Wetsuit Seam Repair
Seams leak before they split. Why they fail, what a proper repair involves, and how to tell when a suit needs a full re tape.
The Wetsuit Repair Shack·
The bench · Ocean Grove
Seams do not tear. They separate, which is a different failure and a much more useful thing to understand.
The stitching on a wetsuit is not what holds the panels together. Glue does that. The stitching is reinforcement. So when you see a seam opening up, the glue bond has already failed and the thread is holding a joint it was never designed to hold alone.
That is why a leaking seam gets worse quickly. And it is why catching one early keeps it a short seam repair instead of a reglue and restitch of every seam in the suit.
How to tell a seam is going
The order things happen in is always the same.
Stage one: it leaks and looks fine. You get a cold trickle down one side, usually across a shoulder or down the inside of a thigh. Look at the seam and you see nothing wrong. The glue has failed behind the stitching but the thread is still closing the gap.
Most people surf a whole winter here, blaming the suit for being cold.
Stage two: you see daylight. Stretch the seam between two thumbs. If the stitching gaps and you can see light through it, the bond is gone along that run.
Stage three: it opens. The thread starts breaking because it is carrying load it was not meant to carry. Now you have a visible split.
Stage four: the panel edges fray. Once a seam has been open a while, the neoprene edges wear and the repair needs trimming and rebuilding rather than just regluing.
Stage one and two are the cheap repairs. Stage four is not.
Why seams fail
Four causes, in the order we see them.
Age of the glue. Neoprene cement has a working life. Ten years in, the bond is chemically tired regardless of how well the suit was treated. This is the most common cause and there is nothing you did wrong.
Stress points. Shoulders, underarms, crotch and the back of the knee take the most flex. Three panels meeting at an armpit is the classic failure junction, and it fails first on every suit.
Getting in and out. More seams die in car parks than in the water. Yanking a cold stiff suit off in a hurry is the single hardest thing you ever do to it.
Heat and UV. A suit dried in full sun or left in a hot car cooks the glue line. Dry it inside out in the shade.
The three seam types and what they mean for repair
The construction of your suit changes the repair.
Flatlock
Stitching passes right through both panels, leaving a flat join and a visible row of stitches on both faces. Strong, comfortable, and not waterproof. Water comes through the needle holes by design.
Found on summer suits, spring suits and older or budget steamers.
Repair: straightforward. We restitch the run, sometimes reinforce the inside. Because flatlock was never watertight, we are restoring strength rather than a seal. Priced by the length of the run, like every seam repair.
Glued and blindstitched
The panels are glued edge to edge, then stitched with a needle that only goes part way through the neoprene. No hole passes right through, so the seam stays watertight.
This is what most steamers use, and most of what we repair.
Repair: open the run, clean both faces back to bare rubber, reglue under clamp pressure, cure, then blind stitch it back. Where the original build had internal tape, we tape it. This is the repair that has to be done properly or it fails again in weeks, because glue on a dirty or salty surface simply does not bond.
Taped or liquid sealed
Glued and blindstitched plus a bonded tape or liquid rubber bead over the seam inside, outside or both. Premium suits and cold water suits.
Repair: the tape or bead has to come off, the seam gets rebuilt underneath, then it is resealed. More work, but very repairable.
Our piece on wetsuit seam construction goes deeper if you want the full picture.
What a proper seam repair looks like
The reason we do not just run glue along the outside.
- Open the run. Unpick the stitching along the failed section plus a margin either side into sound seam.
- Separate and clean. Both faces cleaned back to bare neoprene. Old glue, salt and body oils all have to come off, and this step is where cheap repairs fail.
- Reglue. Neoprene cement on both faces, left to tack, then joined and clamped under pressure.
- Cure. 24 hours. There is no shortcut.
- Restitch. Blind stitch for a glued and blindstitched suit, flatlock for a flatlock suit. Matched to the original build.
- Tape or seal inside where the original construction had it.
- Pressure test before it leaves the bench.
A repaired seam done this way is usually stronger than the runs either side of it, because the glue is fresh.
What seam repairs cost
Seam work is priced by the length of the run we have to open and rebuild, from a short repair through to a full run or multiple seams. 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. All of them are fixed starting prices, and final pricing may vary with the condition of the suit and the extent of the damage.
Pricing
See current seam repair prices
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 pricingIf you have several repairs to do, get them done at the same time. We offer discounted pricing when a suit comes in with more than one job on it, and it is worth sending the whole suit rather than one run, because the inspection catches the seams that are at stage one where you cannot see anything yet.
That is the honest advice, even though it is the cheaper option for you on a long list.
What about seam glue from a surf shop
Fine for an emergency. Not a repair.
A tube of neoprene cement applied to the outside of a failing seam will get you through a session. What it does not do is bond the two faces to each other, because you cannot clamp them properly and you cannot clean the inside of a joint you have not opened.
The other problem is that dried surface glue has to be scraped off before a proper repair, which sometimes damages the liner. If you are planning to have it done properly, patch it with tape for the session rather than flooding it with glue.
Stop the next one
Rinse in fresh water after every surf, inside and out. Salt crystals sit in the seam and work like sandpaper.
Dry inside out, in the shade. UV and heat kill glue lines faster than use does.
Get in and out gently. Roll the suit down rather than dragging it. Sit down to get your feet out.
Do not hang it by the shoulders on a thin hanger. The weight of a wet 5/4 on two narrow points pulls directly on shoulder seams. Fold it over a wide hanger or a rail.
Check your seams once a season. Turn it inside out, hold it to a window, and stretch every run. Five minutes. If it is already leaking, this piece on why a wetsuit stops keeping you warm will help you find where.
Frequently asked questions
Can a wetsuit seam be repaired?
Yes, and seams are one of the most common repairs we do. The seam is opened, both faces are cleaned back to bare neoprene, reglued under clamp pressure, cured for 24 hours and then restitched to match the original construction. Seam repairs are priced by the length of the run, each with a fixed starting price on our repairs page.
Why is my wetsuit leaking when the seams look fine?
Because the glue fails before the stitching does. Wetsuit panels are glued together and the stitching is reinforcement, so a seam can leak for months while still looking intact. Stretch the seam between two thumbs and hold it to the light. Gaps mean the bond has gone.
How much does wetsuit seam repair cost?
Seam repairs are priced by the length of the run we open and rebuild, so a short repair costs less than a full run or a set of multiple seams. Re-tapes are priced by how much of the suit they cover, and a reglue and restitch of every seam is its own line. Each job has a fixed starting price on our repairs page. If a suit needs several repairs, bring them in together for discounted pricing.
Can you repair flatlock seams?
Yes. Flatlock seams are restitched and reinforced where needed. Because flatlock stitching passes right through the neoprene, those seams were never waterproof to begin with, so the repair restores strength rather than a seal.
Is seam glue from a surf shop good enough?
It works as an emergency patch for one session. It is not a repair, because you cannot clean or clamp the inside of a joint you have not opened. Surface glue also has to be removed before a proper repair, which sometimes damages the liner.
How much bench time does a seam repair need?
One to three hours depending on the length of the run, plus 24 hours of curing. The curing cannot be shortened, which is why a seam repair is never a while you wait job.
Will the repaired seam be as strong as the original?
Usually stronger. The glue on a fresh repair is new, while the runs either side are as old as the suit.
Get your seams checked
Turn the suit inside out, photograph anything that gaps, and send it through.
The Wetsuit Repair Shack, 9 to 11 Sinclair Street, Ocean Grove VIC 3226. Thursday and Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm. Drop-off available when closed. Postal repairs Australia wide.
