Who Hates Their Seaskin Nova? (+ post pics)

[OTF]

Folks I tried. I really tried. But i just couldn't read the entire 215+ page Seaskin Nova thread with its many tangents. I'm about to pull the trigger on one. Seems that most of scubaboard loves them, and the pricing is almost too good to be true. Thus, a new thread in the tradition of "Who hates their White Fusion Dry Suit?" and "not a shearwater fan ?".

Is there anything people DON'T like about these suits? Frequent issues? Specifically is there anything significant you sacrifice with the Nova compared to other custom-tailored suits that cost 2X + as much? Fit? Materials? Features? Reduced flexibility and range of motion (my biggest concern) due to a more basic pattern? I know the company isn't very responsive but that's fine by me; seems they run a small team to keep to keep overhead costs down.

Also PICTURES! Seaskin is not great about showing what a suit will look like so I would love to see pictures of your suits + what color combo you specified. And how well they fit.

It's hard to get objective drysuit reviews because unlike say regulators, few people own multiple custom drysuits at the same time for comparison. So I'm especially curious to hear from anyone who has dived a seaskin and other comparable modern suits.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

They have quite a few customer provided pictures on their website.

 

[dogbone]

Not the best pic, I went with black and yellow

 

[azstinger11]

I have two seaskins (trilam and neoprene) and a DUI (trilam). The DUI wasn't a custom cut however, it was purchased as never dove floor demo model from their garage sale. That being said, I believe its a superior suit in terms of construction. Just little niceties and what to an uneducated consumer eye just looks like higher craftsmanship. That isn't to say the seaskins are bad, they dive just fine and keep me dry. From a value proposition they are far far superior, from a money is no object view go DUI or Santi or some of the other brands. I think money no object i'd maybe go for SF Tech suit but in the mean time i'm happy with these seaskin suits.

 

[Brett Hatch]

I love my Seaskin trilam, I see no reason to replace or upgrade it until it completely breaks, and if that happened today I would likely get another one (although I would consider their neoprene one, given its positive reviews and cheaper price).

I don't have any good photos of it, I'll need to take one the next time I get out there. But, since you asked, I do have this terrible photo of it sitting on a homemade drying rack in the shed at my old apartment. Sorry for the upside-down-iness and the general mess, this photo I sent to a buddy who was building a similar drying rack. Hope this helps.

A few options can be seen in the photo:
- Full yellow (not yellow + black like dogbone's)
- Crushed neoprene socks
- Telescoping torso (this is a must-have! seriously!)
- Plastic YKK chest sealing zipper, with the additional zippered protective flap on top
- Light Monkey Tinkle pee valve
- KUBI dryglove rings built in, with silicone backup seals
- Quick Neck seal system with silicone Siflex seal
- Apeks low-profile shoulder dump valve in the DIR location
- Kevlar kneepads (no logos)
- Zippered pockets
- Trilobite pocket on left forearm

 

[Cheizz]

other comparable modern suits.

Here are two brands that offer made-to-measure drysuits (with options) for about half the price of a Santi suit...
Artic: Drysuits Archives
Procean: Procean drysuits

I have an Artic 450 EX coming with neoprene boots (not socks), SI Tech silicon neck and wrist seals for €1500. In terms of the paneling of the material, this Artic seems to be exactly the same as DUI CLX 450 Classic. Artic enforces the seams not with this heated-on tape (that can come off after a while), but with the liquid rubbery stuff.
Taking everything into account (features and options), construction (as far as I can judge it) and price - the Artic seemed the best option for me. Important though: I was measured up in a shop together with the Artic representative. Some brands have you do it yourself and send the measurements in online - people make mistakes. So be careful with that. Measure twice, file once.

 

[happy-diver]

Yeah I am about to invest a few grand to wear a sack, for ten or twenty years, what's to research

I quite enjoy looking into rebreathers which is usually two sacks and reading hundreds of pages

 

[happy-diver]

Is this you Brett Hatch

 

[Wibble]

Yer gets what yer pays for.

Seaskin are great value for money but they’re not high-end quality.

 

[lexvil]

I only have 3 of them, they are as well made as anything out there at a fraction of the cost. The only suit I would want if they were still being made, is a Pinnacle black ice and only because that was the warmest suit I ever used and it was a front zip.

Keeping you dry is the end of the game, they will all develop leaks, they are all repairable.

my first Nova has had over 8 years of use, my ultra is over 6 years old and my brand new Nova (which came to my door for less than $1000) is just getting started, so far I’ve spent less than 1 custom DUI on all 3.