Rip Curl do good work.

www.ripcurl.com.au/?aid=1473

Martin Owen did some major work on a dive suit for me about 30 years ago so he has a fair bit of experience.

oceansuits.com.au/wetsuit-repair-price-guide/?gclid=CPPSrKWbiKoCFcZKpgodkF-lxw

Last year I repaired two of my wetsuits ....

one with a special glue goo ( can buy at surf shops but the name escapes me )
- workes quite well

the other I just sewed up using a bit of 20lb fishing braid - about 4 holes/ rips in the bum from kiting in very shallow water.

- both repairs have held up well for almost 12 months and both wetsuits get used regularly.

Neither are as good as a professional repair but then again they cost about $2.50 ( glue was $10 but only used a few mls..... the braid was free...well off my fishing rod.

Big eeeZeee said...

Looking to also mod the legs so i can drain all the water out. Don't want to butcher it though as It's a pretty new ripcurl f bomb. Any ideas or previous methods? Think i will send it to the hallam wetsuit factory..

Hey Big eeeZeee,

keep us updated on the possible mods and cost etc..... my favourite wettie is my ION strike overknee but its not that warm in winter I would be very keen in having my old F-bomb modded so that it stopped just a few inches below the knee like the ION.

I have just started wearing the old wettie again this winter and have to deal with the old gumby legs every now and then....im sure the added 7-8kg of water is reducing my boost height ...not to mention the gumby look

djdojo said...

My recently acquired neil pryde steamer has a combination of a velcroable gusset at the ankle (easy to get in and out of) and then comes with a wide (4cm) velcro strap to go over the top. Only used it once but got zero water up the leg and the water that came in the neck seal (which i had loose until the icy crash that let the water in) drained out easily. The npx suits are probably the same, I don't know, but it would be a relatively easy mod to a regular wetsuit ankle, and still keep your shins and calves warm.

any advice on what to tell them regarding small drain holes around the ankles. I picked up some 50mm velcro from spotlight to use as a strap around the ankles. So i'm thinking i'll just tell them to put two or three holes about 70mm up from the bottom of the ankles and also have them on the lateral side. I'm hoping they can perforate the neoprene and then reinforce it somehow to prevent any further tearing.

-Harry-
Mate got his new mystic wettie ripped up by his dog. They had to replace half of the smooth skin chest and some of the arm etc. Think it cost him $130 roughly. Looked like a pretty descent repair though. Will ask them when i'm down there about pricing and possibility of your below the knee mod.

cheers

Well that would be my mystic wettie, repaired at ocean wetsuits in Hallam, the did a good job
Thou my kelpie now has the taste for neoprene

Pricing for repairs are on their website

ok, It's costing me $20 for the repair to the 25mm rip in the suit. The guy i spoke to said he'd just glue it with some mccnett wetsuit adhesive and then stitch it both sides. Was hoping he wouldn't have to stitch it and could of done something like this



Was thinking of just doing it myself as it would have been slightly cheaper however ocean suits specialise in these kind of repairs so just decided to go with them.

I also enquired about a possible mod to the leg but he didn't seem all that keen in touching it. Just advised me to poke a couple of holes in the ankles myself, and assured me that the holes wouldn't get any bigger without any reinforcement...

Anyway, will get the suit back next week and let you guys know.

HARRY -

Asked about the lower knee mod and he said he could do it but couldn't offer any reinforcement to stop the lower part of the knee folding up over the knee as you kite. He didn't seem all that keen in that modification so didn't get a price off him.I guess you could just get it done and then use velcro or a strap (they have special diving ankle straps that seem more effective than a piece of velcro) to hold the legs in place just below the knee.

Brenden -

The 2010 & 2011 NPX assassin suits should have ankle drainage points. I actually enquired about a assassin wetsuit from SHQ a couple of months ago and was told they'd get back to me (name and number taken). Never heard back from them. This has happened on several occasions, and I've pretty much given up on them. They could have taken a heap of my money over the past 6 months but they obviously don't need it. end rant

Big eeeZeee said...



Brenden -

The 2010 & 2011 NPX assassin suits should have ankle drainage points. I actually enquired about a assassin wetsuit from SHQ a couple of months ago and was told they'd get back to me (name and number taken). Never heard back from them. This has happened on several occasions, and I've pretty much given up on them. They could have taken a heap of my money over the past 6 months but they obviously don't need it. end rant

Hi Big eeeZeee,
Sorry to hear about your experience above, I'm pleased to say we are in the process of making a lot of big changes down there at the moment with a real emphasis of making customer service and experience a priority which should go along way to making sure this type of thing doesn't happen in the future.

If you're still willing to give us a go we have just this week received stock of new NPX Assassin steamers which come with ankle straps which really help prevent them filling up with water... doesn't help let the pee out though

Hope to see you back in the shop one day soon.
Cheers,
Fletch

Just to continue the off topic thread, I have been a loyal SHQ customer because I always got excellent service. Of course, it depends on who you were dealing with, but that goes for all shops.

The best guys are among the people who have moved on, but some of the good ones were still there last time I was there.

The key thing has always been to hook up with the product specialist in the shop. There's nothing worse than talking to a windsurfing guy about kite stuff.

Also big wrap for shq - its my first point of call for kiting stuff. Ivan has helped me out heaps over the years - great advice, great service and some mighty tempting stuff.