addressing shoulder wear on wetsuit

[pmcaero]

The shoulder areas on my 3:2 seem to have gotten quite thin. I have some aquaseal and apparently it can be used on an area to strengthen it, but from my experience with fixing cracks in booties with it, and from my general lack of experience with using the product, I'm afraid I would end up with an region that is too thick, thus restraining movement and and also putting more stress on the surrounding material.
Any thoughts?

[Jimi]

I've got the same problem on my old 3:2 as well - just a question - is yours a front zip? I've never had the shoulders stretch too badly on a back zip but my front zip suit now lets water through both shoulders!!

I've never tried re-sealing, but I'd love to know how you go if you try it!

[pmcaero]

It's a back zip. I don't think Aquaseal will do the trick, so I'll stick with using it on cracks at seams.

[pmcaero]

don't use Aquaseal

[Glide]

Sorry to hear you are having shoulder problems with your wetsuit. That area is pretty thin on a 3/2. Most of the time the shoulders wear out do to hanging your wetsuit on a shoulder hanger. Sometimes the shoulders wear out do to the wetsuit being very tight in the shoulder area. Years ago I would take my wetsuit to the repair place and they would add lite-weight reinforcement to the damaged area. You could do this. I use the HangPro SlideHanger to hang my wetsuit from the waist. My shoulders never wear out. I use it on all my wetsuits including my spring suit and jacket. I invented the SlideHanger.
Glide

[pmcaero]

I'm gonna resurrect this thread as I just bought a lightly used Rip Curl wetsuit and noticed, but only on the inside of one shoulder, what looks like lint almost separating from the material.

Why would this happen only on one shoulder? My first Rip Curl wetsuit also had uneven shoulder wear, but now I know it wasn't me.

[jaffa1949]

Occam's razor would suggest it is your shoulder that is the common factor!
Another brand would verify or otherwise!

[pmcaero]

I have not worn the second Rip Curl wetsuit at all, like ever!

Someone else has worn it and not too much, it looks almost brand new otherwise.

I'm thinking is some design flaw with Rip Curl wetsuits.

[oldgrom22]

Pmcaero, it may also be that the person who wore it got the velcro caught on the inside of the shoulder. My wetsuit looks like that due to the velcro, it's limited to one side as it's the side that keeps getting caught when I put the wetsuit on and off. Might not be the same issue, but worth consideration.

I'm finding issues more and more with durabilty on wetsuits these days. Most of my crew are having similar issues w/ different brands. Seems flexibility is replacing durability on low/mid tier wetties these days and I'm afraid to pull the trigger on a high end just to have it wear out within a season or two. When I first started, my Ripcurl Dawn patrol(entry level) lasted 3 seasons before I had to replace it. Now it seems I'm shopping for a new wetsuit every season. I do feel my chest zip wore out quicker on the shoulder/neck area so I am currently only shopping for backzips these days.

[waikikikichan]

You can blame it a bit on "planned obsolescence", since if a product last 10 years, you won't be buying one again for 10 years. ( same thing in Shimano bicycle components and Macbooks that the Genius bar won't touch if it's "vintage" ) But more so on Quality vs. Quantity. I rather feel unrestricted for a fast paddle and turning mobility than a suit that's last longer but stiff. A lot of you don't remember the beaver-tail rubber suits that forced your arms straight out to the sides.

FullSizeRender.jpg (75.03 KiB) Viewed 2396 times

I'm wearing a Ripcurl F-Bomb 3/2, zip-free.

On a side note, it's funny people want a wetsuit to be super durable and last long, but dis on molded epoxy boards that are cheaper than "high performance" carbon wiz-bang. They spend big bucks on their boards but not their wetsuits. My recommendation is always get the best wetsuit you can afford.

[OlegLupusov]

I got a cut on my wetsuit shoulder and fixed it with cement and some patches. So far, so good. But only one session. I hope it will survive 10-20 sessions.

[OlegLupusov]

Here is a pic

[jaffa1949]

Oleg's mighty wetsuit repair business takes off with a good foundation.

c5d3be4297e3ab1fcc0700a664a8b693.jpg (36.96 KiB) Viewed 2201 times

[LxS]

@ waikikikichan - what size of board would those boards be? By the leash, it looks like a longboard, but I'm curious on the actual size!

[PutKettleOn]

I've had shoulder wear in the past and have got it in my current suit, so looking for a fix if anyone has one. I'm thinking a graft/patch.

Problem: The shoulder wear I'm talking about is when the neoprene turns to dust and you are left with just the inner and outer layers of thin stretchy (like a rash vest) material. In my experience it happens after 3-5 seasons, that's with probably above average use. You don't see it in cheap wetsuits because they fail at the seams before the shoulder becomes a problem. Also high end suits use lower density neoprene that is mostly air and so probably less durable(?) I've had it happen in 3 wetsuits and have seen it in other suits down at the beach. I never use a shoulder hanger. I've had it happen with back and chest zip suits. I have normal shoulders!

Cause: I reckon when you put your suit on in a hurry and don't pull the legs and wait up high enough then you squeeze into the shoulders. This puts all the tension in the shoulder material, just because this was the last bit of the suit to go on. It will slacken when water gets inside but that can be a long time or not at all with semi-dry suits and you are kitesurfing.

The Fix:
The area is about 3x3" right on top of each shoulder. I'm thinking a patch of new, thin neoprene on the inside. Only glue the edges and feather them so that it gives a stronger bond and has no ridge. Gluing the whole patch would make it too rigid and put too much pressure on the surrounding area.

My current suit is 2013 Rip Curl Flash Bomb 6/5/4 chest zip, so coming up to season 5 which I reckon is a good/ok life but the seams and rest of the suit (apart from the crap Rip Curl zips if you know them) are in great condition so it seems a shame to bin the suit just because of the shoulders. Has anyone tried the patch fix for shoulder wear?

[PutKettleOn]

Just noticed a lot of mention of Rip Curl in previous posts. I dont think this is a rip curl problem. The other suits I had it with were Oneill Psycho 2 and a cheaper Oneill suit.

[OlegLupusov]

My experience suggests applying cement to the whole surface. Only corners won't be enough.
It also could a good idea to stretch the sleeve over smth. A big bottle or can.

[saltydog]

I see taking a shot now and then is a part of this how-to:lol: