replacement bladders

[fishboy2]

can anyone point me to where I would go in order to get a new bladder for my classic accessories gunnison float tube, other then from classic directly, as they want a lot for the bladders and at that rate I might as well look into a new tube all together. some mice decided over winter they would use that material to build a nest and my tube needs to be ready for ice off.
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[albinotrout]

Is it the bladders or the pontoons? If it is a small hole in the material part then find a canvas company and have them put on a patch. If it is the actual bladders, it is usually best to go with the same manufacturer, but others may be ab,e to fit. Get measurements and then see what fits.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Hey young man, how are you? Haven't heard from you or your dad for a while.

Not sure if [url "http://www.thefloattubestore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6"]THE FLOAT TUBE STORE[/url] would have the exact bladder you need but worth a try. They are about the best source for a wide range of parts and accessories.




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[dayhut]

Hello all. Great topic, replacement parts. I've wrangled with this, too, trying to re-'toon a framed P-P. From that experience, let me share my thoughts. I'm long winded, so please bear with me.

The Gunnison replacement bladders are 65$, direct from CA.

1. I don't know where you're gonna buy a new tube for that, but I'd suggest caution with such a tube should you find one. Most likely it will not measure up.

2. I've dealt with CA in the past and you'll not find anyone better to work with. Plenty of good people in the industry, sure; but so much better that Id dump the folks at CA and look elsewhere?
No.

3. As for the bladder, a challenge I see right off is this:

Each maker does things differently.

You MIGHT find a replacement outside CA that is close enough to shoehorn in, but the odds are it will take some kind of compromise. Most likely that compromise will lie with you and your current Gunnison.
A random "Brand X" bladder will be an unlikely slip-in fit, and soon new stresses will manifest themselves. The old Gunnison skin will have to give somewhere...it might work, it might be catastrophic. [shocked]

4. I'd think it UNLIKELY that you'll find an exact replacement bladder elsewhere for significantly less than 65$ - if at all.
The bladders are small lot production items; I mean, every home has a car- but a Gunnison? There cannot be a huge volume demand for them - or their bladders.

This means they are most likely made by one supplier, with CA as their sole customer for that component. In usual cases like that, the seller (CA) agrees to buy a certain number, with the proviso that they also have exclusive rights of supply.

Anyone else wanting to offer them as replacement parts will have to pay AT LEAST the same price to obtain the bladders, if they can even get them behind CA's back.

But let's say they could. No one in the aftermarket is going to tie up the cost of 1,000, or even 500 Gunny bladders as shelf spares.

Huh, where did I get a those numbers?

They are arbitrary. They illustrate that the spares supplier must buy in enough quantity to offer a re-sell price significantly beneath CA's already practical 65$.

If they can't, you won't buy, after all.
("significant" price difference in the retail trade starts at 10% - and goes up.)

And buying a truckload of low-demand items so they can sit around until some asks for them, well... that kind of price war is very bad business. The demand just isn't there to justify it.

What about a sole rights agreement between the bladder maker and CA?
If I was CA, I'd insist on it. This means the maker risks losing CA's business if they sold to another.
At best, the cost to an outside parts supplier will be the same as CA - or greater.
(It's remotely possible, too, that CA is also the maker as well as distributor. In that case, all this is moot: there will be NO chance of after market supply.)

5. This ties back to #1. New Gunnisons are $125-$130 street price. That is exactly double the cost of bladders. There are couple tubes in the $100 price range, but that's about bottom end for new options. If your Gunny is in good shape otherwise, i.e., no tears, weakened seams, significant abrasion, etc., well... You can hardly do better on a dollar value basis than to get new bladders at $65.

Summary:
If you're confident the Gunny will last another two years, bladder up with CA tubes.
If not, go new.

Thanks for getting this far. This is a summary of what I found in working with CLASSIC ACCESSORIES on my own project.
I hope it helps.

If not let the fur fly!
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