Gasket Repair

For those interested in using this technique on kokatat drysuits: I just did my Kokatat Expedition Drysuit using a 9.5-inch diameter neck form and 2 4-inch wrist forms. That way, I swapped all three gaskets at once and saved time. Worked great. Cheers.

[@psteehler]

Thank you so much for everything. I bought your gasket at Alder Creek in Portland, cut the mini cell and the whole process took me about 30 minutes.

[@michaelkellymcleod1793]

A friend who works at a shop suggested that I use a sharpened pencil to spread the Aquaseal. I first tried gooping the Aquaseal with a small brush and then went to the pencil method. It was hands down a better method. You can be so much more precise.

[@NRSWEB]

Thanks for the comment/question MyPlayboat. Our repair techs sometimes use 9.5" forms for Kokatat items. It sounds like their material might have less stretch than ours, and/or have a narrower opening. So you may need to shave your form down just a little. Thanks again for the question.

[@ChrisBaerWhereIs]

Actually kokatat mounts the gasket while flat like they are intended to. Using a cylinder puts unnecessary stress on the gasket

[@kimcarter6134]

Question. I am replacing neck gasket for second time. First replacement peeled off rather easily from original two inch strip of original gasket. However there is a film of old aqua seal on it. Can I sand and acetone , then apply new acquaseal to original gasket remnant. Will it adhere?

[@NRSWEB]

Hi Kim, Thank you for your question. You want to start by peeling off as much of the old Aquaseal as possible before sanding or using wire brush. Sandpaper will work to remove old loose glue but a wire brush works better. Next you want to reactivate the old Aquaseal with acetone. While the old glue is still tacky you can to apply your fresh coat of Aquaseal. Make sure to allow the new Aquaseal plenty of time to cure before flipping down the new gasket. If you wait too long and the glue dries you can reactivate with acetone. The most important step that often gets skipped are seam lines. Seam lines are crucial to help keep the new gasket from peeling up. If you have more questions feel free to give us a call at 877-677-4327. We have also made a new version of this video that might answer a few more questions. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6WZnGScZbyJr68

[@kimcarter6134]

Great! Thanks so much!

[@kitbarton7700]

I do not plan on mixing Cotol with my Aquaseal. If using only Aquaseal, do I still just wait 30 minutes after applying before sealing the new and old gaskets together? Or do I need to wait longer since the dry time increases without Cotol. Thanks for the video.

[@NRSWEB]

You might have to wait longer. The drying time varies with weather. The knuckle test is the best way to tell if the glue is dry enough. Seamgrip will probably be a better option for you. Because it's thinner than Aquaseal its easier to spread with a brush.

[@jungsomewhat]

good info thanks ...

[@peterjansen6207]

where can i buy the foam you mensioned in the film

[@GeraldFrownyPants]

Do NRS dry suits and tops have a stretchier fabric than kokatat? I made a 10" minicell circle, but it won't fit the neck at all.

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

I have an NRS Triton and I had the same issue. The reason is it has an extra layer of neck - like a turtleneck almost. It was impossible to get anything more than about 8.5 inches through. However, at 8.5 inches, it was too small to do the neck gasket. What I opted to do instead was I cut the old gasket about 2 inches up from the seem. Then worked the neck over a 9 1/4+ inch round (I used an old popcorn tin), but I worked it from the top down, rather than up through the neck. This allowed me to get the circumference for the gasket that was actually larger than the material of the 'turtleneck'... If that made any sense, it will help. It totally worked and my suit looks like it has a brand new, professionally installed neck gasket! Took me about an hour. Mostly because I had to figure out I had to come down from the outside instead of up through the inside... :)