How to patch a Seals spray skirt?

Advice
#1

Hello all.
I have a Seals Spray skirt and I’ve worn a hole in it. The hole itself is small, about the size of a small pea. What’s the best way to patch such a hole?

Ideas?

#2

Is it neoprene or nylon?

#3

round file it.

#4

neoprene

#5

Call or email them and ask for assistance. They are amazingly responsive and helpful. They may even repair it for you.

#6

I think I’ll do that. Have to wait for Monday but that’s only 1 more day.

#7

Gear Lab and others make patch kits. The patch material itself might not matter much, but the aquaseal sealant is good stuff.

2 Likes
#8

I have some aquaseal. I was wondering if that would work, and what I should put over the hole. If it will hold of will the edges peel up?

I have never tried this kind of thing so I have zero knowledge about what to do or how.
I was thinking maybe Brage Cement and Cordura.
Is that a good idea------- or a bone-head one?

#9

If you make the patches round, or at least round cornered, they will be less likely to peel.

1 Like
#10

Every new wetsuit comes with a swatch of same color neoprene. Maybe neoprene sprayskirts should offer the same. Aquaseal, neoprene swatch and maybe thread and needle (if additional reinforcement of the patch edge is wanted) should do it.

I’ve done a few patches. Ugly but functional.

sing

#11

I’m a shoe goo person. I find it much better on sprayskirts than aquaseal which which has to be thinned to be flexible. The aquaseal patches get hard and brittle after a while. I use sprayskirts way beyond their expected life. Sometimes they even manage to keep a little water out of the boat.

1 Like
#12

I applied Aquaseal to close a tear in a wetsuit leg. Despite my doubts about its longevity, the repair held up. I actually wore out the seat of the wetsuit and tossed it away with that Aquaseal blotch still holding strong.

#13

For a hole that sze regular Aquaseal would work. I’ve also used neoprene cement which is available at dive shops. Aquaseal Neo cement is highly recommended. For a larger hole most dive shops will have some scrap neoprene around that you can use for a patch with the Aquaseal. Aquaseal Neo and most neoprene cements are more flexible than standard Aquaseal.

1 Like
#14

I want to make a patch because the hole is worn through, not torn. I want to reinforce the whole area around it, about 2-1/2 Square Inches over the thin spot.
I am going to make a patch as shown in the video above. Hope it holds for several years.

#15

So what makes shoe goo good is the fact that it is somewhat stretchy. I did the neoprene cement. It is the choice for fixing seams but not holes or abrasion areas. The aqua seal got harder the more it aged (and yellowed) and put additional stress around the holes where I patched. I simply found the shoe goo’s elasticity was superior. I was somewhat skeptical when my buddy suggested it but it works great… but hey what do I know…I still fold my semi-drysuits loosely in a dark drawer instead of hanging them, I’m such a rebel.

Do what you want, just know that I’ve tried all of things that have been suggested and feel confident in this advice even if it is available at your local Walmart and the cheaper product.

#16

Aquaseal Neo is different from regular Aquaseal. It is designed specifically for neoprene repairs and stays very flexible. It’s black so it doesn’t show on black neoprene.

While it can be used on a very small hole, it would be better used to apply a neoprene patch.

I used regular Aquaseal in my first Kokatat Gore-Tex dry top that the shop had hung on a rusty hanger that wore a small hole in the shoulder. Because of this it was marked down to $40 in 1999. The fix lasted for 15 years when the drytop essentially fell apart. Kokatat replaced it under their lifetime warranty about three years ago with a new Gore-Tex Rogue drytop.

1 Like