Repairing a hole in a drysuit (TLS350)

*David Martin* · July 9th, 2007, 02:13 AM

I've rather irritatingly put a hole in my drysuit today

(Ascent/back-kick into a presumably very sharp and unfortunately placed piece of the Aeolian Sky.) I'm not sure whether the TLS material is really delicate or I was just unlucky (I've certainly bumped into stuff significantly harder in my previous suits without any issue) I hope it's the latter.

There is now a 1.5cm long cut in the thin material at the back/side of the calf. The cut is straight, smooth edged and fortunately away from any seam, so looks fairly easy to fix. Is this something that's easily fixable or should I send it back to a DUI dealer? Would repairing it myself cause an issue with the warranty on the rest of the suit?

If it's something to patch up myself, can anyone recommend a supplier for a suitable repair kit - I've had a look through my spares etc and (to my surprise) have realised that I don't actually have a repair kit with patches. Also, would you patch the inside or outside or both?

If it's something I ought to get sorted by a dealer, who would you recommend (preferably to be back to me on Friday 20). I presume the options are Hydrotech or SDS?

On a side note: It was quite odd to be able to feel the water coming in an moving up the suit, but fortunately the water temperature was pretty warm so getting wet was only inconvenient and not dangerous. Bizarrely, the leak was much worse whilst vertical at the surface than when horizontal for the ascent (which may be worth remembering if the water's colder). (Although by the time the leak had got half way up my chest so that I was effectively lying in water, I was considering seeing whether other angles would have been better). I would have assumed that keeping the leak low would have been better, perhaps it got worse due to the increased pressure difference between top and bottom.

And finally, I did learn one obvious but useful lesson - a spare drysuit is a lot more useful when it's on the boat than when it's left behind in the flat!

David

Ali Fikree · July 9th, 2007, 08:22 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by David Martin)

I've rather irritatingly put a hole in my drysuit today

(Ascent/back-kick into a presumably very sharp and unfortunately placed piece of the Aeolian Sky.) I'm not sure whether the TLS material is really delicate or I was just unlucky (I've certainly bumped into stuff significantly harder in my previous suits without any issue) I hope it's the latter.

There is now a 1.5cm long cut in the thin material at the back/side of the calf. The cut is straight, smooth edged and fortunately away from any seam, so looks fairly easy to fix. Is this something that's easily fixable or should I send it back to a DUI dealer? Would repairing it myself cause an issue with the warranty on the rest of the suit?

If it's something to patch up myself, can anyone recommend a supplier for a suitable repair kit - I've had a look through my spares etc and (to my surprise) have realised that I don't actually have a repair kit with patches. Also, would you patch the inside or outside or both?

If it's something I ought to get sorted by a dealer, who would you recommend (preferably to be back to me on Friday 20). I presume the options are Hydrotech or SDS?

On a side note: It was quite odd to be able to feel the water coming in an moving up the suit, but fortunately the water temperature was pretty warm so getting wet was only inconvenient and not dangerous. Bizarrely, the leak was much worse whilst vertical at the surface than when horizontal for the ascent (which may be worth remembering if the water's colder). (Although by the time the leak had got half way up my chest so that I was effectively lying in water, I was considering seeing whether other angles would have been better). I would have assumed that keeping the leak low would have been better, perhaps it got worse due to the increased pressure difference between top and bottom.

And finally, I did learn one obvious but useful lesson - a spare drysuit is a lot more useful when it's on the boat than when it's left behind in the flat!

David

David,

Holes and small tears are pretty easy to repair but doing it yourself , might void the warranty of your suit. AIrspeed press have a great book on this stuff.

Maybe ask your DUI dealer and repair outlet.

-Ali

Ahmed Adly, Marlin Inn DC · July 9th, 2007, 08:56 AM

I was lucky enough last year to have some deranged ******** actually hole my suit for me! I think it was one of the most dirty things you could do to a person. The hole was through the rubber badge, so could have only been done by a sharp object and forcfully (also, I would have felt it as it went through 3 pieces of material).

Then a SECOND time, it was holed under my belly button area (again, I would have felt it).

Anyway, I fixed both holes and was diving the next day on both occassions.

Simple, Cotol wash around the area (the material turns white for a while, but no worries) and then Aquaseal is nice and straight.

I would say that with a tear you would need caution to make sure it is lined up well. So make sure the material is supported before you repair it, so it will stay in that same position.
you can clamp it down some how so the material is touching and then glue it while stationary.

Note: put a bit of paper on the other side, so if any glue goes through it dose not make a mess.

Tautaz · July 9th, 2007, 01:42 PM

For easy quick fix in the field, you can use duct tape directly inside the suit.

In other case, duct tape outside will make the job far easier

*David Martin* · July 10th, 2007, 08:44 PM

I've come to the conclusion that this is really something I should be able to do myself.

The nice people at Hydrotech (UK main DUI dealer) have promised to send me an offcut of TLS350 material. I've also found the DUI repair manual online which answered the other main question - put the patch on the inside (which is what I'd have guessed).

Hopefully I'll have it sorted for next weekend.

David

July 9th, 2007, 02:13 AM	#1 (permalink)
David Martin(Offline) Instructor candidate Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: London, E11 Posts: 419	Repairing a hole in a drysuit (TLS350) I've rather irritatingly put a hole in my drysuit today (Ascent/back-kick into a presumably very sharp and unfortunately placed piece of the Aeolian Sky.) I'm not sure whether the TLS material is really delicate or I was just unlucky (I've certainly bumped into stuff significantly harder in my previous suits without any issue) I hope it's the latter. There is now a 1.5cm long cut in the thin material at the back/side of the calf. The cut is straight, smooth edged and fortunately away from any seam, so looks fairly easy to fix. Is this something that's easily fixable or should I send it back to a DUI dealer? Would repairing it myself cause an issue with the warranty on the rest of the suit? If it's something to patch up myself, can anyone recommend a supplier for a suitable repair kit - I've had a look through my spares etc and (to my surprise) have realised that I don't actually have a repair kit with patches. Also, would you patch the inside or outside or both? If it's something I ought to get sorted by a dealer, who would you recommend (preferably to be back to me on Friday 20). I presume the options are Hydrotech or SDS? On a side note: It was quite odd to be able to feel the water coming in an moving up the suit, but fortunately the water temperature was pretty warm so getting wet was only inconvenient and not dangerous. Bizarrely, the leak was much worse whilst vertical at the surface than when horizontal for the ascent (which may be worth remembering if the water's colder). (Although by the time the leak had got half way up my chest so that I was effectively lying in water, I was considering seeing whether other angles would have been better). I would have assumed that keeping the leak low would have been better, perhaps it got worse due to the increased pressure difference between top and bottom. And finally, I did learn one obvious but useful lesson - a spare drysuit is a lot more useful when it's on the boat than when it's left behind in the flat! David

July 9th, 2007, 08:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
Ali Fikree(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Dubai Posts: 460	Quote: (Originally Posted by David Martin) I've rather irritatingly put a hole in my drysuit today (Ascent/back-kick into a presumably very sharp and unfortunately placed piece of the Aeolian Sky.) I'm not sure whether the TLS material is really delicate or I was just unlucky (I've certainly bumped into stuff significantly harder in my previous suits without any issue) I hope it's the latter. There is now a 1.5cm long cut in the thin material at the back/side of the calf. The cut is straight, smooth edged and fortunately away from any seam, so looks fairly easy to fix. Is this something that's easily fixable or should I send it back to a DUI dealer? Would repairing it myself cause an issue with the warranty on the rest of the suit? If it's something to patch up myself, can anyone recommend a supplier for a suitable repair kit - I've had a look through my spares etc and (to my surprise) have realised that I don't actually have a repair kit with patches. Also, would you patch the inside or outside or both? If it's something I ought to get sorted by a dealer, who would you recommend (preferably to be back to me on Friday 20). I presume the options are Hydrotech or SDS? On a side note: It was quite odd to be able to feel the water coming in an moving up the suit, but fortunately the water temperature was pretty warm so getting wet was only inconvenient and not dangerous. Bizarrely, the leak was much worse whilst vertical at the surface than when horizontal for the ascent (which may be worth remembering if the water's colder). (Although by the time the leak had got half way up my chest so that I was effectively lying in water, I was considering seeing whether other angles would have been better). I would have assumed that keeping the leak low would have been better, perhaps it got worse due to the increased pressure difference between top and bottom. And finally, I did learn one obvious but useful lesson - a spare drysuit is a lot more useful when it's on the boat than when it's left behind in the flat! David David, Holes and small tears are pretty easy to repair but doing it yourself , might void the warranty of your suit. AIrspeed press have a great book on this stuff. Maybe ask your DUI dealer and repair outlet. -Ali __________________ Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul

July 9th, 2007, 08:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ahmed Adly, Marlin Inn DC(Offline) New Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: hurghada Posts: 849	I was lucky enough last year to have some deranged ******** actually hole my suit for me! I think it was one of the most dirty things you could do to a person. The hole was through the rubber badge, so could have only been done by a sharp object and forcfully (also, I would have felt it as it went through 3 pieces of material). Then a SECOND time, it was holed under my belly button area (again, I would have felt it). Anyway, I fixed both holes and was diving the next day on both occassions. Simple, Cotol wash around the area (the material turns white for a while, but no worries) and then Aquaseal is nice and straight. I would say that with a tear you would need caution to make sure it is lined up well. So make sure the material is supported before you repair it, so it will stay in that same position. you can clamp it down some how so the material is touching and then glue it while stationary. Note: put a bit of paper on the other side, so if any glue goes through it dose not make a mess. __________________ It has just dawned on me.... We are all just recycled stardust Ahmed Adly, www.deepvoyage.com

July 9th, 2007, 01:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tautaz(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Colomiers, France Posts: 84	For easy quick fix in the field, you can use duct tape directly inside the suit. In other case, duct tape outside will make the job far easier

July 10th, 2007, 08:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
David Martin(Offline) Instructor candidate Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: London, E11 Posts: 419	I've come to the conclusion that this is really something I should be able to do myself. The nice people at Hydrotech (UK main DUI dealer) have promised to send me an offcut of TLS350 material. I've also found the DUI repair manual online which answered the other main question - put the patch on the inside (which is what I'd have guessed). Hopefully I'll have it sorted for next weekend. David