What to Know Before Repairing Your Wetsuit with Adhesive Yourself
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Before you repair your wetsuit yourself with adhesive
When a wetsuit tears, many people first think, "Maybe I can fix it myself with adhesive." For a small cut or a peeled bonded seam, adhesive can sometimes work as a temporary fix.
However, not every tear or leak can be fixed with adhesive alone. Depending on the location, fabric deterioration, how it tore, and past repair marks, self-repair can sometimes make the condition worse.
Before buying a replacement or fixing it yourself, it's important to first check the condition.
Symptoms to watch out for with adhesive repair
If you notice the following symptoms, it's safer to have it checked once before attempting self-repair.
- The tear is spreading
- Water enters through a hole
- The neck, wrists, or ankles are deteriorating
- High-movement areas such as the knees, crotch, or seat are torn
- Water enters around the zipper
- A spot previously fixed with adhesive has peeled off again
- The fabric has hardened
In particular, Semi-Dry and winter wetsuits are greatly affected in warmth when they leak. Even a small tear can lead to feeling cold in winter.
When you can fix it yourself, and when you should consult us
For a small surface scratch or a temporary emergency fix, using adhesive yourself is one option. However, in the following cases, it's better to have a specialty store check it.
- The tear goes through to the inside of the fabric
- Seams or bonded areas have peeled off
- The spot where water enters is clearly identifiable
- Areas that likely need part replacement, such as knee pads or the neck
- A wetsuit you want to keep using for a long time after repair
Applying too much adhesive can harden the fabric or make it harder for a craftsman to work on later. Rather than "just slapping it on," it's important to first look at how it tore and then decide.
Common failure examples
A common mistake in self-repair is looking only at the torn spot and overlooking the surrounding deterioration. Even if you close just the surface hole, if the surrounding fabric or bonded areas are weakened, water can enter from another spot.
- Applied adhesive, but it peeled off quickly
- The applied area hardened and became uncomfortable to wear
- The tear spread
- The spot where water enters just moved
- The repair became thick and looked bad
High-movement areas like the knees, crotch, sides, and shoulders may not withstand the load with simple bonding alone. In that case, backing reinforcement, fabric patching, or part replacement becomes necessary.
Deciding whether to repair or replace
It's not the case that every wetsuit should simply be repaired. If the whole fabric has hardened, or there is deterioration in multiple spots, repair costs rise and replacing it may be the better choice.
Conversely, for a small tear or partial deterioration, you may be able to keep using it with a repair instead of replacing it.
If you're unsure, the quickest way is to send a photo for us to check.
You can first check the condition with a photo
At our wetsuit repair specialty store, if you send photos via LINE, we can check whether it can be repaired and what repair method would likely be needed.
The photos we'd like you to send are as follows.
- A close-up photo of the torn area
- A full photo taken from a slight distance
- Photos of the front and back
- A photo showing where water enters
- Photos of areas of concern, such as the zipper, knees, or neck
Photos alone may not allow us to finalize an official price, but they make it easier to confirm the likelihood of repair and the general direction.
Before fixing it yourself, first check with a photo
If you have tears, holes, leaks, or peeled adhesive, please consult us once before self-repair. Depending on the condition, we'll check whether it can be repaired or whether replacement is better.