Neck tear...

[Srrh]

Hello All,

I tore the neoprene neck seal on my DUI dry suit.
About an inch vertically, down from the top of the the neck.

I am diving over the next few weeks and can't be hasseled into sending it to DUI for the next 6 weeks.

Anyone with a possible temporary fix for this ?
If I leave it as such, it will just keep on tearing down...

At this point, I put an inch of duck tape...
But I could also cut it, (only an inch after all)...

any thoughts ?

thanks

 

[captndale]

I have tried duct tape as an immediate, temporary fix several times. It has never done much more than slow down the inflow of water. A latex or rubber patch may work and can be applied in just a few few minutes if you have the materials handy. The best fix, however is to remove the old neck seal and replace it. The whole job can be done in about 45 minutes. I replaced the neck seal on my DUI suit and a pair of wrist seals on my OS Systems suit one night last week while I was watching the evening news. There is no reason to return your suit to the manufacturer for such a simple repair. If you can't do it yourself, there should be a local shop in your area that can.

 

[Srrh]

The best fix, however is to remove the old neck seal and replace it.

Thank-you for the thourough answer.

But surely, your're kidding.

One inch from the top ?

I was expecting everyone jumping in writing `cut it, cut it '

Well, perhaps not.

I Stand corrected.

Thanks.

PS how do you do that ? as it is surely not in the DUI documentation....

 

[BKP]

Rubber patch with Aqua Seal, until you can replace it entirely...

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

Sew it with monofiliment (leave the tie off on the side that doesn't contact your neck)and then aquaseal both sides. After that send it back when the seal really needs replacing. This has worked well at least three times for me and my dive partners. Mark

 

[vioch]

Just glue the sides with neoprene glue and apply melco tape from inside for strengthening - I have done this with neoprene neck seal while narrowing it (the seam is strong as factory one)

 

[Gombessa]

Where are you going to be diving? I'd say bring a spare wetsuit in the event any patch fails.

Also, when people patch, does anyone "hole punch" or do something to prevent the tear from traveling, or is that just counter-productive?

 

[Tienuts]

Not sure where you're located, but if you're uncomfortable doing it yourself, send it to Steve Gamble of Gamble scuba in FL. He will turn it around right away for you. He did mine in 1 day for me. He does excellent work.

 

[Web Monkey]

The best fix, however is to remove the old neck seal and replace it.

Thank-you for the thourough answer.

But surely, your're kidding.

One inch from the top ?

I was expecting everyone jumping in writing `cut it, cut it '

That depends on how tight it was and the condition of the seal.

If it's in good shape, was tight to begin with, and only tore because you nicked the edge, you could easily trim off the inch all the way around, and be in great shape.

If the seal was going bad (gummy/checkered/whatever) or was already loose or had no more room to trim, then it looks like you're in for a replacement.

OTOH, it's certainly worth a try. If you trim it and it works, you're all set. If you trim it and it doesn't, you're no worse off than before and still need to replace it.

Terry