latex wrist seals - temp fix?

[rhwestfall]

I punched a hole in my latex wrist seal this weekend right near the point it attaches to the suit . Yes, they are quite old (2002), and served me well.... but I wasn't ready to change them yet. As we are in "prime time" up here, I'm not liking a missed 2-3 (or more) weeks if my suit is going back to DUI (it would be to have zip seals installed going forward so I can do changes on the fly - they didn't exist back in '02).

Anyhow, anyone have any success stories of using "TearAid"? The one type is a elastic material..... thinking I might get a little time with it....

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

You got 13 years out of a pair of seals? That has got to be some kinda record! Can you post a pic or two of the tear?

 

[TSandM]

If the tear is near the suit itself, and not where the seal has to stretch to go over your hand, you may be able to temporize it with grey duct tape (don't try Gorilla tape, it doesn't work). I "temporized" my wrist seals on my first suit for about six months, when they started cracking and leaking where they went over my dry glove rings.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

13 years is insane. I know people who can't get a drysuit to last that long, not to mention seals!

Are there any local shops that sell seals? It's not awfully hard to do the repair work yourself. Otherwise, try some duct tape...I've always wanted to try gluing something like a tire patch to one to see if that would work, too, but I keep some wrist seals around. Last serious seal tear was a neck seal, and a trip to the dive shop for some cement glue got it up and running in time for the next day's dive.