Pintail Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Has anyone else ever wondered about treating neoprene (as in sprayskirts) with Scotchguard to prolong their life and/or improve their waterproof-ness? Has anyone actually <tried> this? Does it work? (Or <should> it work?) TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 The hatch covers on my old Seda Impex are made of neoprene. Because they leak, Joel (NESC) suggested that I treat them with Scotchguard to reduce leaking. It worked a little but not enough to keep a dry hatch. I don’t remember any downsides.-LeonPSTIA – (according to the urban dictionary): A cool smart mouthed girl that always has something smart to say to everything. She's also very talkative and can say things people take offensively but she doesn't always mean to be rude. Either way you can't help but love her.Or,Thanks In Advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Neoprene is a closed cell foam with trapped gas pockets. It's intrinsically waterproof unless it's started to break down or been damaged. Increasing the water repellency of the face fabric might minimize leaking through pinholes, unless the fabric gets stretched. If you can find the leaks, aqua seal is your friend.BestPhil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Crouse Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I was going to suggest never wet spray available in Home Depot but it says not to use on fabrics.This was the second hit on Google for "waterproofing a neoprene spray skirt" :-) http://www.nspn.org/forum/topic/3975-waterproofing-neoprene-sprayskirts/I suppose you could try nikwax but I think a water proof coating on neoprene will be useless as soon as the neoprene stretches.You could use 303 or the 303 fabric/nylon treatment but I would be damn sure it doesn't make the skirt too slippery or too grippy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 My concern would be that any strong chemicals applied to the cover might cause the fabric to separate from the rubber underneath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintail Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 (edited) Leon, thanks for the laugh!Phil, thank you, too: I do know how useful is Aquaseal and did think of that; but finding the exact offending spots is sometimes problematic. I think that the years (and rescue practice) have simply taken their toll! I do have another ocean-cockpit skirt, but that one is a <bit> tighter on my burgeoning waistline!Michael, I have never heard of "Never Wet" (is that right?); but, mindful of the warning, I might give that a miss -- thanks, old bean.Brian, thank you, too, for having chipped-in. I <can> actually live with the ingress of seawater -- it isn't <that> bad! I <do> tend to spend a lot of time upside-down! (Whether accidentally or intentionally, who can tell?) (Health advisory: this practice is good for the sinuses!)There: I think I have addressed everyone?Oooooh: news to report: if anyone (else) is looking to practise their rescues or rolling, then Essex Bay is warming up very nicely! Water temperature yesterday was glorious! It was lovely to have been on the water -- despite all those warnings of serious weather -- it never materialized, around here, although there were one or two charlie bravos around (cumulo-nimbus) that sailed on by... Edited June 24, 2015 by Pintail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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