Found a cheap way to fix leaking neck seal without replacing the whole suit

My old Viking suit started leaking around the neck seal last month during a 30 foot dive. I tried patching it with rubber cement but it just peeled off after two dives. Then a guy I work with told me to try using a bicycle inner tube patch kit with the vulcanizing compound. So I sanded the area, applied the patch, and let it sit for 12 hours. That fix has held for 6 dives now with zero leaks. Has anyone else tried something besides a full seal replacement?

2 comments

2 Comments

alex_taylor105d agoOG Member

30 foot dive? that's not even deep enough to worry about a neck seal leak. you coulda just kept diving and wrung the water out after, the air in your suit pushes it out anyway. those bicycle patches might hold for a while but when the rubber drys out and cracks from being folded up all the time you're gonna have a mess worse than a slow leak. i just replace the seal outright every two years and never have to think about it again.

benflores5d ago

yeah that whole "just patch it and keep going" mindset is exactly how people treat everything these days. put a bandaid on it, don't think about the real problem. i see it with cars, with houses, with phone screens. everyone wants the cheapest quick fix that lasts just long enough to get them through the warranty. but then you're dealing with dried out rubber cracking at the worst possible time, like 80 feet down when you can't just swim up and fix it. two years is smart, i do the same with my suit seals. replace them on a schedule, not when they fail. saves you the headache and the cold water surprise.