People puncturing inflatables

[lilolover82]

Have you found inflatables with intentional punctures. I have had some I got off eBay or found discarded. Anyone ever experienced their inflatables poked by someone else? Why do you think people do this?

[Slow DeFlaite]

I watched "Paula" ruin an entire bag of brand new 24" qualatex balloons that were never inflated. She was sticking her floral pin through each one about 4 times with it & dropping them in the trash can so I couldn't blow them up!
I found a Massive beachball one time in the woods with a hole in it. I tried to patch it but it wasn't worth the effort.

[PBK]

Vacationing in Florida and Mexico I've seen many inflatables deliberately popped and discarded by tourists. Usually it was because it was time to leave the beach and it wasn't worth the effort to deflate the inflatable so they just tore them and threw them in the nearest trash bin. Or sometimes if I was lucky they'd just abandon the inflatable on the beach (yes, I always asked before I took the inflatable. I don't steal).
While out hunting many years ago I was really deep into the forest and came a across a Little Tykes sprinkler beach ball that was torn on the seam. It wasn't worth repairing. Not sure if it was popped deliberately or not but it was a really odd place to find that ball.

[B52]

Hello,

Thank you lilolover82 for starting this topic 😊

At the swimming pool, when I was accompanied my wife for swimming (she went inside the pool area and I was waiting at the lobby, the pool's entrance area) I've seen 2 men, on different occasions, pumped his daugther's swim ring and noodle ring with the same style and 'accidentally' pop their inflatables with the 3/4 HP compressor (a direct-driven one, with loud noise when operating, and it is the pool's facility under the pool's watchmen substation).
The noodle ring was like the 'thin' inflatable rope, circle the back neck, left and right front chest, and circeled the back waist.

Somewhere in my heart, these incidents stay deep down inside me, all feelings mixed together and leave me no idea for what've happened. Never told it to other people (friends) and lilolover82 made me suddenly remembering these event, and I wish to share it with the community 🙏

The first man and his daugther came in with the swim ring on her neck and cross-slide to her left waist (approx. 60cm swim ring, had yellow colour vinyl with 1 2 3 printed on top and blue vinyl on the bottom).
The happy children yelling voice and little jumping with tip-toe rang as they pass in front of me...
I notice the swim ring was not fully inflated. Even the inner circle has gotten its perfect circle, but the swim ring still had the 'sterch mark' and a lot of wrinkles on the outer side seam.

The daughter gave her swim ring to her father when they arrived at the pool's watchmen area, then she went to the children swimming pool. Father started to pick the compressor's nozzle (the air duster one, with twist air-adjuster in the nozzle and pistol-like air trigger).

From the way he held the swim ring (at top of the outer seam) and fitted the nozzle straight onto the valve (with 90° straight), I didn't have the heart to continue my seeing on the swim ring because I think he would pop it with the loud pop...
So, I threw my sight to other side of the pool's scanery, and ready myself to walk away as if I heard him constantly pulled the trigger for over 3 seconds... (I'm sorry to the reader if I'm not having the brave heart seeing event like this 🙏)

Whoosh...! The first pulled trigger made the air comes out directly from the valve because the air spray seemed too strong, so the swim ring bent outside and the valve popped out from the nozzle...
He stopped his pull on the trigger and corrected his grab. Now his palm at the backside of the valve with his fingers clamped the outer ring and inner seam, and straighten the nozzle on the valve again. Then, he started pull the trigger, (I threw my sight again) and this time, I heard the whoosh air sound into the swim ring....

At my counted three, the whoosh still not decreased, so I ready to walk away, suddenly the compressor was working with its loud sound...
And the man stopped his trigger (I still didn't see him, but I guessed he was surprised with the loud compressor's sound and I have no idea how much the inflated swim ring changed from the first state)...

And about another 2 second, I heard the third whoosh with the distinguish 'loud plastic pop' mixing with the still running compressor sound...!!!
Aaahhh... Done...!!! I relaxed and corrected my sit on position.... 😅

Father came to his daugther, showed and also told the swim ring had broke and can not be used anymore while put it on the top of his daughter's bag at children's pool bench...
That was my last sight on him.
I didn't have the heart either seeing the daughter's face, but I noticed the swim ring contrast colour tear up vinly about 1/3 of the inner circle...

The noodle ring, in another day, and another person, different age, but not by much...
The daughter come inside to the pool wearing her noodle ring, inflated, but as I saw it was like the tiny inflatable, I didn't have the idea: was it fully inflated or half inflated?

They pass in front of me, while the happy daughter yelling as she saw the blue water pools, held her father's hand and had a little happines run, so her father's hand pulled afront of him but still held and calmed her so they both didn't step forward...

When they came in the pool's watchmen area, father asked his daugter to handed him her noodle ring, so he would 'add the air' to fit....
The daugther handed him the noodle ring after she collapsed it from her body....
Father took the noodle ring to the compressor spot, and the daughter run to the children pool and have a swimming in there...
Father looked for the valve awhile and picked the nozzle (the valve was on the centre of the outer neck circle) pulled and opened the valve then hold the valve with his palm, and squeezed the nozzle straight to the valve...
Then, it was so fast I couldn't determine was my heart able to see it or something....
As soon as the nozzle fit straight to the valve, the trigger was quickly pulled...
Whoosh-pop...!!! (The popped sound was weak, but very sharp)
Sound of massive air rush came into the noodle ring, almost suddenly heard from the other side of the noodle.
I just realized the air rushed sound really came out from the inner noodle to the atmosphere, somewhere on the other side...

Father still didn't believe it has popped, with the nozzle still on the valve, he pulled the trigger again deeper and found out the same whoosh air comes out from the splitted seam at the left-chest concave....
Father put off the nozzle, and came to daughter that was playing in the water and told her (while showed the uninflated noodle ring) that it has broken... It can not be used anymore... Then put the noodle ring on the bench, outside of their bag area, so it seemed like he wanted to leave 'the popped' there.
And again, I didn't have the heart to see the daugter's face, and threw my sight to other pool's scenary.

These two men (and his daughters), finished their swimming session faster than my wife...
I still sat at my position, when they came out and exit the pool area...
I didn't see the 'trash' on the bench or noticed any uninflated inflatable 'hanging' inside pool's area trash bucket, or on the outside trash bucket (when I came out with my wife).
Nor I saw them carried something like 'garbage' on separate plastic bag, that maybe the popped inflatable was packed in the bag.
No Inflatable disposed that I saw or noticed or something like freshly threw bulky plastic bag that might be contain the popped inflatables, so I guessed they took the 'trash' with them in their bag, and disposed on somewhere...

When my wife finished her swimming session, she handled me her pink swim ring (pictured here) at the lobby. Earlier, after we arrived, she was pumping this swim ring with the same compressor after she change her clothes to swimsuit.
She asked me: did you see the man that popped the blue-yellow swim ring?
I said: yes.... Then received her wet pink swim ring and wiped it dry with special towel and then deflated it with care, while she went to the toilet to change her swimsuit.

But, me think she didn't notice the noodle ring incident... 😄

Thank you lilolover82
Thank you The Community 🙏
Swimring.jpg

[Seasidelad]

Don’t think I have ever found an inflatable popped only inflatable that were still ok. I have bought inflatables off others who have popped them. I like the challenge of repairing and using them again.

[Nopops4me]

Maybe those that have finished at the beach and don't want to take their inflatable home rip, tear, puncture it in someway to avoid the possibility of a toddler/young child finding it and dragging it to the sea, then drifting out to sea and drowning.

[lilolover82]

This is the Care Bears air mattress I assume that was made in 1982 to 1985 for children and teens. I have been patching it from what appears to be deliberate leaks made. Don’t know the entire history of this mattress, but do know someone intended for it to never hold air again. It slowly leaks now as she fights to hold her air. When I first got her she wouldn’t hold air for more than five to ten minutes.

[lilolover82]

I made a collage of the patching process. Some of the patches are temporary. The one the looks more permanent is made from vinyl from another inflatable that was too far gone.

[PVC Vinyl Enthusiast]

As a non-popper, I really cannot understand how some get gratification from popping/puncturing inflatables. Each to their own, but surely it is a terrible waste to intentionally puncture an inflatable- even more so if it is rare. I can relate to the enjoyment of blowing up inflatables with your partner, by pump or by mouth, and then riding on the inflatable (you'll have even more fun if you ride with your partner!), but I really do not get the whole popping thing. I'd be mortified if I saw someone intentionally pop a rare inflatable.