Best Bularoo Slow Leak

[Jeff G]

I bought a used 16m Bularoo awhile back and have been battling a slow leak ever since. After several emails and heated discussions with Best I finally broke down and bought a new set of bladders ($120). These also leaked at the strut to leading edge connection. I finally figured out that lubricating the connection seems to seal the leak.

I just got off the phone with Brandon from Best. He acknowledged that some of the original Bularoo bladders are defective and that the problem has been fixed with the replacement set. However they won't replace the bladders unless you're the original owner and the kite is still under 90 day warrantee. What do you all think? Should a manufacturer offer to replace a part that's known to be defective? Or is this just the price you pay for buying used kites?

(Tighe- take this down if it's too negative. I'm a little steamed right now.)

[drknap]

Bummer Jeff.
I have spent my share of time in frustration on the phone with Best. I agree and you would think a company would stand behind their product as not to loose a customer and start negative vibes through the internet like this . I think that in their (Best's) cost benefit analysis they figure they can piss off a few customers here and there but are able to keep enough of them around and acquire enough new customers because off the lower retail and much lower resale cost of their kites. Despite this alleged sales philosophy I still own a quiver of Best kites. My favorite kite is a 13 yarga which I bought brand new for $270 off of ebay shipped! I guess I'm still willing to put up with the BS. You'll see similiar complaints on mutiple forums. This is my opinion and not that of the Scuba Center.

[avery]

Jeff,
sorry to hear about your problem. This has been a problem on all of their one pump systems at the connection points between the LE and all the struts seems to sometimes fail. I have 4 kite with this set up and would buy another if the price was right.

Here is the Fix that I have seen other use and it has seemed to work well. wrap a few loops of plumbers tape (the thin white stuff without a glue on it ) around the male end of the part a 1/4 inch from the top and push it back in, take extra time to seat it well.

hope that might help. The one pump system on best kite is a bit of a bear but when it works well it's great. I have not had any problems as of yet.

[Jeff G]

The weekend of the gathering I spent 3 days riding the 7 Bularoo and loved it. That kite skyrockets when you send it. Thanks for the tip about using silicone thread tape. Dave C. thinks this special sealer he uses for vacuum bagging may work too since it's removable. So far just lubricating the connections before putting them together seems to have worked.

[Jordan]

I too have used a few wraps of plumbers tape on my 7 meter Bularoo and it has worked for my last year of riding. I agree the 7 meter really skyrockets and is pretty stable in those windy conditions.

[Jeff G]

I meant to say Teflon, not silicone tape. I'll give it a try.

[Kosk]

Jeff,

The below text is off the Best forum. It might give you someplace to start if you are still battling the leak.

guys here's the process i'd go through to fix an EZ.

1. Check the main LE deflate valve, we have seen a few that have a little ring of mould flashing on the inside of the valve. If you see a little string of clear plastic in there just pick it out carefully with an exacto knife. If the air is coming from the LE deflate valve this will fix it.

2. If that’s not it, then the next step is to zip tie around the plug on the strut deflate valves. These valves can sometimes stretch out a little if you leave them plugged when the kite is deflated.

3. If that doesn’t fix it then the next step will help you find out exactly where your leak is. Pop the struts off the short connectors to the LE bladder, and fit the 5 supplied valve plugs to the short stubs that poke through in the strut casings. This will seal the LE, then inflate it and leave if. If it deflates then you have a LE puncture, if it holds then move onto step 4.

4. Take the valve plugs off the LE valve stubs and use them to seal off all five of the strut bladders, then inflate these and leave the kite to see if any of them deflate, these won’t hold air forever, but if they deflate in 30 minutes or so then you have a strut bladder puncture, and this is probably draining air from the entire kite.

5. If none of this fixes it, then you have an issue with the sealing between the LE and the struts, though it’s taken a while to find this by following the above steps, you have to go through the above routine in order to be sure where the issue is. If this is where you end up, then you need to buy a tube of rubber glue, like the kite-fix glue or any wetsuit repair glue. Just wipe a bead of glue around each of the short stubs that stick through into the strut casings, a 2-3mm wide bead all the way around the valve stub about 1cm from the end is perfect. Then re-fix the strut bladders pressing them down onto the valve stubs, making sure they are seated firmly, and then inflate the kite about 80%, not rock hard, and leave it for a few hours.

I’ve fixed a few kites for customers in the UK this way and if you follow the outline above you’ll be good to go. If you for some reason you find that the above doesn’t work or you find a flaw with the internal valves in stages 1-4 then speak to warranty.

Any questions, let me know.

[Mike Kellett]

Jeff, I just bought a nearly perfect used 08 7m Bullaroo. I say almost perfect because it has the same leak
at one strut connection that you are talking about in this post. I have tried the teflon tape deal and that didn't work.
I called Best and they suggested I buy a new T4 bladder for $13. If I understand your post, the new bladder didn't work for you?
I would like to keep the kite, but if I can't get the leak fixed the guy that sold it to me will take it back.
He only used the kite a few times and never had the leaking problem.

What kind of lubricant did you use to fix your leak?
Thanks

Mike kellett

[Jeff G]

Mike,

On advice from Best I bought a new set of bladders for the Bularoo, and as I said above, they leaked. I took everything apart, cleaned the connections and reassembled the kite, I thought it was fixed, but on Friday the kite lost air again. This time I was in the middle of Waconia. Andy and Scott C. towed me in -thanks guys. Yesterday I leak tested the struts - they were fine. Then I wrapped Teflon tape around the main bladder connections. They held air on land, but I don't know how they'll work under the rigors of flying. I think Best should stand behind this problem and come up with a permanent solution. Until then I'm not sure I'd recommend any single inflation point kites from Best.

[Mike Kellett]

Jeff, I agree that the one pump system Best has put out is pretty bad. They must have thought that system up at a bar some night. Its kind of like putting a condom on. The really bad part is that there is no way to isolate a leak
so the whole kite deflates. Makes me appreciate my Slingshot kites all the more.
Sounds like you were in a pretty dangerous situation with the kite deflating right in the middle of the lake. I hate to think what would happen if the water was cold and you were kiting alone.
I am in Door Co Wisconsin now and yesterday was great south wind at Baileys Harbor with the waves coming all the way from Chicago. If my kite deflated here, it would be a 2 mile drift to the shore. Not something to look forward to.

On my 7m Bularoo I only have one strut that is leaking, but the kite still deflates the same as if they were all leaking.
I am going to try the teflon tape again. Where exactly on the nozzle did you end up wrapping the tape?
I may try silicon as an alternative. Any thoughts on that?
Last resort is to send it back to the seller.
Thanks
Mike

[toyletbowl]

mike,

did you run into jens, greg and ben from madison yesterday at baileys? sounds like it was a great day.

bob
madison

[Jeff G]

I flew the 16 yesterday after my latest repair and so far it's holding air. I tried wrapping black electrical tape around the nozzle on the main bladder, but it was too thick. So I switched to teflon tape. I just wrapped tape around plastic entire plastic tube. Including the overlap I suppose there are about two layers. If this doesn't work I'm considering a thin layer of Aquaseal. Of course this could complicate future repairs.

[Mike Kellett]

Jeff, thanks for the info. I will give the teflon a try on the whole nozzle this time. It was a bear putting the
bladder back on with the extra thickness caused by the teflon tape though.
If it works its worth it.
Mike

Bob, yes I did run into the Madison crew yesterday. I'm never too good with names, but I talked to one guy who
stayed mostly over on the east side by the lighthouse. He was getting huge lofty jumps on an Eclipse kite.
The waves are definitely better over there.
I am always impressed with the great kiters out when Baileys goes off. The inside definitely had a line-up with everyone waiting to come into shallow water and impress the crowd and photographers with aerial tricks, etc.
There seemed to be at least 20 kites in the air at one time.
Very fun day for me. I haven't been out much since spring in Spi.

Mike