Snowbee waders/Aquasure glue

I got a set of snowbee neopreone chest waders the summer before last with in the year they were leaking. I found the patch repair kit didn't fix it for me. Finally had a good look at the waders recently and seam around the crotch section had tiny holes all along it. I can't say I'm to impressed after seeing this.

I managed to fix it with aquasure glue all along the seam. I'd recommend this to anyone with a leak in their waders good stuff. Has to be kept in the freezer after opening or goes solid.

Donagh

hey Donagh,
How abrasive is that crotch of urs!!!!

I guess they just weren't designed for the more endowed man.

Donagh

Iv gone through 2 pairs of them in 4 years because of the same problem.
Never again :x

Thanks Coaster. Its good to know it's not a one off and I won't be buying these again.

Donagh

My shakespheres did the same thing...


Going to give the Glue ago.. good tip.

must try it myself, i was gonna order a new pair and all!!!
another problem is the inner sock in the boot, it keeps turning in side out inside my chesties when i take them off and can be a real pain to get your foot back in again, any one got any quick fire solutions to the problem??

supprised noone thought of silicone sealer... if yu need to water proof something bang a dolop of silicone over it and there you go..

Got a pair of snowbees six months old and they've just developed the same problem around the crotch area. Where can I get this aquasure stuff?

Paul

My mate had a pair rip around those stitched seams too. Went to Peter Horne in Cork to get some aquasure and he told him to just use 2 part epoxy. hasn't had a problem since...

Liam

Beware of using silicone sealant :!: Be careful with this stuff as some types use an aggressive chemical (acetic acid) to cure which may leave you with a very nasty irritation, or chemical burn if you get back into your waders before the curing process is completely finished.

You wouldn't want to have to vist your doctor or hospital with a nasty dose of chemicaly induced crotch rot :oops:

Besides, silicones are not a good choice for fixing neoprene waders (or wetsuits) as they do not form a particularly strong bond and can inhibit the effective performance of more suitable bonding/sealing agents applied at a later date.

Aquasure is a good product to use.

Tip: For a fast, effective and neat application, clean the area to be sealed with Cotol-240. Cotol-240 also acts as an accelerant for Aquasure. Thin the Aquasure with Cotol-240 and apply to effected seams. Leave to dry overnight if possible so that residues can evaporate. The use of Cotol-240 is not essential but it speeds up the curing process from around 12 hours to approx. 2hrs.

Better to stick to propriety products designed specifically for the task.

E.L.

PS Don't know why the word acid appears with the i replaced by * :?:

Same thing happened to my waders, a real pain.

PS Don't know why the word ac*d appears with the i replaced by *

The forum has the facility to scan for a list of words which the administrator can set. One of the options is to replace all or parts of those words. Since we have juniors about, we handle drug-related terms by replacing one of the characters with an asterisk.

BTW, silicone sealant does release acetic acid as it cures - it's only vinegar by any other name. As you'll note from the tube, silicone generally cures in 24-48 hours depending on temperature (the boiling point of acetic acid is 17 degrees centigrade, if I remember my chemistry) so it should all have evaporated in that time. It's not a good sealant for anything that moves, like wader seams, so a product designed specifically for this purpose would be a better bet. There are a number of different products of this type about - happened to spot one on the Veals site yesterday. I'm sure most decent tackle or outdoor shops will have something suitable.

Sandman, vinegar is indeed a form of acetic acid: very dilute (approx. 5%) and quite harmless under normal circumstances. However, the acetic acid found in some forms of silicone sealant as a by-product of the curing process is of a much higher concentration which is corrosive and can not only irritate skin but may cause moderate chemical burns on prolonged exposure. There is also a risk of dermatitis from acute skin exposure to such acetic acid.

To correct a point, the melting point of acetic acid (glacial) is 16.7 degrees C. Theboiling point is 118 degrees C but these figures will not have a significant bearing on the levels of residual acetic acid present in the silicone sealant after the recommended curing time.

While most of the acetic acid in the silicone sealant will have evaporated within 24 hrs thereby significantly reducing the risk of chemical burns to the skin, under moist and warm conditions silicone sealant may continue to leach acetic acid in sufficient concentrations to cause irritation of skin in close contact with the sealant. The warm, moist conditions found in neoprene waders would produce conditions where waders with seams recently treated with silicone sealant (especially in area of crotch and thighs) could cause irritation of sensitive skin.

As you pointed out, silicone sealant is not a good sealant for flexible surfaces and because of its poor adhesion to neoprene, it is not recommended for sealing the seams or repairing waders (as well as for reasons described above)


E.L.