DIY Wetsuit Repair

[Alton]

To repair a 1 inch tear in my new 5/4 Bueller wetsuit, I got advice and supplies from Rowands Reef Scuba Shop (W 4th Ave and Burrard).

Step 1: Iron (low heat) on a patch of Tenacious Tape Neoprene over the inside of the tear

tenacious_tape_iron_on_neoprene.jpg (2.53 MiB) Viewed 6807 times

Step 2: Apply a mixture of Aquaseal FD (3 parts) with accelerator (1 part) over the outside of the tear ... allow 2 hrs to cure

aquaseal_fd_with_accelerator.jpg (2.3 MiB) Viewed 6807 times

Here are some videos:

[Michael]

Thanks Alton, that tape looks great! I've been patching a bunch of holes the last few days using this. It works well on smaller ones but that tape is what I need for some of the bigger ones! I'll find out how things worked tomorrow I hope!

[Alton]

Michael - Aquaseal NEO is for quick temporary repairs with cures in 20 minutes. Aquaseal FD requires 8-12 hrs curing for permanent repairs. The accelerator can reduce the curing time to 2 hrs.

See https://www.gearaid.com/blogs/help/whic ... ould-i-use

In the past I used to sew tears with dental floss using a cross-stitch before gluing on backing material inside (neoprene cannibalized from a old wetsuit) then gluing the tear outside. The glue I used was basically contact cement from Bare wetsuits which dried to an ugly yellow colour.

Hopefully the iron on Tenacious Tape will be just as good

On Amazon $18 https://www.amazon.ca/McNett-Iron-Mend- ... B000GT471S but $26 at Rowands Reef Scuba Shop

I'm not sure why Aquaseal FD with the cure accelerator is $38 on Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/Aquaseal-Urethane ... B001BZMGUA
... but I paid $23 at Rowands Reef Scuba Shop

[Roxstock]

International diving centre on arbutus and Broadway used to sell the iron on stretchy neoprene stuff and a cement that doesn’t turn yellow. Not sure what I paid for it, it was a few years ago but it was good stuff.

[Slappy]

I use a ton of AquaSeal FD on my neoprene gear. Two things I’ve learned:

- it’s not great for the crotch or any other very high flex area as it cracks after too much bending

- if applying it to smooth skin you must feather the edges or else it will simply tear at the edge of the repair

[Alton]

- it’s not great for the crotch or any other very high flex area as it cracks after too much bending ...

Maybe in high flex areas ... it maybe be better to mend the tear with Aquaseal+NEO then patch over the tear (both the inside and outside) with Tenacious Tape Neoprene (iron on).

[Alton]

FYI ... my repair worked well today ... over 1.5 hrs and my shorts inside my wetsuit stayed dry