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Drysuit gasket replacement

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blueswallow

Paddler
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
49
For a Kokatat drysuit, when replacing the gaskets, is it important to use Kokatat ones, or what brand would you recommend? Thanks
 
Timely thread as I was just browsing the Seaskin site.... They show both "standard" and "heavy duty" neck and wrist seals, and also neoprene neck seals they refer to as "diving style". Are any of these besides the "standard" suitable for paddling suits?

And as an aside, I see they also promote (and sell) talc to ease entry and prolong life. Does anyone talc their seals?
 
When ordering from Seaskin have you been hit with import charges? Do you order the "as they are" gaskets or the heat sealed option?
When replacing, looks like options are to completely remove existing gasket, or cut the existing gasket near the fabric and apply the new gasket to that.
Comments and recommendations please!
 
When ordering to the States, they remove the UK VAT but charge shipping. In the end, the price listed is about what it cost me. Took a few weeks to arrive.

I ordered regular gaskets (not heavy duty, not heat attachable). At their price, I generally order what I need plus a few extras as spares.

I have ordered and used the 2mm neoprene neck gaskets. If you want to swittch to neo neck gaskets, they are very good options.
 
In my experience of ordering MG car parts from the UK, you may or may not get hit with import charges. If it comes by post, more often than not, Canada Post doesn't bother with collecting tax and duty on items under $100. It can take 2 to 4 weeks to arrive if coming by post. If your order comes by courier you will have to pay courier charges, import duty and taxes.
 
Kayak Jim said:
Timely thread as I was just browsing the Seaskin site.... They show both "standard" and "heavy duty" neck and wrist seals, and also neoprene neck seals they refer to as "diving style". Are any of these besides the "standard" suitable for paddling suits?

And as an aside, I see they also promote (and sell) talc to ease entry and prolong life. Does anyone talc their seals?
Click to expand...
I've only bought and used the 'standard' latex gaskets from seaskin. They are very similar (identical?) to the LevelSix gaskets and heavier than the Kokatat ones I've had.
BTW, I bought a couple of pairs of the 'cone style' wrist gaskets and realized that I prefer the 'bottle' gaskets. At seaskin prices, not an expensive mistake! :)

Yes, I use talc on gaskets. I made up a fleece 'bag' to hold talc and just 'pat' the gaskets with that. It's nice on a trip when the gaskets can be damp in the morning. I don't know if we can get talc here in dive shops? I know that 'powder' from the drug store (baby powder, etc) is now cornstarch, not talc because of the (unfounded) concerns about asbestos contamination. NB: Do not breathe talc or apply internally! :)
 
blueswallow said:
When ordering from Seaskin have you been hit with import charges? Do you order the "as they are" gaskets or the heat sealed option?
When replacing, looks like options are to completely remove existing gasket, or cut the existing gasket near the fabric and apply the new gasket to that.
Comments and recommendations please!
Click to expand...
Blueswallow - I don't know where you are located, but ....
I've never had to pay sales taxes on a seaskin order, even when ordering as a 'group buy' with friends. But if the value got high enough, I expect I would. Seaskin ships by mail, so the Canada Post 'handling charge' if taxes were due wouldn't be very high.

I've only ordered 'bare' gaskets (without heat seal adhesive). If the part of the old gsket that's attached to the fabric is still OK, I trim and glue to that. I did one neck gasket where there were layers of old gaskets and glue (good field repair on a trip) that had to be removed, leaving the fabric. Aquaseal glued OK to the fabric.

I've posted this link before - I think the best and simplest method for neck gasket gluing is this one by the late Rick Franken, founder of Bomber Gear:
 
Mowog73 said:
It can take 2 to 4 weeks to arrive if coming by post.
Click to expand...
It takes a bit of faith- Seaskin doesn't send a bunch of 'progress emails' ("We have your order!!" "We are packing your order!!" "We have shipped your order!!", etc .... I order and pay and then eventually the package comes through the mail slot in the front door or gets left on the porch by Canada Post.
 
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Just received my order. 2 latex wrist seals, a neoprene neck seal and a set of retrofit suspenders. One month to the day, but the neoprene seals are made to order (apparently)
 

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JohnAbercrombie said:
I don't know if we can get talc here in dive shops? I know that 'powder' from the drug store (baby powder, etc) is now cornstarch, not talc because of the (unfounded) concerns about asbestos contamination. NB: Do not breathe talc or apply internally! :)
Click to expand...
Clearing out our garage, I came across my old duffel bag of SCUBA gear. Buried therein, a container of talc powder from the 1980s. Do I call in a HazMat team, or put it on eBay?
 
I had a devil of a time trying to find talc powder last fall, I wanted to use it on a tarp's urethane coating that had become sticky. None of the local stores carried actual talc powder anymore, it was all corn starch or the like. I ended up buying tire talc, which is used for lubricating a tire's inner tube.
 
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