Dry suit repair/modifications

I bought a Stohlquist dry suit off a clearance rack with no warranty that was such a good deal. My bad! It leaks and I have no idea where or how many leaks it has. I have considered repairing myself, but would prefer professional help since I want to make sure its done right. I had also not considered how convenient a relief zipper and booties (it has rubber ankle seals) would have been. I have contacted Stohlquist and am waiting a for a reply. What I'm looking for is inputs, ideas or contacts for having the leaks repaired, relief zipper added and booties installed. If Possible here in WA or close by.  Thanks!!

to check for leaks, I turn mine inside out and fill with water.  you'll need to tie off your feet somehow to do this.

Once I spot the leaks, I circle with a black marker (on the inside), I then let the suit dry out.  Once dry I use a liberal amount of shoe goo on the holes then let that dry.

I've patched 30+ pin holes like this and they haven't leaked since. I have however put more holes in my suit since then

Check with USIA in Portland they might be able to help you out?

https://usia.com/

A dry suit which leaks isn't a dry suit. It's a nylon coverall with a tight collar.  If Stohlquist won't agree to repair the leaks for you, either under warranty or in exchange for money, you may be able to locate cuts or holes which are leaking by running a florescent trouble light around inside the dry suit in a dark room.  If you can locate leaks, you can seal them with Aquaseal or Marine Goop.  If you find a group of small leaks, you can spread a thin layer of Aquaseal or Goop over the area with a spackle tool.  I have a friend who is a cheap bastard, and extends the life of old gear by covering it with Aquaseal.  His gear looks kind of amusing.  If a leak is big, you may want to stick a waterproof nylon patch over the leak.  I have repaired dry suits in this manner, and it is not an easy process.  I recommend that if necessary you pay Stohlquist to perform the repairs.  But if the fabric is delaminating or seeping water, or there are many pinpoint leaks, it may not be possible to repair the dry suit acceptably.

Adding booties and a relief zipper will be expensive.  If you are able to completely fix the leaking problems, my recommendation would be to sell the dry suit and put the money into a new (and presumably watertight) dry suit which comes with those features.

Some years ago I bought a dry suit from a manufacturer which was having some problems with quality control on its nylon fabric.  The dry suit started to delaminate extensively.  The manufacturer gave me a new dry suit, which completely satisfied me, so I won't identify the manufacturer.  If Stohlquist fails to address the leaking problem to your satisfaction, you can entertain yourself for the next couple of years by cruising the internet dumping on Stohlquist for making crappy dry suits and not standing behind its products.

I second pmmpete's suggestion about using the florescent light in a dark room to find the holes.  I have found this to be a less messy method, at least from my own experience.  A soap solution can also be used, spray on one side and seal off the legs, arms, and neck, then poof the suit to see where the bubbles show up.

Also, do any repairs on the inside.  They will last longer and are not as likely to wear off from abrasion.

Also, do any repairs on the inside.  They will last longer and are not as likely to wear off from abrasion.

Your dry suit will look spiffier if you do repairs on the inside, but if the damage is in a spot which is difficult to reach, such as in the knee of your dry suit, it can be pretty hard to repair the damage from the inside.  Using Aquaseal or Goop to repair the inside of a dry suit is risky, as you can glue the dry suit to itself.  Also be careful when using Aquaseal or Goop to repair a hole from the outside, because the glue can leak through the hole and glue the inside of the dry suit to itself.  Slide a piece of plastic or a plastic bag inside the dry suit and position it behind the hole, to catch any glue which leaks through the hole.  After the glue dries, you can peel the plastic off it.

blue tape and waxpaper as a backer to any "adhesive" repair will prevent unintended sticking together.  I've used both when doing patches and latex gasket repair.

Kayak Academy south of Issaquah repairs dry suits.  They rent dry suits and have to repair them constantly. Give them a call.

Kayak Academy south of Issaquah repairs dry suits.  They rent dry suits and have to repair them constantly. Give them a call.

+1 on Kayak Academy. They have a little shop set up for repairs and at least one full time person working in that shop. They'll give you a quick turn around if they can do it.

This is why I love Kokatat.  For a fee, you can send it in and they patch all those little holes.  I sent mine in about 2 years ago and I stated counting all the little patches to see how many holes it had.  I stopped at 27 and that was just the left leg.  They patched a ton and replaced the neck gasket for about $80 plus shipping.  It is nice and dry now.  I also noticed since sturgeon retention went away, I have not developed any more holes I am aware of.  Probably since I no longer take them out of the water (no need for a measurement anymore).  Those scutes can do a number on the dry suit.

No warranty from the place you bought it,  or from the manufacturer? 

I also noticed since sturgeon retention went away, I have not developed any more holes I am aware of.  Probably since I no longer take them out of the water (no need for a measurement anymore).  Those scutes can do a number on the dry suit.

I was thinking of making a nylon apron which covers my legs to protect the legs of my dry suit from spiny fish, hooks, and what not.

Lee, Waiting to hear back from Stohlquist and curious what my options are locally. I called Kayak Academy and they can do repairs and booties, but can't  add a relief zipper at a reasonable price. They referred  me to Rainy Pass Repair for the zipper add. So they can do all the work, but its a little more expensive.