This is another one of my dumb, hard-to-answer questions, but if I have a 1" hole in the back of my wetsuit near the low back, is it potentially creating a lot of drag? I don’t know how I would define “a lot of drag”, but maybe more than a pull buoy?
Or maybe to ask the question a different way: if you had a 1" hole in your wetsuit, would you get it fixed? Can it be fixed?
Hey Travis:
It could potentially slow you down a bit if a lot of water gets in there and you’re dragging it around.
Then there is the possibility of the rip getting bigger over time as you pull suit on and off, which I think could be more of a problem.
I spent a lot of time working in the tri wettie business, so happy to help you figure out your repair options if
you email me a photo. concierge@slowtwitch.com
Karen Sing
Slowtwitch Concierge
Chief Party Officer
Queen of Neoprene
@KNeoQueen
I would try get it fixed. Not enough information to determine how difficult a fix will be. Picture?
Not sure about a lot of drag but it will definetly be colder with a hole in the lower back. Is it right below the zipper? You can try glueing it back together with Mcnett Seal cement, follow the directions on the tin or tube. If that is not strong enough you need to glue and hand stitch it with dental floss. Good luck.
if you had a 1" hole in your wetsuit, would you get it fixed?
If it were me and the hole was in the back of my suit, I’d probably get some waterproof tape (high quality electrical or duct tape) and cover the hole. But, I’m a poor, semi-rednecked cheapskate with no desire to get a new suit or have it officially repaired. The major goal is to stop the flow of water into the tear.
What is a “Slowtwitch Concierge”?
There are iron on patch kits typically used for surf/scuba suits - 10$
.
Iron on repair can only be applied to the inside of the suit, the patch needs a cloth surface to adhere to.
Thank you, Karen and everyone for the help - I will try to snap a picture or two tonight.
I’m a poor, semi-rednecked cheapskate with no desire to get a new suit or have it officially repaired. The major goal is to stop the flow of water into the tear.
You and I are gonna get along just fine. lol!
Dropping a few breadcrumbs now…
Ahh, all will be revealed soon enough…
At hotels and large business, Concierge service can help you navigate your way around a new city, get you dinner reservations, organize just about anything.
Triathlon has a lot of details to manage, whether it involves travel or your training and racing equipment, events, new products you MUST have, nutrition, training venues, and the list goes on…
More information and launch date coming to a forum near you.
KS
ST Concierge
Chief Party Officer
Queen of Neoprene
@KNeoQueen
Well, in that case, then these tear-Aid plastic patches are pretty good for the budget-minded in all of us.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Tear-Aid-Patch-Kits/745031.uts
Suit has to be clean and dry (no greasy gunk inside or out.)
Use the type A (in the yellowish colored box), one patch inside and one patch out.
But get it right the first time because these things really stick.
Plus you get to shop at Cabela’s which from what I understand appeals to the semi redneck in all of us.
KS
STC
CPO
QON
Where in the “low back” area?
Like a certain area that used to be a favorite area for tattoos?
I’m assuming that the hole is all the way through the neoprene and the liner. Is it a hole like a chunk of neoprene is missing? Or is it like a knife slit? Near a seam?
I’d be careful with those iron on or stick on patches in areas that require some flex in the suit. They don’t tend to stretch very well.
If ST Concierge says it will work, I’d take her word for it. Karen knows her way around a wetsuit for sure!
jake
Hell yeah, we got concierge level access
more power to ST
.
Well, last night didn’t go quite as planned (refrigerator decided it no longer wants to live), so I didn’t get the pictures yet. I did take a closer look at it, and the hole is more like an inch-and-a-half or two inch tear, basically at the seam on the butt of the suit (which is a BlueSeventy Fusion). It is just below the zipper, in the “certain area that used to be a favorite area for tattoos”. No neoprene is missing, and if the suit is not on me, you can barely tell it is there. But stretch it a little bit, and it gets pretty big, which was apparent when I had 4 or 5 people at my last two races point it out to me.
I’m thinking this might be a bit more involved repair than the do-it-myself patch kit.
Thanks again, everybody!
if you had a 1" hole in your wetsuit, would you get it fixed?
If it were me and the hole was in the back of my suit, I’d probably get some waterproof tape (high quality electrical or duct tape) and cover the hole. But, I’m a poor, semi-rednecked cheapskate with no desire to get a new suit or have it officially repaired. The major goal is to stop the flow of water into the tear.
Duct Tape on an old wetsuit only makes it go faster. I have a small rip on one leg on my 16 year old sleeveless Aquaman. I should add a small piece over it of contrasting color tape just for effect. Nothing like swimming a sub 30 in a 70.3 in a 1990’s sleeveless relic, when everyone else has a fancy sleeved 5 different thicknesses with grooves and textures… blah, blah blah. Then hop on my Trek SC 7.5 with mismatched Zipps and kick some butt on that too. Yes, I do have a small chip on my shoulder due to a limited budget. I use it as motivation.
I thought I read that regular silicone glue works too, but I need the check. If you use the wrong stuff, the solvent in the glue will dissolve the neoprene.
my 15-yr-old wetsuit tore open in just that spot, noticed it because it got cold… certainly has the potential to slow you down considerable.
that’s a high stress area so did not attempt to patch it, not sure that anything will hold there for long. I was going to try a neoprene patch like this,
https://www.mcnett.com/m-essentials/iron-mend#16110
If its built-in adhesive doesn’t hold, then would use Aquaseal or neoprene cement to glue it down, hand-stitch around the edges, and goop on more Aquaseal or neoprene cement around the stitching and the edges. I have repaired waders this way, but the waders usually don’t have the stresses involved in a tightfitting wetsuit…
I think that is a pretty high stress area, which is one of the reasons that it tore. I have had great luck with wetsuit repair cement but I have not had a tear through the fabric. You probably need to reinforce the inside somehow.
I lost a chunk of neoprene (and some skin) when I learned the hard way that timing mats get slick in the rain. I ended up filing in the area with Shoe Goo and it really seems to stick like a bastard. It is not as flexible, though.
Probably a good idea to check out a professional repair. All things considered, I’d say that the $ value of your wetsuit with that tear isn’t much at this point so if you botch the repair, you aren’t out much.
OK, I finally got some pictures - they are in my profile. Note to self: If your family sees you wearing a wetsuit in the house while trying to take selfies of your butt area, they might question your mental health.
With that said, the hole is pretty big when I have the wetsuit on. I’m wondering if this is too big to be repaired?
Thanks again for the help, everyone!
you have a pm.
jake