Damaged Wetsuit?

[BWDubbs]

I slipped getting out of the pool and scrapped/scratched a couple small sections (< 1 inch but there's a couple spots) of my 2.5mm shorty wetsuit. I noticed the scrape when I was rinsing my gear off and noticed the regions that looked funny then. After it was put to dry I inspected the spot further. It was not easy for me to spot now, but I could notice that the very top layer of nylon? I guess which is stitched in squares has just a very few missing connections between squares. I'm guessing the water pooled in these minutely larger spots and that is why it was so easy to notice while rinsing it face down. I can't see any kind of deep damage and if anything I feel a very slight variation in the fabric's texture or a divot/tiny bump. I'm hoping to be able to see it clearer once it's fully dry. Have I damaged the suit--is this going to become worse over time? How would I know if I damaged the suit bad enough that I should try gluing a patch or something? My best guess is it's purely cosmetic damage if anything, but I'm new enough to not know the difference. Advise appreciated, thanks!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

If it's a place that stretches then yes, over time it will get worse. You can try aquasealing it on the spots where it it has separated. Or end up cutting chunks out of an old suit to glue in the holes that you just looked over and said ahh, not so bad, They'll be ok. One of my suits looks like it took a couple rounds in the back. I just glued material in the holes. Next time check length on bolts for the doubles through the plate was what I learned from that.

 

[nimoh]

from your description, it doesn't sound like there is much damage, or anything to indicate it will get worse. However, if you are concerned about it, you might want to just put a bean of aquaseal over the abrasions, this should stop a slight tear from getting enlarged with repeated stretching

 

[BWDubbs]

I'll keep an eye on it. It's basically to the left of the crotch but away from the seams. I don't actually see separations in the stitching like you would a hole in a t-shirt. I did some searching and saw some people with big tears in the nylon that obviously have to be fixed, so I think that's my measuring stick to go by. The damage doesn't appear to be anything indicating that. If it's still obvious after it dries I'll see if I can take a picture of it with a reasonable camera. I guess imagine you slipped off a somewhat rough rock (edge of pool). Maybe it's best described as an abrasion to the material. I suppose at some point I'll order some of that aquaseal just so I have it in case it does decide to get worse as I'd need to use the tiniest amount to fix this if it is in need of it. Thanks.

---------- Post Merged at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:21 PM ----------

Took another look at it. I can hardly tell the difference between it and the rest of the suit under a magnifying glass. It's got all the stitching there and there's maybe slightly more of those imperfections that you see on the entire rest of the suit so I'm thinking it's okay and I was just being alarmist. (I dropped my mask today too from 4-5 feet and managed to not break it--checked seal and scratches...everything was A-OK...how? No idea.) Let's just call me lucky?

 

[Paladin]

Patch it with Iron Mend. That is some tough stuf and it's easy to use to patch a suit.

McNett Aquaseal 10" X 6" Iron On Fabric for Knee Pads

I used some of it to repair a hole in one of my 3mm suits three years ago and it's still there, good as the day I put it on. I used two big patches to make knee pads on another suit and they've held strong for two years.

 

[BWDubbs]

Thanks. I can't spot the damage though (suit is basically completely dry) now so...I don't know if there's anything wrong at all now. As I said I'll keep this in mind if I see an actual problem developing. At the moment I simply can't even tell the difference between what I thought was damage and the rest of the suit. (And I'm crazy enough to pull out a magnifying glass and spot check the entire leg!) My best guess is just that area lost more of the fuzzy things fabric like fleece has; the construction of the fabric is fine but some of the little hairs that stick off the fabric maybe were pressed inward/pulled. (If you're familiar with fleece fabric, it's how you tell the 'right side of the fabric'--it has little fuzzies orthogonal to the flat part of the fabric. Areas that make friction or are pressed down hard repeatedly may have those hairs pressed into the grain of the fabric or a few fall off. It's just normal wear--and unless you just start ripping them out with force it's not going to damage anything.) It's very good to know what to do before it turns into a much bigger problem, and I just stand here and shrug my shoulders wondering what to do! Thanks, I appreciate all of this advice a lot!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Do not put aquaseal on the crotch, on any other high stretch areas or over an area that is more than a square inch or so. If you do, the suit will most likely begin to tear on the periphery of the aquaseal repair.