superhydrophic coating on wetsuit

[WetSEAL]

Has anyone tried using spray on superhydrophobic coatings to their wetsuit?

eg,
Rust-Oleum® NeverWet® Fabric Water Repelling Treatment

The coating may not last forever, but I'm thinking it might be a simple way to turn your wetsuit into a drysuit for enhanced thermal protection and reduced drag with no downsides

 

[WetSEAL]

just found a paper that seems to support my hypothesis for the drag aspect:
Fabricating an Air-Retaining Surface on outer Surface of Wetsuit by In-Situ Synthesis of Silica Nanoparticles : Oriental Journal of Chemistry

 

[broncobowsher]

Not going to make a drysuit out of it. Drysuit has an air pocket and the air is what gives the insulation properties. You will still be wet, you will still be in a wetsuit.

 

[WetSEAL]

Not going to make a drysuit out of it. Drysuit has an air pocket and the air is what gives the insulation properties. You will still be wet, you will still be in a wetsuit.

By definition a superhydrophic coating will retain a thin bubble of air around it when it is submerged because the water cannot touch it. That's exactly why I called it a "drysuit"...because you would stay completely dry.

I have not tested it for prolonged periods or significant depths, but when I coated my boot, I could completely submerge it in shallow water and it would remain dry

 

[northernone]

By definition a superhydrophic coating will retain a thin bubble of air around it when it is submerged because the water cannot touch it. That's exactly why I called it a "drysuit"...because you would stay completely dry.

I have not tested it for prolonged periods or significant depths, but when I coated my boot, I could completely submerge it in shallow water and it would remain dry

I think what is meant, while the wetsuit may be "dry" without a neck seal and wrist seals, our body inside the suit will still get wet. Coating the spray thick enough to form waterproof seals between the suit and our skin would be unlikely.

Cameron

 

[tbone1004]

what Cameron said.
Wetsuits are typically constructed in 3 layers, outer fabric, neoprene, inner fabric. On spearfishing type wetsuits the inner fabric is not there.
Unless your suit has a hole in it, there is no transfer of water through the neoprene. Any water that comes in contact with your skin came through the zipper, or the ankle/neck/wrist seals.
Waterproofing the exterior fabric will help to minimize evaporative cooling at the surface, make it dry out faster prior to getting in the car, etc. but it isn't going to turn a wetsuit into a drysuit

 

[kelemvor]

Huh.. I'd always wondered if there was any significant difference in "spearfishing" wetsuits other than the colors. Do you know if the same holds true for surfing wetsuits?

 

[tbone1004]

Huh.. I'd always wondered if there was any significant difference in "spearfishing" wetsuits other than the colors. Do you know if the same holds true for surfing wetsuits?

some yes, others no. If it says open cell, it doesn't have the inner lining. Dano @MAKO Spearguns can elaborate more on the nuances of those. I don't own/dive any of them, so I'm not fully in tune on them, just know they're warmer but a lot harder to put on

 

[WetSEAL]

Good points guys! Though I do think it wouldnt help prevent water from entering through the zippers and wrist and ankle seems where the suit overlaps with gloves and boots.

 

[tbone1004]

Good points guys! Though I do think it wouldnt help prevent water from entering through the zippers and wrist and ankle seems where the suit overlaps with gloves and boots.

it will not help in that area. There are no "seals" so water will still migrate over time. Nothing you can do to stop that