Am I Crazy. Kodiak to dry suit.

[pwsf]

Hi, I have a Pinnacle Kodiak with a broken zipper. Used 4 times so it is like new. I have a new dry suit zipper from an old dry suit repair i gave up on. Also have the valves from this old suit. Am I crazy to convert this Kodiak into a dry suit? I am not interested in the economics of this decision ( I have a long history of wasting $$ on stupid ideas and am comfortable with this hat ). What would not work with this idea?

 

[fjpatrum]

I may be wrong but I don't think just replacing the zipper will make that a dry suit. I don't think the suit is designed to be non-permeable, but just limits the amount of water flow inside the suit. Someone with more experience with semi-dry suits will be along shortly, I'm sure.

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

Hi, I have a Pinnacle Kodiak with a broken zipper. Used 4 times so it is like new. I have a new dry suit zipper from an old dry suit repair i gave up on. Also have the valves from this old suit. Am I crazy to convert this Kodiak into a dry suit? I am not interested in the economics of this decision ( I have a long history of wasting $$ on stupid ideas and am comfortable with this hat ). What would not work with this idea?

Your neck seal should seal as they use a roll and tuck system . Wrist seals are a compression seal , do something with the ankle seals and you may be on to something , good luck , I use to do those conversions twenty years ago myself , keep us posted , photos if you got em

 

[diversteve]

Isn't the inherent idea behind a dry suit that it doesn't fit tight enough so that you can have an air layer between the suit and your body for insulation? If the Kodiak is the right size for you that may be difficult to achieve.

Although maybe it will work:

The Kodiak is the first suit to employ the unique Riri zipper. The Swiss-made Riri only allows water or air to pass under conditions in which a pressure imbalance exists. This means that the zipper is watertight when you remain at a relatively constant depth, and only allows water to enter/exit as necessary for proper equalization

So maybe that would work with your zipper also? Maintain a positive pressure in the suit and stay dry.

 

[pwsf]

Isn't the inherent idea behind a dry suit that it doesn't fit tight enough so that you can have an air layer between the suit and your body for insulation? If the Kodiak is the right size for you that may be difficult to achieve.

Although maybe it will work:

maybe that would work with your zipper also? Maintain a positive pressure in the suit and stay dry.

This has been my issue also. I think I will give up on this idea. The zippers on the ankles are a design issue to seal as well as your fears. I have found a company to replace this zipper with a regular wet suit zipper and I think this is the rout I will take. Thanks for all the info and opinions to all that have posted.

 

[stilldivin]

I had someone put a drysuit zipper on my Kodiak semi-drysuit and though it did not make it into a drysuit, it's a lot warmer because there is no longer cold water coming through the zipper. The person who did it no longer will do this job because it took more than than he estimated. It does work, though it's a bit tight pulling off the top section over your head after a dive.