Leaking waders

Fri May 03, 2013 9:18 am

Hi lads,received a pair of rapala breathable waders from a neighbour of mine for free the only problem is they are leaking badly on one leg. just wondering is there anybody in cork area that can fix these or am I wasting my time.i heard of aqua seal and finding the holes with flashlight and so on but truth is I'd rather pay some one to fix them who knows what they are doing.thanks In advance.

Re: Leaking waders

Fri May 03, 2013 5:49 pm

Fill the bath and get as much air into the waders as ye can then seal the opening with your hand push the waders under water and mark where ye see bubbles ,same as fixing a puncture on a bike,then get some aquasure or similar stuff and cover the hole inside and out ,the seams can be a bit awkward to fix but ill figure it out,professional repairs are great but are the waders worth the money ?

Re: Leaking waders

Sat May 11, 2013 10:28 pm

If you want to fix leaking waders use blackwitch you can get it in any surf shop or on magicseaweed.com

I use it to patch up my wet suits when they get a hole or tare so I would recommend it for leaks.

Its really stretchy too so it wont tare...

Re: Leaking waders

Sun May 12, 2013 10:14 am

filling the bath and looking for air bubbles seems a very awkward way of doing it. much easier to turn the waders inside out, pour some water in and look for the damp spots/leak. seal with whatever sealent u like

Re: Leaking waders

Sun May 12, 2013 10:41 am

A few months ago i had this problem, a fishing buddy gave me this advice . Put them on, get in the shower and fill them up, use a waterproof marker to mark the spots where the holes are, dry them and seal them :) happy to say it works and easier than looking for air bubbles.

Re: Leaking waders

Sun May 12, 2013 10:58 am

If the seam is torn or a big hole ,you could stretch the seams which would make the damage worse,if you can figure out the general area where the water is coming in it dosent take long to find the bubbles ,the last time I repaired a leak I use the kitchen sink,I was also able to keep the insides fairly dry,it's not that awkward ,I just didn't think that stretching the waders from the insides would be good for the seams,but its up to you

Re: Leaking waders

Sun May 12, 2013 1:32 pm

My way of testing for a leak in a chest wader

Items required
1 dish of soapy water
1 sponge
1 felt pen
1 large football
1 cloths line

Hang up the waders and push the ball down the suspect leg this will compress the air in the leg. Soak it liberally with the soapy water and look for the bubbles. This may have to be repeated more than once as you may have more than 1 leak. Mark the area around the bubbles with the pen. Dry the waders with a hair dryer. When you are happy it is dry enough apply the sealer of your choice.

Re: Leaking waders

Sun May 12, 2013 3:25 pm

A few years ago just filled the legs of mine with water from the hose and squeezed the top. Water gushing everywhere and they were beyond repair.
Now my stocking foot waders are leaking at the seam of wader/neoprane so i reckon its time for another new pair:evil:

Re: Leaking waders

Sun May 12, 2013 10:01 pm

i have tried a few methods over the years but the easiest method so far has been this method.

fill a used spray bottle with some soapy water.
go to a garage and use the tyre air line to fill the waders with air and spray the outside of them with the soapy water.
hey presto. where your leaks are, a load of bubbles will appear.
circle the areas with chalk and do the repairs at home :P

Re: Leaking waders

Sun May 12, 2013 10:59 pm

Thanks a lot lads was not expecting so many posts, is the fishing that bad :lol: will let ye know how I got on will be trying during the week.

Re: Leaking waders

Mon May 13, 2013 12:40 am

thecatcher wrote:Thanks a lot lads was not expecting so many posts, is the fishing that bad :lol: will let ye know how I got on will be trying during the week.


No problem with the fishing. Out this afternoon 7 casts 7 bass in 80 minutes and not a bite for the next 2 hours. 8)

Re: Leaking waders

Mon May 13, 2013 10:25 am

donal domeney wrote:
thecatcher wrote:Thanks a lot lads was not expecting so many posts, is the fishing that bad :lol: will let ye know how I got on will be trying during the week.


No problem with the fishing. Out this afternoon 7 casts 7 Bass in 80 minutes and not a bite for the next 2 hours. 8)


lets hope its similar this evening for me. i never seem to mind getting a wet sock when its from releasing fish :lol: :lol:

Re: Leaking waders

Tue May 14, 2013 8:55 am

bigsod in the shower filling them up with warm water lol! imagine the mot arriving home to find ya doing that :lol: :lol: :lol: all you would need was orange hair and you would look like a giant umpa lumpa :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: Leaking waders

Tue May 14, 2013 9:04 am

roger de dodger wrote:bigsod in the shower filling them up with warm water lol! imagine the mot arriving home to find ya doing that :lol: :lol: :lol: all you would need was orange hair and you would look like a giant umpa lumpa :lol: :lol: :lol:


There goes my cream doughnut into the bin :lol: :lol: