Kokatat Dry Suit Neck Gasket Repair

[@brianjudd2801]

Super thorough!~

[@powhoundus]

Beautiful work. I was wondering when you need to replace your Aquaseal glued gasket in a few years, do you use the same iron / heat removal technique as you do for factory glue? If you happen to have, or know someone with a bandsaw, that is *the tool* for cutting a nice perfectly round foam block (pre-traced of course). When a smooth surface matters (not here I guess because of taping the outer surface) use a fine blade or the backside of the blade cuts minicell almost as fast as the blade with a very smooth finish. Also being able to use the backside of the blade makes angle cuts on large pieces easier.

[@georgemorcom9700]

Very thorough and nice looking repair. I am wanting to replace ankle gaskets with booties on Gore Tex Kokatat drysuit. Suggestions on form for that and where to get silicon bands. Thanks for a great video on this repair. Very well done!

[@powhoundus]

I would experiment with different size containers - drink bottles, etc - to find the right diameter. Once you have the correct size I would just do an Amazon search or Google silicone bands until you find the right size. May have to get a couple different sizes to get it right but these bands are 9 inch and the diameter of the block is 9 inch so maybe length of band same as diameter or an inch less is a good start. I’m thinking of doing the same technique (down to fabric) for my next wrist cuff replacement.

[@georgemorcom9700]

Thanks so much! I’ll definitely check that out.

[@explorermike19]

Where do you get those perfect sized silicon bands?

[@oregonboatingfoundation]

There is a link to them on Amazon in the description. amzn.to/3rUFNi9

[@reedcarlman8008]

What are the dimensions of your foam core?

[@oregonboatingfoundation]

We use a 9" radius circular foam core that is 4" thick for the neck gasket. Doesn't hurt to cut it slightly larger just in case. The packing tape around it prevents the AquaSeal from sticking to it the foam.

[@davidGrainger]

@@oregonboatingfoundation This is by far the most professional and thorough tutorial I've seen! I think you meant 9" *diameter* (not radius) unless you're working on the Incredible Hulk's dry suit🙂 I've found getting the diameter of the foam core to be the most difficult part of this job, because the area of the suit the seal glues on to and the area of the seal where the glue goes is actually cone shaped, not cylindrical, so it's easy to get the foam too small, which results in wrinkles in the bottom edge of the joint. To enlarge the diameter of a foam core that's too small I've wrapped the edge with a band of 1/4" neoprene, then covered the neoprene with packing tape so the Aquaseal doesn't stick to it.

[@oregonboatingfoundation]

@@davidGrainger Yep, we meant diameter. Best bet is to cut the foam to about 9-1/2" diameter and then shave it down as needed. As you said, it's hard to make it bigger if you cut it too small, but pretty easy to shave it down if needed. A woodworking rasp works really well with that kind of foam for shaping and fine tuning.