dry top latex gaskets

[painterbob]

are they all the same, or are different brands thicker?? anyone have any input......

[SharkAttack]

They all will strangle you & make your head feel like a pimple ready to pop!

[LARAMY]

Something odd happened to me when recently buying a drytop. I ordered a size (L) from a company and when I received it I took the tag off which said (L) but when I looked inside, stamped on the neck gasket in white was an [M]. I called the company and they said to send it back and apologized. They were out of stock now so I ordered another size (L) from NRS, took off the (L) tag on the outside, looked inside-same thing; Medium stamp on the gasket. By this point I'm aggravated. I call NRS and tell them the situation. What they explained to me was though they make drytops in XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, the gaskets only come in a few sizes therefore a few size tops can share the same gasket. They said that even if you used the sizing chart to determine your size, you still may have to size up if you have a large neck. Or head.

[painterbob]

anyone ever replace any?

[okieboater]

Yup, wrist and ankle gasket replacement is pretty easy. Just cut off the old ones, either make a form out of gray foam or find a can. clean, put the gaskets on so you can apply glue to the fabric and latex then fold over the gaskets and let dry. the key part is putting the gaskets on so when you fold them over they are right side out.

Necks are a different matter. I have done necks before and made a form. It worked but was not very good looking - due to me putting on way too much glue and getting runs. I recently purchased a neck form from Kayak Academy but have not used it. Kayak Academy told me they have different sized neck and arm and ankle gaskets but I have not purchased them. Probably will if I decide to replace more gaskets.

Bottom line, if you take your time, find or build the proper form, you can replace gaskets your self and save some money.

However, it is very easy to mess up. Sending the outfit in to a professional is much more expensive, but results are guaranteed.

[painterbob]

is it better to leave some of the old latex on? looks to be solid to re-attach to? i mean the gasket material that is glued to the suite.. seems to be really glued down good? and i think i can save enough of a lip to make a good seal too, or is that where my "new seal rips" ? ......and i'm back to square 1.

[okieboater]

All the research I have made sez if the original latex is still looking good, you can trim down to the edge and just glue to the latex. I have never done this because I have always been able to carefully pick off most of the old latex and glue residue.

On all the gaskets I have done, I have carefully scraped off all the latex I could until it was mostly just the fabric. I just cut off the old latex close to the edges as I could and just pulled and scraped away with a pocket knife blade, till I got all the old latex off.

I never had a home made gasket replacement rip off or tear.

The hardest part is to not put too much glue on the replacement area. You want good coverage but not so much it runs down. I have used painter's blue/brown masking tape to keep the glue off fabric and that has worked well.

Look around the web, NOC used to have a great how to on gasket replacement, I think Kokotat used to have information and Kayak Academy used to have a lot of how to info.

[painterbob]

hummmm,.... blue, and brown painter tape!.. might be able to find that ! thanks dave ! ..you are a wealth of information ! so now it's order time. and some diggin' around in my van.

[Matt'yak]

I have a hard time with the gaskets being way too small for me and have thought that after time would stretch....such is not the case so far. Would placing a tennis ball in the wrist area affect the seals at all?

[okieboater]

Lots of opinions yes and no on the stretching. So, make up your own mind. I have seen manufacturers say to only stretch and others recommend cutting only. I have never been able to only stretch gaskets and get a decent fit.

One school sez to stretch. I have done that and used different sized cans. Go to the pantry and find cans slightly larger than your wrist, ankle or neck. I like to be sure the latex is in a warm room and apply some 303. Stretch em out and leave them alone for at least a few days or a week or so.

One school sez to cut. All kinds of opinions here. I normally cut. It makes sense to me not to stretch too much and stress what ever latex is made up of at the molecular state. You gotta be real careful to make a smooth cut. Cut a very small amount and do not make any nicks as the nicks will be weak points. Some say to stretch the gasket over something and use a razor blade. I attempted this once and it did not work for me. So, I use sharp sissors.

I do not know this for sure but I think some gaskets will stretch and others will not. Guess there is different kinds of latex out there.

I have done some stretching and cutting. Never had any luck with just stretching. Have always had to cut. Be very carefull. On the neck latex there will be rings. Cut a ring at a time. On the wrist and ankle seals cut a narrow strip at a time. Most of these I have seen are conical shaped and a small cut goes a long way.

For me, I like my gaskets to be looser than real tight. I am also a big fan of 303. During the season I use it every week or so and always before I store the dry top or suit.

I will again warn against putting on a dry top or dry suit in cold weather. Latex does not handle stretching well in cold weather. Keep your dry suit or top in the warm car till you put it on or warm them up with your hands or in your tent on trips. Carefully stretch gaskets as you put the garment on. I have split an almost brand new gasket that had 303 on it one cold morning.

[Butch Crain]

I'm stretching the wrists with a couple of baseballs and the neck with a camp aluminum plate. You can adjust either to a variety of diameters and both look to be good for trimming against if the gaskets need to be cut.