Leak Testing A Drysuit

My motto is “If your paddle ain’t breaking against the water, it’s still paddling season.” Here on the West Coast the ocean never freezes, so sea kayaking is always in season. However, the water does get uncomfortably – potentially fatally – cold. So with summer fading into fall, it was time to stow my wetsuit, dig out my drysuit, and test it for leaks.

With a bit of gauze wrapped 'round my head I could go as "The Mummy" for Halloween.

I picked a dry day (it’s hard to spot leaks in the rain) and headed out to the backyard. After laying the suit out on a tarp to protect it from grit and debris, I turned it inside out. This makes it much easier to pinpoint leaks that could be concealed by flaps, cuffs, and waistbands.

Next, I plugged the wrist gaskets with pop cans, making sure the gaskets covered the cans over the widest possible bands for the most watertight seal.

My drysuit has built-in socks. If it had ankle gaskets, I’d plug them with larger stew or juice cans. If the fit of any can were a bit loose, I’d snug the gasket with a few wraps of electrical tape. It comes off easily without tearing the seals or gumming them up. I wouldn’t leave the cans in place for extended periods though – they can stretch out the gaskets.

The final step was to reach in through the neck and close the entry zipper. Then came the fun part – I inserted a garden hose into the neck, used one hand to bunch the gasket around it, and turned on the tap. The drysuit ballooned into a weird white humanoid shape as it filled. I could have cinched the neck seal around the hose with a handkerchief while I inspected the suit from neck to toes, on top and underneath, but instead I recruited my long suffering spouse to help me.

brushing grit and corrosion off the teeth

As it turned out, the only leak was at the closed end of the entry zipper. With the suit turned back outside out, closer inspection revealed tiny green flecks of corrosion between the zipper teeth. First, I cleaned and lubed the zipper.

just a subtle sheen of Vaseline

Next, I used a Q-tip to place a tiny daub of Vaseline on the end stopper of the zip, to make a better seal against the slider. (Too much Vaseline will just trap sand and grit. Make sure not to let the Vaseline touch any gaskets – it eats latex.)

When I have found pinhole leaks in the fabric on previous drysuits, I’ve circled them with waterproof marker, thoroughly dried the suit, and then applied a thin layer of Aquaseal. Putting the Aquaseal on the inside seems to provide a more waterproof seal with better grip and durability. Plus, it prevents that unattractive “perma-snot” patch look on the outside of your suit.

Maintenance complete, it was back to the yard for a second round of testing. Success! No leaks. Now I can paddle confident that should I swim, the water will stay where it belongs, on the outside of the suit.