Wrist gasket replacement

[dwman53]

Just blew a wrist gasket on a four year old Kokotat paddle suit...Do I replace them myself or do I send back to the factory?

Any recommendations on where to purchase repalcements.

You tube video and Kokotat instructions "look" straight forward...but...

Appreciate some feedback

Doug ( the other Doug)

[djlewis]

I hear that Carl Ladd of Osprey Sea Kayak does this very competently -- he'd be my first choice.

My second choice would be United Divers of Somerville, who has a great gasket specialist contractor (or did a year or two ago).

Yes, you could also send it back to Kokatat, but then you'd be without it for weeks, pay higher prices and shipping, and not get custom fitting (which matters less for wrists).

--David

[jason]

I hear that Carl Ladd of Osprey Sea Kayak does this very competently -- he'd be my first choice.

My second choice would be United Divers of Somerville, who has a great gasket specialist contractor (or did a year or two ago).

Yes, you could also send it back to Kokatat, but then you'd be without it for weeks, pay higher prices and shipping, and not get custom fitting (which matters less for wrists).

--David

If this was the summer I wouldn't think twice about sending my dry suit back to Kokatat. They do a great job with the gaskets, they will install a custom sized gasket on request and they can hydro test and patch the suit. The cost is very reasonable and off season they are very quick.

If you can't part with your suit for long Carl is always great with repairs.

[Doug]

I replaced my wrist gaskets myself shortly after receiving my custom suit a couple years ago. I found that no matter how much I trimmed the stock ones, they continued to reduce circulation to my hands. After speaking with Suzanne (KOKATAT rep), I purchased "Coast Guard gaskets" which are more tubular in design and minimal trimming was needed. The replacement process is fairly simple and took no more than a half hour. KOKATAT sells these gaskets and I believe Suz often has them on hand if you need to take care of this quickly. KOKATAT will of course do it for free and Carl Ladd at Osprey always does quality work but will most likely cost you a minimal charge.

[dwman53]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll reach out to both

Doug (the other Doug)

[Brian Nystrom]

Replacing wrist seals is an easy DIY job. You can purchase everything you need from OS Systems at: www.ossystems.com

They make seals in several sizes and two thicknesses, and in my experience, you should go one size larger than their sizing indicates. You will still need to trim the seal to fit (as with any seal), but you'll be closer to your correct size at the start.

[jason]

I replaced my wrist gaskets myself shortly after receiving my custom suit a couple years ago. I found that no matter how much I trimmed the stock ones, they continued to reduce circulation to my hands. After speaking with Suzanne (KOKATAT rep), I purchased "Coast Guard gaskets" which are more tubular in design and minimal trimming was needed. The replacement process is fairly simple and took no more than a half hour. KOKATAT sells these gaskets and I believe Suz often has them on hand if you need to take care of this quickly. KOKATAT will of course do it for free and Carl Ladd at Osprey always does quality work but will most likely cost you a minimal charge.

Trimming the normal wrist gaskets isn't recommended, I have had good luck with the Coast Guard gaskets. Kokatat will install them.

[Brian Nystrom]

Trimming the normal wrist gaskets isn't recommended

That depends on who you talk to. The seal manufacturers all recommend trimming over stretching and in the dive industry - which is the primary market for latex seals - trimming is pretty much universal practice. Why there's even a debate in the kayak industry is beyond me.

[Suz]

That depends on who you talk to. The seal manufacturers all recommend trimming over stretching and in the dive industry - which is the primary market for latex seals - trimming is pretty much universal practice. Why there's even a debate in the kayak industry is beyond me.

Whether to trim the gasket or not depends on if the gasket is meant to be trimmed. If the gasket is shaped like an upside down funnel, flaired and then with straight sides that contact the wrist; it will not have cutting lines on the inside of the gasket. If no cutting lines, it isn't meant to be trimmed. If that gasket is trimmed, it will have more contact over a smaller surface area and cause discomfort. If it was tight before, it will be very uncomfortable.

If instead the gasket is shaped like this: / \, it will have cutting lines and is meant to be trimmed.

Kokatat sells both types of gaskets. The ones that come on the Kokatat drysuits if not specified are the ones that are meant to be stretched and not trimmed. If you want a gasket that will be trimmed, for Kokatat you would specify 'thick' gasket or coast guard gaskets - either way will get you the gaskets that are trimmable. Carl and Sam Ladd of Osprey Sea Kayak stock both styles. They cost a bit more than the other ones and Kokatat has told me that they believe the thick gaskets do not last as long. Personally, I find them much more comfortable and I install them on my personal suits. I do not install them on my demo suits. If you have small wrists, you wouldn't want the trimmable gaskets as they will be too big for your wrists and you will get leakage. I use them and don't trim them and they fit fine.

[Brian Nystrom]

Whether to trim the gasket or not depends on if the gasket is meant to be trimmed. If the gasket is shaped like an upside down funnel, flaired and then with straight sides that contact the wrist; it will not have cutting lines on the inside of the gasket. If no cutting lines, it isn't meant to be trimmed. If that gasket is trimmed, it will have more contact over a smaller surface area and cause discomfort. If it was tight before, it will be very uncomfortable.

Sorry, but that's actually untrue and you can test it for yourself with nothing more than a box of identical rubber bands - or cut-off sections of a "bottle"-style seal. Stretch one around your wrist, then add a second beside it, then a third and so on until the area covered is an inch or so wide, like a typical wrist seal. Essentially what you're doing is the opposite of trimming a seal. I guarantee you that the more rubber bands you add and the greater the total surface area covered, the more uncomfortable it will become.

When you're dealing with elastic materials like latex, while total compressed area is changed as you trim, the amount of pressure per unit of area does not change. Reducing the total compressed area improves comfort. I can say from the experience of trimming my own seals and those of several others that trimming any style of seal that's too tight makes it more comfortable. That's true with "bottle"-style seals, even if you don't trim past the "neck" and into the tapered area.

The other element that's important is getting seals that are as close to the proper size as possible, as the less you stretch them, the less pressure they create. Unfortunately, garment manufacturers have to use seals that will work for the smallest likely customer for a given suit size, so they inevitably end up being very tight on most people. That's not meant as criticism, it's just a reality of manufacturing. When it comes time to replace seals, one can remedy this situation to some extent by choosing seals that are as close as possible to a proper fit. Although my wrists are not especially large, I use the largest size seals that OS Systems offers and still end up trimming them considerably. With Linda's small wrists, we've been able to find a size that fits her pretty well right out of the package.