View Single Post
  #8   Report Post  
posted to rec.boats.paddle
Wilko
 
Posts: n/a
Default Drysuit repair and alteration experience.

Hanta-Yo-Yo wrote:

Is the wet suit a diving wet suit or for paddle sports. ie are there
valves for inflating the suit for bouyancy, Paddle suits designed for
surface usage don't have the valves, and the material tends to be
lighter weight, and more flexible.


Actually it's a drysuit, not a wetsuit, and it's definately the surface
variety model without valves. It's also pretty flexible, I tried moving
in it while sitting and doing (rodeo style) paddling movements before
buying it.

I got one out of Gortex that is
supposed to breathe. You could try a regular dive shop, they replace
the gasgets in the dive suits, and I don't know that they would be
diffierent. You would want to check it out though because the paddling
exercise is much more vigourous than diving. Dive suits are tempting to
get, and more available, but I have talked to folks that got one to
start to avoid the expense of the paddle type, only to find out they
were way uncomfortable. Also be careful with one that has been setting
around, the UV can destroy the integrity of the material resulting in
blow outs which you don't need at critical times. HYY


Yeah, thanks, but I already figured that UV part out. Alas, the seals
seem to have gotten damaged due to rough handling, either when they were
tried on by some bozo who kept their shoes on or by someone handling the
suit roughly. Since there is no sun bleaching, nor the damage to the
latex that I would associate with UV (hairline cracks and stickyness), I
think that I got a pretty decent deal. :-)

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://kayaker.nl/