Scott Garriott
New
Hello all,
I recently got a brand-new drysuit (though it's an old model - I suspect it's been in storage for years). It's a 5mm neoprene suit and has conical latex wrist seals. It also has thinner neoprene cuffs that roll/fold down over the seals - nice feature. However the resistance of the suit and from the cuffs made installing the rings from my new Kubi dry-glove system very difficult. I managed and have used the dry-glove system on every one of my 30-some dives since owning the suit for just over a year. I've been getting a wet hand and forearm recently, so I paid closer attention on my last dive (where water REALLY came in quickly) and to my surprise, it was not a hole in the glove. There were at least 2 tiny holes in the wrist seal and on closer inspection - hundreds of tiny micro-cracks all around the seal where it stretched over the aluminium ring in the suit - and on both arms. I expected a much longer than a one year lifespan for these seals.
I ALWAYS rinse extremely well with fresh water - especially because of the cuffs, then hang the suit upside-down (cuffs rolled back so seals are exposed) in a dark but well ventilated closet for this purpose - and away from my other gear. The suit dries quite quickly. There are no heaters, computers or refrigerators anywhere nearby - so no gas-deterioration suspected.
So the question is - could it be seal age (suit was new, but an old model)?
Friction from the neoprene cuff rubbing the stretched seal? (I did not install the protecting ring with Kubi logo over this exact area because I have the narrow neoprene cuffs and didn't have much room - also the cuffs protect the ring already).
Is it simply a fact of life with a latex seal stretched over an inner ring? 1 year - really? The ring is the mid-size 80mm diameter from Kubi. They have 100mm and 110mm rings!
I wrote to Kubi - they just want to sell me a fitted system.
I also wrote to the drysuit seller - not much response so far - ideas?
Thanks!
I recently got a brand-new drysuit (though it's an old model - I suspect it's been in storage for years). It's a 5mm neoprene suit and has conical latex wrist seals. It also has thinner neoprene cuffs that roll/fold down over the seals - nice feature. However the resistance of the suit and from the cuffs made installing the rings from my new Kubi dry-glove system very difficult. I managed and have used the dry-glove system on every one of my 30-some dives since owning the suit for just over a year. I've been getting a wet hand and forearm recently, so I paid closer attention on my last dive (where water REALLY came in quickly) and to my surprise, it was not a hole in the glove. There were at least 2 tiny holes in the wrist seal and on closer inspection - hundreds of tiny micro-cracks all around the seal where it stretched over the aluminium ring in the suit - and on both arms. I expected a much longer than a one year lifespan for these seals.
I ALWAYS rinse extremely well with fresh water - especially because of the cuffs, then hang the suit upside-down (cuffs rolled back so seals are exposed) in a dark but well ventilated closet for this purpose - and away from my other gear. The suit dries quite quickly. There are no heaters, computers or refrigerators anywhere nearby - so no gas-deterioration suspected.
So the question is - could it be seal age (suit was new, but an old model)?
Friction from the neoprene cuff rubbing the stretched seal? (I did not install the protecting ring with Kubi logo over this exact area because I have the narrow neoprene cuffs and didn't have much room - also the cuffs protect the ring already).
Is it simply a fact of life with a latex seal stretched over an inner ring? 1 year - really? The ring is the mid-size 80mm diameter from Kubi. They have 100mm and 110mm rings!
I wrote to Kubi - they just want to sell me a fitted system.
I also wrote to the drysuit seller - not much response so far - ideas?
Thanks!
