How Much Does Wetsuit Repair Cost?
What actually drives the cost of a wetsuit repair, how our quoting works, and when repairing stops making financial sense.
The Wetsuit Repair Shack·
The bench · Ocean Grove
Almost always less than replacing the suit.
That is the short answer, and for most people it is the only one that matters. A mid range 4/3 steamer retails around $520 and a premium suit runs past $700. The overwhelming majority of repairs cost a small fraction of that.
Every repair we do has a fixed starting price. Final pricing may vary with the condition of the suit and the extent of the damage, and we offer discounted pricing when several repairs are done at the same time. Inspection and quoting are free. The current list, job by job, is always on the repairs page.
What this page also covers is the part a price list cannot tell you: what makes one repair cost more than another, how our quoting works, and how to tell when the maths stops working.
Tears
Tiered by length, which is why we measure rather than eyeball. The tiers run from a puncture or nick, through small, medium and large tears, up to an extra large tear or a full panel blow out. Each tier has its own fixed starting price.
Seams
Also priced by length, except here the length that counts is the run we have to open and rebuild. A short repair sits at the bottom of the range and a full run sits at the top. Re-tapes are priced by how much of the suit they cover: a quarter, a half interior, or the whole suit. A complete reglue and restitch of every seam is its own line.
Zips
Priced by the type of job rather than by length. A full chest zip or back zip replacement is the biggest of them. Leg zips are priced one at a time or as a pair. The small hardware jobs, a slider, a stopper box and pin, or both together, sit well below a full replacement.
Alterations
Priced per alteration. Taking in arms, legs or torso, shortening arms or legs, taking in the back or lower torso, adding a calf or forearm panel, and a full size alteration are each their own line. Converting a steamer to a spring suit or shorty is quoted on inspection.
Booties and extras
Priced per job. Booties cover sole repairs, seam re-glues, re-sizing, split toe repairs and bootie zips. Hoods cover seam repairs, neck seal patches and drawcords. Gloves cover finger and seam repairs.
Panels
Priced per panel, and the price follows the size of the panel. A knee pad is the smallest of them, a chest or back panel the largest, with sleeves and leg panels in between. Reinforcement panels are priced per zone.
Seals and collars
Priced per seal, with wrist and ankle seals charged each. Neck work is tiered: a seal or collar repair, a new neck facing, or a full neck replacement. Velcro neck tabs and strips, smoothskin reseals and key pockets are each their own line.
Tri suits and thin-skin
Thin-skin triathlon neoprene is a different material with a different method, so it is priced on its own lines. Tears are tiered by size, panel replacements by the size of the panel, and smoothskin reseals by how many spots need sealing. We do not replace zips on tri suits.
Pricing
See the full price list
Every job listed individually with a fixed starting price. Inspection and quoting are free, and there is discounted pricing when several repairs are done at the same time.
View repairs and pricingPostage
Return postage is a flat $15 anywhere within Australia, selected at checkout. Drop-off at the shack is free, so if you are close enough for free drop off at Ocean Grove there is no postage cost either way.
Why one tear costs more than another
Two suits arrive with what looks like the same damage and the quotes come back different. Here is what moves the number.
Length. This is the main driver, which is why we price tears by centimetres rather than by eye. A 4cm slice and a 14cm slice are genuinely different jobs.
Location. A tear in the middle of a flat panel is straightforward. The same tear in an armpit, a crotch gusset or right on a seam junction means working around three panels meeting at once, and the repair has to flex in every direction. Those cost more because they take longer.
Whether it crosses a seam. A tear that runs into a seam means opening the seam, repairing the panel, then rebuilding the seam. Two jobs, quoted as two jobs.
Edge condition. A clean fin cut glues shut beautifully. A ragged reef tear needs trimming back to sound rubber first, and sometimes the patch has to bridge a gap where material is missing.
Suit construction. Blindstitched and taped suits get taped repairs, which takes longer than a flatlock suit. Smoothskin outer panels need resealing so the repair does not show. Thin skin tri suit neoprene is a different material entirely and is priced on its own line.
How thin the surrounding rubber is. If the area around the damage is worn, we reinforce it. Otherwise you are back in a month with a fresh split next to our patch, and neither of us wants that.
The zip question
Zip replacement is the repair people flinch at, and it is worth explaining what you are buying.
A chest zip system is not just the zip. It is the zip track, the entry panel, the barrier flap and the seam runs holding it all together. Replacing one means unpicking that whole assembly, fitting a new track, then reglueing and restitching every run so the entry seals again. Three to four hours of bench time on most suits.
Before you assume you need that, check the slider. A worn slider is the most common zip failure by a distance, it is the cheapest job on our menu, and it is routinely mistaken for a dead zip. If your zip closes but splits open behind the slider, that is what you have. Our guide to zip repairs walks through the four different failures.
Get everything done in one go
If your suit needs several things, send it all at once. We offer discounted pricing when a number of repairs are done at the same time, which beats paying for them one by one across separate visits.
It also means the inspection catches the problems you had not noticed. Seams at the stage where they leak but still look intact are the classic, and they are the reason a suit feels cold when nothing appears to be wrong with it.
Tell us what you know about and we will quote the whole list on the repairs page prices, with the multiple-repair discount applied.
Repair or replace
The threshold most people use, and the one we suggest, is 30 percent. If the repair list comes to less than 30 percent of what an equivalent new suit costs, repair it. On a $520 suit that is around $156, and most single repairs sit well under that line.
Above that line it becomes a judgment call about how much life the suit has left. A four year old premium suit with good rubber and a dead zip is worth fixing without thinking about it. A ten year old budget suit needing a zip, two seams and a knee is not, and we will tell you so.
There is also the part that does not show up in the maths. A suit that has moulded to you over two seasons is more comfortable than anything new off a rack, and you do not spend a month breaking it in through the coldest part of the year.
Our full repair or replace guide walks through the decision if you want to work it out before you send anything.
How our quoting works
No surprises is the whole point.
- You send or drop off the suit. Rinsed in fresh water and dried inside-out for 24 hours, please. We cannot assess a wet suit and we cannot work on one. If it has been living in a bag, our guide to clearing a stale smell out of the neoprene is worth following before you pack it.
- We inspect it properly and photograph every issue. Including things you did not report.
- You get a fixed quote, itemised. So you can see what each repair costs on its own. Not a range, not an estimate that moves later.
- You choose what goes ahead. Fix the tear, skip the cosmetic seam, whatever you want. Nothing happens until you approve it.
- We do the work and post it back, or you collect it from the shack.
Glue cures for 24 hours, so nothing leaves the bench before then. Every repair carries a 3 month workmanship warranty. If it is not right when it leaves the shack, we redo it at no charge.
What we do not charge for
Assessment. If you send a suit and we decide it is not economically repairable, we tell you and send it back. You pay the return postage and nothing else.
That happens a handful of times a year and it is always the same two causes: perished neoprene or widespread delamination. We would rather lose the job than take your money for a repair that fails in a month. Our guide on whether a wetsuit can be repaired covers how to check that yourself.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repair a wetsuit?
It depends on the job. Tears are tiered by length, seams are priced by the length of the run we open and rebuild, zips are priced by the type of job, and panels are priced per panel. Every repair has a fixed starting price and the full list is on our repairs page. Inspection and quoting are free, and almost every repair costs a small fraction of a replacement suit.
What makes one repair cost more than another?
Length is the main driver, followed by location. A tear in a flat panel is straightforward, while the same tear in an armpit or across a seam junction involves several panels and has to flex in every direction. Ragged reef tears cost more than clean fin cuts because the edges need trimming back first.
Do you charge to look at my wetsuit?
No. Inspection and quoting are free. If a suit turns out not to be worth repairing, we say so and return it, and you only cover the return postage.
What is the cheapest wetsuit repair?
A zip slider replacement. It is also one of the most useful, because a worn slider is the most common reason a zip stops closing and it is often mistaken for a dead zip that would need the whole track replaced. You can see what it costs on the repairs page.
Is it cheaper to get several repairs done at once?
Yes. We offer discounted pricing when several repairs are done at the same time, so if your suit needs more than one thing, send it all together rather than one job at a time.
How much does it cost to fix a wetsuit seal?
Seals are priced per seal, so wrist and ankle seals are charged each. Neck work is tiered, from a seal or collar repair, to a new neck facing, to a full neck replacement. Each one has a fixed starting price on the repairs page.
Do you repair all wetsuit brands?
Yes. Patagonia, O'Neill, Rip Curl, Vissla, Billabong, Xcel, C Skins, Need Essentials and everything else. Construction varies between brands, which affects the method but rarely the price.
Can I get a quote before I send my wetsuit?
Yes. Send clear photos with a tape measure or a coin next to the damage and we will give you a close estimate. The formal fixed quote comes after we have the suit on the bench.
Get a fixed quote
Send a photo, get a number, decide from there. No obligation.
The Wetsuit Repair Shack, 9 to 11 Sinclair Street, Ocean Grove VIC. Thursday and Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm. Drop-off available when closed. Postal repairs Australia wide.
