bluesbro1982
Contributor
Guys:
So, whilst surfing around trying to finish building my gear kit, I come across a guy with an atlan drysuit (made by typhoon - UK) which he says has a slight leak "in either the seam tape around the zipper or the tape around the inflator" (His words, not mine) He claims the wrist and neck seals are in good shape, but that the suit hasn't been used in about a year and probably just needs a bit of tlc. Suit is back-zip, no p-valve but has latex seals and is trilam with no patches or other work on it. I'd install a p-valve no matter what if I get it, which means it will be going to a shop anyways...
I'm going over to his place sunday to check out the fit of the suit and condition, and he wants to sell for $400, including some undergarments and extras.
Questions:
1: Assuming it fits, does anyone know a place that would do drysuit repairs in LA, or a place where I can get instructions on how to re-seam the suit? How hard is it to do these repairs and to leak-test a suit? is this a common problem with drysuits that everyone deals with sooner or later?
2: Worst case scenario of replacing the zipper, seam tape and / or the inflator seals, how much of a repair bill am I looking at?
3: Based on past experiences, once a suit starts leaking, is it like a used car that will give you nothing but trouble? Would anyone else bite at this offer having had a past "fixer-upper" suit experience?
4: What other "gotchas" should I be looking for? I've done as much research as i can on this, but if there are any "kick-the-tires" suggestions anyone has, I'd be very grateful.
Keep in mind, I'm just out of college, thus the used equipment. If I can dive dry for a bit more than double what a 7mm would cost, I'm all in for it, even with a couple hundred invested in a repair. however, if this is going to become the ultimate lemon experience every time I dive, no thanks I'll go wet and suffer until I can buy a new DUI or bare or something. I just don't have the cash to blow $400 on a longshot. I'll place the 6 and 8, but none of the horn bets or hardways at 10 for 1...
Any and all comments and opinions welcome, but please don't try to snipe me on the suit, thats just mean...
So, whilst surfing around trying to finish building my gear kit, I come across a guy with an atlan drysuit (made by typhoon - UK) which he says has a slight leak "in either the seam tape around the zipper or the tape around the inflator" (His words, not mine) He claims the wrist and neck seals are in good shape, but that the suit hasn't been used in about a year and probably just needs a bit of tlc. Suit is back-zip, no p-valve but has latex seals and is trilam with no patches or other work on it. I'd install a p-valve no matter what if I get it, which means it will be going to a shop anyways...
I'm going over to his place sunday to check out the fit of the suit and condition, and he wants to sell for $400, including some undergarments and extras.
Questions:
1: Assuming it fits, does anyone know a place that would do drysuit repairs in LA, or a place where I can get instructions on how to re-seam the suit? How hard is it to do these repairs and to leak-test a suit? is this a common problem with drysuits that everyone deals with sooner or later?
2: Worst case scenario of replacing the zipper, seam tape and / or the inflator seals, how much of a repair bill am I looking at?
3: Based on past experiences, once a suit starts leaking, is it like a used car that will give you nothing but trouble? Would anyone else bite at this offer having had a past "fixer-upper" suit experience?
4: What other "gotchas" should I be looking for? I've done as much research as i can on this, but if there are any "kick-the-tires" suggestions anyone has, I'd be very grateful.
Keep in mind, I'm just out of college, thus the used equipment. If I can dive dry for a bit more than double what a 7mm would cost, I'm all in for it, even with a couple hundred invested in a repair. however, if this is going to become the ultimate lemon experience every time I dive, no thanks I'll go wet and suffer until I can buy a new DUI or bare or something. I just don't have the cash to blow $400 on a longshot. I'll place the 6 and 8, but none of the horn bets or hardways at 10 for 1...
Any and all comments and opinions welcome, but please don't try to snipe me on the suit, thats just mean...