Repairing floatation suits

Does anyone have any ideas on how I could repair a few small tears on my suit to help waterproof it and to prevent the tear from spreading?Is it possible to sew the material? as the zip has torn away from the pants.What detergent can be used to clean the suit?

I only use soapy warm water for cleaning and as little as possible.

As for tears, the better option is to sew on a patch over the stitched tear, especially if it is a location that moves around and stretches a lot like at a joint. You probably got some spare suit material when you bought the suit - some of these are iron on like badges but you should also put in a few stitches as well. Not sure about the zip, reckon you should talk to a good seamstress - any repairs and alterations service near a dry cleaners will help.

FWIW

Thanks Kieran,I will check all the pockets for a repair patch.

if you can your hands on some aquasure ,most tackle shops have it , it's very tough and water-proof , you can either put it dirrectly onto the hole with a piece of tape as backing to stop the glue sticking to the lining ,or if you get a patch use it to glue on rather than stitching as sewing will cause more holes and will leak .

Sometimes its less bother to just go and buy a new suit. They are pretty cheap these days, at £50 to £60 or so.

i can imagine what a seamstress would tell ya if you walked into her shop with a floatation suit in a bag ,and it wouldnt be nice