rp02139 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've a fairly new Kokatat GMER dry suit that has a very small hole caused by abrasion to the outer fabric. The hole is a couple of inches above the left wrist area on the suit. The fabric around the hole looks 'wet'. How do dry suit owners handle small tears / holes in their dry suits -- do you use Aquaseal, some type of patching material, or do you send the suit back to the manufacturer for repair? Any information greatly appreciated. -- cheers, rp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've a fairly new Kokatat GMER dry suit that has a very small hole caused by abrasion to the outer fabric. The hole is a couple of inches above the left wrist area on the suit. The fabric around the hole looks 'wet'. How do dry suit owners handle small tears / holes in their dry suits -- do you use Aquaseal, some type of patching material, or do you send the suit back to the manufacturer for repair? Any information greatly appreciated. -- cheers, rp. I would recommend dealing directly with Kokatat. I sent my dry Suit to Kokatat last summer for gaskets and a water test. They did a great job and repaired the abrasions that I had put in my suit in the last 4 years with Gortex patches. You need to call them to get a RMA # they can be reach via: Kokatat 5350 Ericson Way Arcata, CA 95521 800-225-9749 707-822-7621 fax 707-822-8481 www.kokatat.com -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 If you don't want to deal with the time and cost involved in having Kokotat repair it, you can certainly DIY. If it's a simple abrasion and the surface fabric is not cut or completely abraded away, applying a good sealant like Marine Goop or Aquaseal is enough to fix it. If you choose Goop, use only the Marine version in this application, as it contains UV inhibitors that the other formulas lack. If the area is likely to be abraded repeatedly, I would suggest covering it with a patch of Cordura or other heavy Nylon fabric, attached with either sealant. It will no longer breathe, but as long as the area is small, it doesn't matter and having a durable waterproof repair is more important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scamlin Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 This past winter I sent an old Kokatat GoreTex suit to Kokatat to reconditioned (gaskets and booties). I also asked for a water test and am glad they did: they found about 15 small holes all over the suit, most from abrasion. Their fix looked pretty simple: a small square of GoreTex tape (the kind all GoreTex garmets use for seam sealing) was applied on the INSIDE of the leak. I'm not sure how this tape is applied, but I believe it involves heat (sort of like an iron). My point is that very small leaks can be fixed from the inside if the material outside is basically sound. Avoids the problem with the patch being lifted up through more abrasion, and looks better too. Not sure if this helps, but an option. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Their fix looked pretty simple: a small square of GoreTex tape (the kind all GoreTex garmets use for seam sealing) was applied on the INSIDE of the leak. I'm not sure how this tape is applied, but I believe it involves heat (sort of like an iron). The tape is applied with an iron. It's available from online outdoor fabric suppliers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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