Wetsuit Repair

[AdrienGrelon]

Hi guys,

Need to get my 6/5/4 Quicksilver Cypher repaired before the winter months. The chest zip zipper jammed/broke 3 years ago. Any Rob Mulder equivalent for wetsuits? Ideally I would get the zipping mechanism modified/reversed, not just fixed, so as to avoid it jamming/braking in the same fashion in future.

Cheers.

[Alton]

I was once referred to Brooks in North Vancouver to repair my O'Neill wetsuit. However, it didn't use Brooks because Windance replaced it under warranty.

See http://www.brooksdivegear.com/contactus.html

[C36]

AG:

You might want to try

Mustang Survival (Burnaby)
http://www.mustangsurvival.com/contact-us?country=23

Oceanfront (Burnaby)
http://www.oceaner.com/

ProMotion (Hood River)
http://site.wetsuit.com/New_Repairs.html

[Mike]

I've used Oceaner (Dave's link above). Good quality repair for me. The thing was it was a warrenty repair for another brand and the felllow there had to give me the lecture about doing repairs to support other brands (though, if I recall correctly, he said Oceaner doesn't make windsurf suits...). He said for me as an individual he'd do it but he made it clear he didn't like doing this for other brands that don't set up this sort of support.

[AdrienGrelon]

Thanks guys. I'll make some calls to the various places when I'm back in September and go from there.

The suit/zip originally broke because in the open/unzipped position, the zipper takes all the stress of wriggling in and out of the suit.. Most good suits use a reverse zipping mechanism, so that when you are getting and out there is no stress on the zip. This is how I would like to get it modified, even if it's more expensive, as I know like this it won't jam on me again in future.

Mike, I've had no luck contacting Quicksilver in the past, and I bought the suit in 2011... If I did use Oceaner I'd be paying the guy for his services, so no issues there.

[Alton]

Adrien - be sure to get a second quote from some place else. My only experience with Oceaner was not good. Oceaner is a O'Neill dealer for Canada and would not cover my O'Neill wetsuit under warranty. I sent it back to Windance and O'Neill USA gave me a free replacement.

[Mike]

I got the lecture even though he was getting paid for his services (I was getting re-imbursed from the dealer who was getting $ from the manufacturer I assume). The dealer wanted verification I was actually getting the repair done so maybe this was the sore point. I guess I just got the fall out for something the fellow was sensitive about. Again, for me it was a good quality repair.

[AdrienGrelon]

Hmm, duly noted. I'm definitely not one to promote business to someone who doesn't offer minimum decency in the way of customer service. Cheers.

[Alton]

I dropped off my 5.5/4 O'Neill Pyrotech at Oceaner today - 3 weeks before the 1 year warranty ends. The chest panel needs re-gluing and holes/tears around the neck need repair. Oceaner who manufactures diving suits in Burnaby says O'Neill wetsuits (and most other vendors) are designed with too many panels and complex requirements for China manufacturers to build with quality workmanship. Also, for top entry wetsuits you should roll the top half inside out before entering the wetsuit - instead of entering directly through the neck. To take off the wetsuit do the reverse which probably requires help.

I estimate I've had about 150 sessions in this wetsuit since Nov 2013 most of which were under intense UV sunlight at Squamish.

[Alton]

Got my wetsuit back from Oceaner yesterday - free repair covered under 1 yr warranty. Re-glued chest and back panels. Fixed chafing in neck. Repaired hole in top entry area. Mended a few cuts here and there.

Here are a few things I learned from the VP of Oceaner (Larry):

1. Oceaner performs warranty work for O'Neill, Ripcurl, Patagonia and sometimes Xcel.

2. For wetsuit manufacturers, warranty is an after thought. You'll have to deal with the manufacturer first before they send you to Oceaner for repair. The exception is O'Neill who has a very professional warranty programme. You can take your O'Neill wetsuit directly to Oceaner (within the 1 yr warranty) and they will take care of you.

3. Neoprene is a closed cell foam where the bubbles of gas within the foam reduce heat loss. With wear and tear (for example, where you sit or bend) the cell walls break down and the neoprene becomes thinner resulting in more heat loss.

4. Wetsuit technology is improving every year. Since the manufacturing is getting more complex, the durability is may be compromised.