Dry Suit leak repair

My drysuit is only 2 years old and just today sprung it's first leak.  Manufactured by Gul as a goretex sailing suit, I bought it unused from ebay so no warranty/receipt.  I found the problem today after cleaning my gear - the  adhesive failed where the lleft latex bootie attaches to the inside of the goretex material.  Sort of near my achilles tendon when I'm all dressed in boots.  I can put my finger through the hole, so about 1/2" of the adhesive joint has failed.  I may have stressed that area by putting it on today or friction worked a hole when we were walking to the water loading boats??

What's the best way to fix this?  The Latex is stretchy, but the fabric is not.  If there is one failure point, should I replace the whole bootie or just try to repair the part that came unattached?  Should I use Goop or is there some special glue?  How do I prepare the surfaces for a good bond?

Thanks for any advice.  Must repair it soon...the salmon are coming, the salmon are coming!

The industry standard for latex gasket repairs is Aquaseal - www.kayakshed.com/shop/aquaseal . It's a flexible waterproof adhesive. As far cleaning and prepping the area, the most commonly used product is Cotol-240. The Cotol can also be used as a curing accelerant for the aquaseal. I'd suggest checking out a video or two on YouTube about repairing dry suit gaskets as well. You'll want to make sure that you have a solid form, such as foam or a large can, in the suit when you make the repair.

Here is a good Kokatat DIY instruction sheet for repairing/replacing gaskets that may apply.  http://kokatat.com/media/pdfs/KokatatAnkleWrist.pdf

Aquaseal will fix the leak.  I have installed many replacement neck gaskets with Aquaseal.  You can also repair holes and abraded areas with Aquaseal.  If you can't find Aquaseal, Marine Goop might be an adequate substitute.  You could call the manufacturer and ask them what kind of glue they recommend for replacing gaskets and latex booties, but Aquaseal will work fine.

It'll be awkward to work on the inside of the ankle of your drysuit because it's buried way down the leg of your drysuit.  And you don't want the Aquaseal to drool all over and make a mess on the inside or the outside of the drysuit.  Here's what I suggest:

1.  Wash out the open seam with water to remove any sand, salt, and other dirt.  Prop the seam open and let it dry.

2.  Cut a square of duct tape which is big enough to cover the open seam.  Reach down the leg of your drysuit and press the duct tape smoothly over the open seam, to seal it shut on the inside, so Aquaseal won't ooze around the inside of your dry suit.

3. Squeeze a little Aquaseal into the open seam.  Don't use too much - you don't want Aquaseal oozing all over and making a mess.  Shove it into all the crannies of the open seam with a toothpick or a rectangle of cardboard.  Squeeze out any excess and wipe it off.

4.  Put the area you are sealing face down on a piece of glass or a ceramic plate - something flat and smooth which the Aquaseal  will peel off of after it dries.

5.  Fill a ziplock bag with something heavy and granular like sand, salt, or sugar.  Slide the ziplock bag down the leg of your drysuit and plop it on top of the piece of duct tape.  This bag will keep the joint under pressure while the Aquaseal is drying, and will ensure a smooth joint with no gaps or puckers.

6.  Leave the drysuit this way for at least 12 hours.  Then take the ziplock bag out of the leg of your drysuit, and peel the leg off the sheet of glass or the plate.  Leave the duct tape inside your ankle - there's no need to remove it.  After 24 hours, the dry suit will be ready for use.

Once you get all the stuff assembled, this will be an easy ten minute repair.

All Fixed with AquaSeal.  My bootie is ready!