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fixing a neck gasket

3K views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  EZ 
#1 ·
My neck gasket blew out last season, but it was july and the water was getting warm enough for a nice splash jacket. With the season coming up I want to fix the problem without spending a lot of money. i was wondering if anyone knew about how easy it is to fix yourself or should i spend a little extra and take it to a shop.
 
#2 ·
You could send it in to the company. I've also heard of shops that repair gaskets. I suggest doing it yourself. Not because of the money either. I say learn how because chances are you're gonna tear another gasket. But I'm a die-hard do-it-yourselfer so go figure.
The process is actually fairly easy. Any paddle shop that sells replacement gaskets should also have a loaner repair kit: two rings and four or five clamps. Turn your drytop inside out. You cut off the old gasket, leaving some rubber around the collar. The new gasket will adhere much much better to the old rubber than to fabric. Use lots of aqua seal, pretty much the entire tube, don't be scared. And lot's of duct tape. You'll figure it out. It might get messy. Wear gloves.
 
#3 ·
fixed gaskets at a shop last summer. dont use a full tube. you dont need that much aqua seal. when you cut the gasket out leave about 1.5 inches of old gasket on and make sure to cut it smoothly so the rubber does not have a place to tear. sand the rabber so it looks all scuffed up and also sand the new gasket - the area that will be glued - it helps the aqual seal stick. apply a thin layer of aqua seal to both the old gasket on the jacket as well as the new gasket area that will be glued and clamp on the ring. hope this helps
 
#8 ·
Brian, Kvieth has good advice, rough up the rubber on both glue areas, and also Cotol them before applying aquaseal. Definitely plan on Cotol in the aquaseal also to accelerate drying time, or you will have the gooey mess described above. Dont use too much glue. It is a great idea to have a plan and a jig or something to stabilize the old ring and the new gasket....like a cone shape or even better,the following: a jig can be constructed out of 1/8 inch thick masonite or similar. Cut two circles out of this stuff around 8 inches (guess) in diameter ,then cut the center out of one of the circles leaving approx 1-1/2" in a ring shape on the outside. The idea is to slip the full circle under the old neck gasket ring which you have previously cut away, rough, cotol , glue,,,, do the same to the new gasket and apply it in place. Then place the ring over the whole sandwich and clamp with four jiffy squeeze clamps. leave overnight for a perfect repair. you may want to wrap the circle piece with package tape so the glue won't stick. With the Gaskets costing around $25.00, a $40.00 shop repair is a good deal obviously. O.S. Systems out of Oregon makes nice thick latex neck gaskets.My experience is that sometimes when the Gasket fails the rest of the Drytop ain't far behind and might only be a good spare. Good Luck..
 
#9 ·
Good quality, well done, do it yourself gasket replacement is actually pretty easy. I've only replaced my own neck and wrist gaskets over 10+ years of boating with this technique: (peel back the neoprene over cuff and keep it out of the way)

Remove all traces of the old gasket and glue. If it's new, there may be a stitch line, don't be afraid to use a sharp knife and deft hand to remove the stitches and then peel of the old gasket shards. You can do it!

Get the good raw fabric cuff out and accessible. Take a common rubber ballon and begin to inflate it by mouth, inside the cuff. When the balloon is getting close to the size of the fabric cuff, keep inflating and smooth out the newly tensioned fabric. Don't over inflate, but get a bit of a pooch out in the balloon above the fabric.

Take a breath. Position the balloon so that the fabric cuff stradles the balloon right at its midpoint. Now, take the dry replacement gasket and put it onto your new rubber fake mold, just like it will go when you glue it up; very soon. Do a dry run. Get it just like you will want it, like, with about a half inch of overlap of the new gasket with the fabric cuff. The point of the "pooch" in the balloon above the fabric is to help hold the new gasket in place. Get it just right, and so that it is stable. This is key. If you try and rush it and put glue on it, you will probably make a mess of it. At this point you will have fucked it up.

So far you haven't, so here's the Zen moment. With the gasket in the full, dry mock up, simply roll flat the 1/2 inch overlap against the shaft of the balloon hand just like the rim of a condom. Now, the part of the gasket that will soon be glued to the fabric is facing you. You may need a bit (a little bit) of tape to keep the rolled up section even and stable. Again, a bit of a pooch in the balloon will help hold this.

Take a breath. Apply Aquaseal to both the fabric and the rolled up section of gasket. At this point, you can easily get caught up in your euphoria that this is actually going to work and the various Aquaseal techniques and the glue fumes. Persevere. It really doesn't matter whether you put glue on both the fabric and gasket or only one of them. Cotol is unnnecessary, because you are going to be so sparing with your glue application that there will be no gaps, nor drips. You can do it!

Apply a thin film of glue to both surfaces, and... Roll the glued up, inside-out gasket down onto the fabric cuff. Trace the outline of the glue joint with your finger, ensuring that there are no gaps. Position the whole thing in a suitable drying position. I like the balloon arm and gasket to be in an upright position. Watch your new creation for the first 30 minutes. There will be an occasional slow drip. Take care of these little bastards with a paper towel.

You can do it.
 
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