Sean Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I just purchased my first dry suit from Kokatat, and after several attempts to stretch out the neck gasket using larger and larger diameter sauce pots taking the place of my neck over night as recommended by Kokatat, I still turn dark red in the face and have a hard time swallowing water while wearing it. Any suggestions or should I take out the scissors and start cutting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastPaddler Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Sean, I used a 1 gallon ice cream pail to stretch my gasket (for about 5 days) and still ended up having to cut a couple of lines off the gasket. Cutting the gasket is not such a big deal -- I stretched the gasket evenly (evenly is important) over that same ice cream pail and then cut the gasket with a razor blade -- you do need to be very careful to make the ends of the cut line up exactly on the same line or you could risk it tearing later. Follow the Kokatat instructions for cutting the gasket and you should be fine. Dan http://www.westcoastpaddler.com ----- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spuglisi Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I just purchased my first dry suit from Kokatat, and after several attempts to stretch out the neck gasket using larger and larger diameter sauce pots taking the place of my neck over night as recommended by Kokatat, I still turn dark red in the face and have a hard time swallowing water while wearing it. Any suggestions or should I take out the scissors and start cutting? Before you start cutting you may want to give it a couple of treatments of 303 and a bit more stretching. All the gaskets should get a regular treatment of 303 to keep them from drying out and it also makes them a bit more supple. If it does get to the point where you feel you have to trim make sure that it is, in fact, a trim-able gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdkilroy Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hi Sean, If you decide to trim the gasket, set up with some room to maneuver the suit, have a good bright light source and although a razor will work well in skilled hands, a sharp pair of scissors will offer more control. Cut one ring only and stay on the narrow side of it all the way around. Then try it out. While wearing it, imagine how it will feel just a little looser. If just a little looser would feel right then stop cutting; your gasket WILL stretch as you wear it. Even over the course of one day. As Sal suggested, use the 303. Better a shade tight to start and you work with it a bit than starting with it feeling just right and finding it becomes too lose after a couple days on the water. There's no going back... Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 There are various, uh, schools of thought on this one but I'm among those that if you're extremely uncomfortable you should trim the gasket. I've trimmed every neck gasket I've had (2). I also don't subscribe to the stretching method, I don't believe the rubber would maintain its "new shape" though if you left it in the stretched state when not worn it would probably maintain it for a day or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I just purchased my first dry suit from Kokatat, and after several attempts to stretch out the neck gasket using larger and larger diameter sauce pots taking the place of my neck over night as recommended by Kokatat, I still turn dark red in the face and have a hard time swallowing water while wearing it. Any suggestions or should I take out the scissors and start cutting? Hi Sean, Congratulations - and TRIM that gasket. That is why Kokatat suits have cutting lines to follow on the NECK. Kokatat neck gaskets can be trimmed but Kokatat wrist gaskets SHOULD NOT be trimmed. The only gaskets - on any brand - that should be trimmed will be conical and not straight. If you trim a gasket that is straight, it would make the contact area smaller and would hurt more not less as there is more pressure on a smaller area. (Hope that explanation makes sense). I think it might be time to have another Drysuit Care and Feeding workshop! As for how to trim - my favorite method is to use good scissors that are not dull. Men - take your wife's fabric scissors if they are a seamstress or have a sewing basket. Do not use kitchen shears as they have cut things like paper, twine and bones and then the shears have bumps and dullness to them. If you don't have any in the house - go to any big box store and buy a pair of Fiskars scissors. Turn the gasket inside out so you can see the cutting lines, put your glasses on before you make a mistake, work under a good light and then cut. BUT the technique for cutting is what a seamstress uses - let's see if I can explain. When opening and closing the shears, don't close the scissors all the way or open them all the way. Doing that makes a squared off edge at the end. Just cut a few inches and then move your scissors farther down the cutting line. Keep this up until you are all the way done. At the end, just cut past your start, straightening things off. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Just trim it and be done with it. Stretching is a complete waste of time unless the seal is close to the correct size to begin with. If it's painfully tight, stretching won't work and attempting to stretch a latex seal substantially will damage it. You can use a sharp blade or scissors, either will work fine. Once you've trimmed a seal, you'll never waste your time stretching one again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thanks All, for the great advice! Hopefully with a new pair of new scissors and a little luck, I'll be ready to hit the water once the air temp is a little less Arctic. I know GoreTex is good, but the thought of paddling with ski goggles to keep my eyes from freezing shut is not overly appealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyfoley Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Hi Sean, Congratulations - and TRIM that gasket. That is why Kokatat suits have cutting lines to follow on the NECK. Kokatat neck gaskets can be trimmed but Kokatat wrist gaskets SHOULD NOT be trimmed. The only gaskets - on any brand - that should be trimmed will be conical and not straight. If you trim a gasket that is straight, it would make the contact area smaller and would hurt more not less as there is more pressure on a smaller area. (Hope that explanation makes sense). I think it might be time to have another Drysuit Care and Feeding workshop! As for how to trim - my favorite method is to use good scissors that are not dull. Men - take your wife's fabric scissors if they are a seamstress or have a sewing basket. Do not use kitchen shears as they have cut things like paper, twine and bones and then the shears have bumps and dullness to them. If you don't have any in the house - go to any big box store and buy a pair of Fiskars scissors. Turn the gasket inside out so you can see the cutting lines, put your glasses on before you make a mistake, work under a good light and then cut. BUT the technique for cutting is what a seamstress uses - let's see if I can explain. When opening and closing the shears, don't close the scissors all the way or open them all the way. Doing that makes a squared off edge at the end. Just cut a few inches and then move your scissors farther down the cutting line. Keep this up until you are all the way done. At the end, just cut past your start, straightening things off. Suz Suz: We'd love you to so another workshop....let me know dates that can work for you and I will be happy to set up use of the Gould Barn again. Cathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingsn Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 I used my dry suite yesterday & think I might have a leak. Any recommendations for testing? Maybe I'll just ad a pump w/ a float switch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 I used my dry suite yesterday & think I might have a leak. Any recommendations for testing? Maybe I'll just ad a pump w/ a float switch... Kokatat does a great job of pressure testing dry suites, as long as it's a Kokatat brand one. You just call them talk about the issue your having exchange information and send it it. I sent mine in this summer and they were very quick at getting back to me. I would guess it will take longer as many more people are using them this time of year, but they can tell you ~ how long it will take. -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingsn Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Kokatat does a great job of pressure testing dry suites, as long as it's a Kokatat brand one. You just call them talk about the issue your having exchange information and send it it. I sent mine in this summer and they were very quick at getting back to me. I would guess it will take longer as many more people are using them this time of year, but they can tell you ~ how long it will take. -Jason Mine is a Palm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Gwynn Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 I used my dry suite yesterday & think I might have a leak. Any recommendations for testing? Maybe I'll just ad a pump w/ a float switch... You can use the same method we all used when we were kids to find the leak in our bicycle tires. Plug the wrist gaskets with some appropriately sized water/soda bottles, you can do the same with the neck gasket. Get some air in there, then fill the tub and hold the dry suit underwater one section at a time and look for air bubbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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