Wetsuit repair (10)

Triathlon Forum
1

A friends wetsuit is coming apart at the seams, that is all I know. Is a reair kit/glue available?

2

I’ve used wetsuit repair cement (available from dive shops)for small tears. Works well for those. Not sure how well it would work on the seam or a large tear. Can your friend send it back to the manufacturer for repair or replacement?

3

A friends wetsuit is coming apart at the seams, that is all I know. Is a reair kit/glue available?
You can get the glue from a dive shop. For larger tears, you might need to stitch it and glue it. I’ve had good luck using nylon thread. I pull the thread just enough to make it taut but not enough to compress the rubber.

4

Thanks to all
.

5

  1. Check to see if the suit is still under warranty. Most of the manufacturers have a several year warranty on seam failure. I know at Nineteen we have a 5 year Warranty on this sort of thing.

  2. Check with the retailer where the suit was purchased. They should be able to get the ball rolling if it is a warranty repair and even if it is not, they should give you some help and direction!

  3. If no luck with the retailer, contact the manufacturer directly and see what they have to say.

  4. If it’s past warranty and you are on your own, find a dive/surf shop in your area that does wetsuit repair. Make sure you ask if they have experience working on triathlon wetsuits( it is a bit of a speciality).

Hope this helps.

6

This stuff works well for me:

http://www.wavejammer.com/wetsuits/bng/bng_aquaseal.shtml

http://www.wavejammer.com/wetsuits/bng/aquaseal.jpg
.

7

Or you could support a fellow ST’er:
http://www.ebodyboarding.com/acess/Repair-Cleaning/Aquaseal-Repair-Adhesive-and-Sealant
.

8

My thumb put a nice little hole in my wetsuit leg. I need to repair it. If I stitch it, will any thread work? Should I use light or heavy stuff?

9

My thumb put a nice little hole in my wetsuit leg.

Is it cut right through or is it a classic fingernail cut just cutting into the smooth-skin? If it is the latter the repair is fairly straight forward. You can find more information on this on the Nineteen website.

http://www.nineteenwetsuits.com/user_wetsuitrepair.html

If it’s cut right through, you will need to seek out some more professional help. Take it to a dive/surf shop, preferably one that has worked on triathlon wetsuits before and they should be able to help you. Chweck with the shop you bought the suit from. If it’s one of the bigger Trishops or a place that does a lot of wetsuit sales, they may have a place to refer you to.

Hope this helps.

10

It went straight through, so glue is not going to help this one. Thanks for the advice. I will check into it.

11

Check with your local dive shop and/or online to find a backing material. I have used a material that is applied with a low heat iron (read the word LOW heat) and it is the same type of material you see in alot of the wetsuits at the seams. The backing material is applied after you glue the seams with the adhesive (I use the aquaseal and have had great results) and helps provide additional strength at the repair.

Tri Geeks Multisport
www.trigeeks.ca

12

I had great success with QR’s repair kit on my Superfull. The suit tore at a seam in the forearm. Used the glue and an iron on “patch” on the inside, no problems since…and it was pretty simple to use and is almost invisible.