Patch wetsuit?

[orca]

Hi,

The back my my wetsuit 'splited' (created a small hole) recently, is there anyway I can patch it bacK in an inexpensive way?

Thanks!

 

[ScottyK]

Orca- Yes you can fix it. I just repaired a hole in my 7mil one piece, which I'm going to use until it falls off of me

You need to get some wetsuit cement, and some strips of patch cloth. I paid less than $10 for the cement, and my LDS guy gave me enough cloth to do the repair at no charge.

I have about 35 dives logged since the repair and it's still holding strong. Hope this helps you out some........Scott

 

[orca]

Hi Scott...

Thanks for the pointer.

Yes, I've heard that I can patch the wetsuit back, but my LDS suggest that I replace my wetsuit. But I'm unwilling coz I just sew pockets to the wetsuit not too long ago, and the wetsuit is still serving it's purpose fine except the torn part

Can you tell me what kind of wetsuit cement you use? Any specific brands or something?

Would really appreciate it

 

[ScottyK]

Yeah, I bet they want you to buy a whole new suit First off, I'd take that as a sign that you might want to shop around for a new LDS.

I'll post the full product name when I get home from work tonight. Maybe in the meantime someone else will be able to remember what it's called.

If you can't find it locally, I'm sure that you can mail order it through Liesure Pro etc...

Scott

 

[ScottyK]

Orca, It's called "Seament" and it's made by Trident. Hope this helps you out....Scott

 

[orca]

Thanks scott...

Will go out research more

 

[pggeek]

The shop I rent from all the suits have tears and have been cemented. They work fine. Why the heck would you replace the suite, it's not like it is trying to hold water out and will leak again. Find a new shop.

 

[jeh]

Hi,

I found a few threads on wetsuit repair, but I was wondering if the neoprene cement would work on damage to the surface of a wetsuit. I don't have a split seam or straight-line cuts. Instead, I managed to get a few nicks, scratches and almost a hole. It didn't go all the way through, but I'm afraid it'll rip one day when I'm pulling the leg on. (I'm new at this and I'm still working on buoyancy, body positioning, diving in general.)

Thanks

 

[drbill]

I'm well known at Casino Point for my wetsuit which has a huge patch on the butt and smaller ones elsewhere (not to mention the unpatched holes which outnumber the good areas still on the suit).

I found Trident's product didn't work well on the patches I applied. A product that worked much better, at least in my personal experience, was Aquaseal. Of course it will only keep the suit functional for the rest of this season. Looks like it gets retired after a mere 14 years of hard service. Been like a torn old work shirt I hate to give up. Good thing I've got three new suits waiting in line.

Dr. Bill

 

[yknot]

Do a search for repairs and pay attention to anything Bob3 posted. Basically, the best repairs are done with plain black wet suit cement. Aquaseal is made by McNett which also makes wet suit cement. Big diff. is Aquaseal doesn't have an abundance of the chemical thinner (Cotol, I think) that wet suit cement has and in either case you need to make sure that the cement has setup properly before finishing the repair. It gets used like rubber cement- you apply a thin coat or even two to both the wet suit and the patch material (either another thin piece of neoprene or patch tape), wait until they are tack free (could be two hours or more, depending on how much solvent is in the stuff) and then press together. A patch may sound flimsy but properly done is stronger than the surrounding areas. BTW, in the US, plain wet suit cement is Hazmat and isn't the easiest item for a DIY diver to get. If you have a good relationship with your LDS they may sell you a baby food jar full.