Sealing Wetsuit Seams

tcevans · Joined: 16 Jul 2002 Posts: 78

After a chilly session Friday in the Bay, I noticed that the seams in my Ripcurl 5/4/3 are coming unglued at some places on the inside. The stitching is all intact, but I could feel cold spots as the water seeped in.

I want to seal it up before I go to PSC in 2 weeks. Any advice on what to use to make the seams waterproof again and maintain the flexibility?

Thanks,
Tom

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Ripcurl has long been known for its lifetime construction warranty and service. One bud sent his ancient neoprene hulk back to them years ago and got a thorough overhaul ... free.

That's where I'd start.

If they don't do that any more, Google and get some seam seal and neoprene cement and get busy. Both can be quite effective for at least a season.

Mike \m/

chibichibi · Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Posts: 275

i tried an Aquaseal job on a farely deep wetsuit gouge in the knee area. it barely worked. maybe i needed the cement you're talking about. Also tried that stuff on a Thermarest leak, also did not work.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

I've deliberately butt-glued two pieces of neoprene together with neoprene cement, then tried to pull them apart to test the joint. It tore somewhere else, and the seam was barely noticeable. It's a black contact cement that slightly dissolves the neoprene so it welds when joined.

Mike \m/

crashman · Joined: 15 Jul 2002 Posts: 83

Aquaseal is too stiff-yes it glues the tear together, but on the first stretch, in my experience, theres a new tear next to the old one. And then the chilly Pacific comes in causing major shrinkage... I got this stuff from Promotion made specifically for wetsuits and it works great!

gerritt · Joined: 06 May 1998 Posts: 632 Location: Redwood City, CA

tcevans · Joined: 16 Jul 2002 Posts: 78

2bluehawaiins · Joined: 07 Mar 2002 Posts: 194

buy a new suit!

vmaher2045 · Joined: 15 May 2006 Posts: 54

I'm trying this new stuff I found at Lowes. It's called Locktite Stick and Seal. It's drys clear and stretchy. I put some on the place I want to repair and then put clear packing tape over the repair. Remove the tape after about eight hours and get a nice smooth finish. I'm about week into the early repairs and they seem ecellent.

The best part about Stick and Seal is it can be built up to replace missing pieces of rubber.

My experience with Aquseal is the same as others. Its difficult to work with, drys hard and then turns yellow. Wetsuit glue is messy and for me it doesn't seem glue all that well all the time even if I do prep work. Forget about trying to build up anything with it. You have to do patches.

Hope this helps. I'm interested to know if you get good results like mine.

Vasco.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935