I need a little help here. I ripped the lower leg on my wetsuit and need to race on Sunday. The rip is a smiley face about 4 inches across the calf area and then another 3 inches down the seam. Can I duct tape this to last about an hour or should I just cut it off?
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Re: Duct tape a wetsuit? [davidd]
[ In reply to ]
Hey David,
I'm a surfer in Santa Barbara. Wet suit injuries are tough to repair. Duct tape will probably not hold and isn't flexible. There is a goo that is made for repairing wet suits. I'm not sure where you live, but surf shops sometimes have it. You can also stitch it up with nylon for the time being. Any and all of these remedies will surely fail in the long run, but might do the trick for one race. We usually have to cut the arms or legs off our suits when something like that happens. Repair shops are reluctant to stitch suits, too, and unless it's a mfg problem, you can't just send it back.
Good luck.
I'm a surfer in Santa Barbara. Wet suit injuries are tough to repair. Duct tape will probably not hold and isn't flexible. There is a goo that is made for repairing wet suits. I'm not sure where you live, but surf shops sometimes have it. You can also stitch it up with nylon for the time being. Any and all of these remedies will surely fail in the long run, but might do the trick for one race. We usually have to cut the arms or legs off our suits when something like that happens. Repair shops are reluctant to stitch suits, too, and unless it's a mfg problem, you can't just send it back.
Good luck.
Re: Duct tape a wetsuit? [davidd]
[ In reply to ]
Another place you can check for wetsuit glue is a dive shop. Depending on the size of the tear it may do the trick and only costs about $10-$20.
As Dan mentioned on this site somewhere, QR also markets a wetsuit repair kit that comes with wetsuit cement, seam tape and shampoo. $25
Nytro carries it here's a link...
http://www.nytro.com/s-a-ironman.html
depending on where you live you may be able to find it at a local tri shop.
Good luck.
As Dan mentioned on this site somewhere, QR also markets a wetsuit repair kit that comes with wetsuit cement, seam tape and shampoo. $25
Nytro carries it here's a link...
http://www.nytro.com/s-a-ironman.html
depending on where you live you may be able to find it at a local tri shop.
Good luck.
Re: Duct tape a wetsuit? [davidd]
[ In reply to ]
I attended a swimming workshop at Ironman New Zealand two years ago where the owner of Ironman Wetsuits spoke about wettie maintenance etc etc...he said that the glue you most likely use to stick patches on your tire tubes is sufficient for most tears on a wettie...
I have also had success with wettie glue bought from dive shops...
I have also had success with wettie glue bought from dive shops...
I surf too and have been fixing wetties for years. Don't bother with the wetsuit specific repair glue. Go to a shoe shop and get a tube of neprene glue for about a quarter of the price. It'll do the trick. Also remember that any glue you get on the inside of the wettie will rub against your skin - so go easy.
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"Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired and inmost parts of us, and is the image of the parents of it, the mind. No glass so mirrors a man's form or likeness so true as his speech." - Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries made upon Men and Matter.