DUI, DRIS, StayDri (Ted McCoy), Superior Diving Repair are the available options stateside. Less familiar w options on west coast.
Can the DUI zipper be fixed without having to replace it?
- Thread starter Seville
- Start date
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Curious_George
Green water guy
First pic is normal but long since worn out. Second pic, zipper isn’t fully closed probably due to a bunch of the fuzz and delaminated rubber caught in the slider.
Where did you get the suit and how much did you pay? If it was stated as working condition, you were misled. It’s pretty easy to tell just by looking if the zipper is bad. Don’t buy one with fuzz unless you factor in the replacement cost.
On another note, the 50/50 is a great suit. The DUI suits of this era can last just about forever if taken care of. Very well made. I’ve replaced many of these zippers and found the suits to be quite durable. Just remember, the zippers are consumable and can only be opened and closed a limited number of times. Roughly 200-500 dives depending on what care you take.
Look at DRIS replacement cost on their website.
Where did you get the suit and how much did you pay? If it was stated as working condition, you were misled. It’s pretty easy to tell just by looking if the zipper is bad. Don’t buy one with fuzz unless you factor in the replacement cost.
On another note, the 50/50 is a great suit. The DUI suits of this era can last just about forever if taken care of. Very well made. I’ve replaced many of these zippers and found the suits to be quite durable. Just remember, the zippers are consumable and can only be opened and closed a limited number of times. Roughly 200-500 dives depending on what care you take.
Look at DRIS replacement cost on their website.
I got this suit from a friend of a friend for $400. The guy selling it is moving out of state. He said it has not been used it in about 10 years but he kept it in a cool dry place. Heck he even kept the seals in his fridge and they look great! The suit was made in 2005 and he got it retrofitted with the Gen 1 zip seals shortly after. I live in San Diego so DUI is close by.
I do not know much about the drysuits as it looked pretty good on the outside and everyone says DUI is the best. Its a tad big on me as it is an XL and I am 5'10 215lbs. But it came with the seals, 1 set of sealed gloves, and another set of thick sealed gloves (too bad they are way too big on me as I have small hands and the undergarments) The DUI shoes were trashed as the inside of them were cracking in between the fabric, I wish i could someway save them. I also dont want to buy bigger fins so maybe get a 2mm wetsuit sock to go over it?
The guy who sold it to me was really cool, he said he had never had a problem with it and if it leaked I could bring it back to him and he would give me my money back.
I have not had the chance to test it in water yet.
I showed it to my instructor who used to work at DUI. He said the 50/50 are great suits and were made out of better material than they are now. He looked at the zipper and said it probably would need to be replaced but they may be able to fix it with a soldering iron. He said the seals looked good but they should be replaced with the GEN 2 ones, he said the Gen 2 ones look like they fit but they leak when put on the gen 1 wrists. I am hoping I can get Gen 1 seals still if I need them.
He had me try on the dry suit and said it fit better than he expected because of the lower neopeiem legs were snug on me and the cuffs came about 1/2" past my wrist. He tied up the bungee in back and the only part which was a tad big was the chest area. (this was without any kind of shirt on underneath).
My instructor said that it would probably cost $500-$800 to get the zipper fixed, seals upgraded (although I am hoping i can skip that and stay with the older Gen 1 style that came with it. He also recommended getting cargo pockets glued on it.
My instructor said it was still a slamming deal because the clothe was in such great shape and was in amazing condition minus the zipper. He said once the zipper was replaced he wouldn't take less than $1500 for it. I saw the owners dive log and it had 27 dives on it. I asked my instructor wouldn't it be better to buy a new suit like they scuba pros they sell at the shop for $1100. He said those cheaper drysuits are junk and are not comparable to even the older DUI suits. My instructor uses the DUI Yukon suit and those look like they are about $1800 new.
I have a few options, I can pay the $100 inspection fee and $380 for a new zipper from DUI (but they are backlogged 6-8 weeks for repairs) or go to an aftermarket drysuit guy who works out of his house and save about $100 and get it done in a week, or return it with all the goodies I got and stick with my wetsuit. I did not expect to spend this much on an exposure suit. So I am trying to make the best of my situation, luckily I have options and great advice here!
I do not know much about the drysuits as it looked pretty good on the outside and everyone says DUI is the best. Its a tad big on me as it is an XL and I am 5'10 215lbs. But it came with the seals, 1 set of sealed gloves, and another set of thick sealed gloves (too bad they are way too big on me as I have small hands and the undergarments) The DUI shoes were trashed as the inside of them were cracking in between the fabric, I wish i could someway save them. I also dont want to buy bigger fins so maybe get a 2mm wetsuit sock to go over it?
The guy who sold it to me was really cool, he said he had never had a problem with it and if it leaked I could bring it back to him and he would give me my money back.
I have not had the chance to test it in water yet.
I showed it to my instructor who used to work at DUI. He said the 50/50 are great suits and were made out of better material than they are now. He looked at the zipper and said it probably would need to be replaced but they may be able to fix it with a soldering iron. He said the seals looked good but they should be replaced with the GEN 2 ones, he said the Gen 2 ones look like they fit but they leak when put on the gen 1 wrists. I am hoping I can get Gen 1 seals still if I need them.
He had me try on the dry suit and said it fit better than he expected because of the lower neopeiem legs were snug on me and the cuffs came about 1/2" past my wrist. He tied up the bungee in back and the only part which was a tad big was the chest area. (this was without any kind of shirt on underneath).
My instructor said that it would probably cost $500-$800 to get the zipper fixed, seals upgraded (although I am hoping i can skip that and stay with the older Gen 1 style that came with it. He also recommended getting cargo pockets glued on it.
My instructor said it was still a slamming deal because the clothe was in such great shape and was in amazing condition minus the zipper. He said once the zipper was replaced he wouldn't take less than $1500 for it. I saw the owners dive log and it had 27 dives on it. I asked my instructor wouldn't it be better to buy a new suit like they scuba pros they sell at the shop for $1100. He said those cheaper drysuits are junk and are not comparable to even the older DUI suits. My instructor uses the DUI Yukon suit and those look like they are about $1800 new.
I have a few options, I can pay the $100 inspection fee and $380 for a new zipper from DUI (but they are backlogged 6-8 weeks for repairs) or go to an aftermarket drysuit guy who works out of his house and save about $100 and get it done in a week, or return it with all the goodies I got and stick with my wetsuit. I did not expect to spend this much on an exposure suit. So I am trying to make the best of my situation, luckily I have options and great advice here!
Curious_George
Green water guy
Leave the seals as is. Follow the advice from earlier about DRIS. Drysuit Repairs
I was a little confused by the website. Is it cheaper to send it there for the zipper replacement or dropping it off at DUI?
Andrew Dawson
Contributor
Who is the "guy who used to work at DUI", please? I will need some work done but need to know if they have the necessary parts 
Get your $400 back, add that to the money not spent replacing the zipper and leak chasing, buy a Seaskin
San Diego Climber
Contributor
The "aftermarket drysuit guy" (presumably Jose) just replaced one for me for $375. Turnaround exactly 2 weeks. Haven't dived it yet but looks like great work.
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