yep…
At this point, my skirt is probably comprised of more Aqua-seal than neoprene! I even used it to reattach the rand in several places where it started to separate from the neoprene… good as new. LOVE that stuff!
Works great on neoprene
I sealed a hole in a wetsuit with it. Doubt it makes any difference what kind of neoprene, or what item.
However, if your covers are old enough to have multiple holes in them, you’d do well to start shopping for new ones in the not-too-distant future. Before I took off from CO, I bought a new cockpit cover because my old nylon one was pretty beat-up. I put on the old one when I started. Well, it survived the first 1500 miles of highway driving. Then, with maybe 200 miles to go, a few hours of furious downpours and wind on the Interstate caused the rear edge to tear from the main body. RIP. The new replacement is ready.
You’re heading to Florida,
and there a quite a few dive shops here. Easy stuff to find.
Let me know if you want me to pick up a tube this week, and I’ll have it for you when I see you,
T
Goo
I inquired about obtaining aqua seal at our local dive shop for a couple of repairs and the owner says he doesn’t carry it any more. Stuff dries out and for what it costs, good old fashioned shoe “goo” found at a shoe repair place does just as good at the fraction of the price. I’ve tried it and it does work. Repaired a couple of neopren skirt holes with it.
I didn’t know it came in tubes
the last that I used came in a small can with a brush attached to the cover.
If it is no problem, please do pick up a tube or can, but don’t go out of your way. I am pretty sure West Marine carries it, and I can get it down in Marathon.
thanks,
Jack L
yes, the hole was right in the crotch.
i cut a patch and glued it in. P-E-R-F-E-C-T!
Yes it will
Aqua seal is by far the best adhesive sold. I use it for everything and it keeps surprising me. Make sure to rough up the contact area with sand paper and clean it with alcohol. It will hold that much better. The only bad part about aqua seal is that it will dry out in the tube after a while, so usually I try to set up a couple projects at the same time and or apply it to areas of equipment that are showing wear.
Store it …
in the freezer. Lasts for years.
really?
Thanks for the tip. I’ve thrown out dozens of half-used tubes of that stuff over the years.
Now my wife will find them in the freezer, and she will throw them out.
half used tubes
You can also cut out a little bit of plastic from a zip lock bag or something similar and make a kind of gasket to screw down under the cap. That works well for keeping it from drying.
Also SeamGrip is the same stuff as Aquaseal.
Million uses.
NM
I tried storing
It in the freezer and it does seem to slow down the hardening but with time it still turned hard on me. I’ll try the plastic bag/gasket tip next. I’ve seen seam sealer glue and have thought about trying it. If I remember right, it says it’s made out of polyurethane which I think is the same as aquaseal.
Buy the small tube from Walmart called
Wader Cement. Costs less.
Freezing Aquaseal
It does work and it will last forever. When I want to use it, I take a small cup like a yogurt cup and put it in water and nuke it in the microwave for a minute. Then the cap comes off easily and it soft for use. I know it has a metal neck but under water it never does anything in the microwave.
Jesse, SeamGrip is very similar to
Aquaseal, but much thinner. SeamGrip will soak into fabrics much more readily. I use SeamGrip to reinforce the ends of Nylon or polyester straps so that I can pierce them and thread cord for attachment.
good one
Another suggestion, Iron Mend
Aqua Seal works great for fixing small holes. If you have a bigger problem, try Iron Mend. It’s essentially a 10" x 6" patch of neoprene seam tape that your skirt or wetsuit is held together with. You can cut it to your needs and use an iron to heat seal it in place. I have a skirt that was separating between the deck and tunnel; note, a high stress area. I used aqua seal inside the seams then Iron Mend to tape it back together. I’m still using the skirt over a year later. Nothing seals and repairs neoprene like neoprene.
http://www.mcnett.com/Iron-Mend-Fabric-Repair-Kit-P236.aspx
Another storage tip for AquaSeal
If you don’t want to freeze it, just turn the tube upright (nozzle up) as soon as you have squeezed out what you need, and immediately wipe the threads of both cap and tube clean. Put the cap back on. Put the thing, still upright, in an airtight plastic bag. Then store it (still upright) in a container that keeps it from being knocked over.
This prevents the remaining goo from filling the opening and potentially plugging it, as well as minimizing the chance of air getting into the tube.
Shoo Goo vs Aquaseal
I did a sun exposure test a few years back comparing Shoe Goo, and Marine Goop, and Mcnett Aquaseal. They all looked similar starting out. After a couple weeks or so, the Aquaseal looked unaffected while the other two were deteriorating noticeable (yellowing, loosing flexibility, cracking). If I recall properly, there are several companies that make a product they all call Shoe Goo, so maybe some are better than others for UV resistance.
Aqua Seal
Aqua Seal is great stuff, but it dries up quickly once the opened. Once opened, keep it in the freezer.