull out the home made adaptor. Might work there. I think I used it on Majori fenders.

 

[WasdaleWanderer]

Thank you. Some good ideas here. We'll give them a go.... might save replacing them.