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Best way to store a drytop?

5K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  gh 
#1 ·
What is the best way to store a drytop so that the gaskets stay in good condition? I treated mine with 303 and threw it in the closet and now it seems that the gaskets are starting to get gooey if you know what I mean. They're definitely not dry but they feel like they would tear easily. Should I put some baby powder on them or what?
 
#2 ·
Not really sure why your gaskets would get "gooey" unless they were old and near disintegration, or you might have some very old 303. I think the baby powder and gooey gaskets would make a bad situation even worse. I usually treat my top with a cool water soak and rinse, 303 treatment, and hang it in the closet on a fat wooden hanger until March (that is, unless, I hit Shoshoni on New Year's day!).
 
#3 ·
Same plan for mine but to be just a bit more anal about it I follow the recommendations of Kokatat and 303 the gaskets monthly. I do this during the winter as well due to the amt of dryness in most Colorado houses during the winter.
 
#4 ·
Maybe I'm just lucky or have some kind of superpowers (more likely) but I've never 303d anything and have never had a gasket problem. My drytops stay out in the shed in my paddle bag. This has led me to make the personal, and possibly erroneous, conclusion that 303 is a waste of money. Take it with howevery many grains of salt you wish.
 
#5 ·
Ya, not sure why they're "gooey". The gaskets on one of my buddy's drytops disentegrated into a gooey mess during the offseason once and I just don't want that to happen to mine. I think it may just be built up 303, I've used a lot. I probably just need to give them a good washing and a light coat of 303.
 
#6 ·
I use to never treat my gaskets and they seemed to last a long time. Then I started to treat them regularly with 2001, 303, Armoral, or whatever I had laying around. I seemed to blow out a gasket about once every year or two. I just chocked it up to poor quality gaskets.

About a month ago I bought a new stohlquest drytop and read the instructions. The care instructions said that Armoral type stuff actually eats latex and will make it brake down faster (turn into goo). Normally I'd be like "ya right they just want me to buy their product so they can make more money off of me," but there wasn't even a mention of what you should use. It just said don't use armoral type stuff or something like that. Now that I think about it, the more it treated my gaskets the shorter their life.

So is 303 different from all the other stuff you spray on your car dash, or is it basically the same sort of stuff? I think I'm going to use that seal saver from now on to be safe.
 
#7 ·
Unless you have BSOE's superpowers, use 303 and use it often. It will not disintegrate your gaskets. My previous drytop dry rotted due to not being lubed, the new jackets gaskets still look new with the 303 usage.
 
#11 ·
303 is a water based protectant and Armorall is petroleum based. That explains it all... stay away from Armorall for latex.
Geezer is right about this 303 is basicly the same as Seal Saver the "gooeyness"(sp) can come from a couple of things first is using a petro based product will help "melt" the latex also just the latex touching latex will cause it to melt together.

So it is best to treat the seals at least once a month and move them around a couple of times a month. and if hanging them make sure the neck seal isn't touching the hanger, It would be good idea to go to a Scuba shop and get a wetsuit hanger for that as they are plastic.

This info comes from selling drysuits for 20 years. And my vendors.
 
#12 ·
i've never treated with anything and just store in my dry bag out in the shed. never had a problem. mostly i think it just needs to stay in cool place out of the sunlight. nothing degrades much in my shed during the winter as it probably rarely gets above 40 in the winter. the other stuff seems like overkill to me - but that is just my opinion.
 
#15 ·
The gaskets on my last drytop turned completely gooey too. All I ever used on it was 303, but maybe some kind of contaminant did it (sunscreen?). The wrists went first and were worse than the neck, so I was thinking it may have been something on my hands (like sunscreen or bug spray). The only time I used insect repellant on a kayak trip was when Cliff and I almost got killed by mosquitos while waiting for shuttle at the Big South takeout and Cliff bummed some spray from a fly-fisherman... so I doubt that I ever got bug spray on the drytop. Mabye sunscreen could do it? I wear sunscreen all the time.
 
#16 ·
Or maybe 303 isn't simply a waste of cash...maybe it's actually an industry conspiracy that accelerates the destruction of gaskets so you need to pay for repairs/new drytop. Did I just blow your minds!?

What the hell is 303 anyway? Is it a plasticizer like armorall, only water based as someone mentioned earlier? How is that even possible?
 
#17 ·
Most sunscreens and bugsprays will cause gaskets to rot also, all it has to do is be on your skin and transfer to the gasket for it to happen, if your using them wash your gaskets after use with a light soap and water then rinse with fresh and treat. as I said just the gasket touching the gasket will cause it to happen too (those of you that use rubber worms to fish know what I mean)
Also the contaminates in the river runoff don't help (think road side river runs.

http://www.ossystems.com/repair/congr.htm

Read the part about seal care this is the company that most shops get there replacement gaskets from.
 
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