Viking sport drysuit zipper repair?

Hi folks,

I have a Viking sport drysuit with a funky zipper problem. If you
flex the zipper in a smooth radius of about 5 inches, there is a place
where the zipper wants to bend back on itself. (one area between 2
teeth of an open zipper.) It is a little rough zipping past this area,
and the zipper is not leaking at the moment. The entire length of
the zipper is about 38 inches.

Assuming I must bite the bullet soon, and have this zipper replaced,
who/what would you recommend? Best brand of zipper? Most durable type
of zipper? Someone who is more reasonably priced? I think the choice
of sending it to a Viking dealer is going to be like shooting myself
in the wallet! I never could figure out why a vulcanised rubber drysuit
was so expensive. It is little more than a glorified version of a
1960's cotton cloth and rubber rainsuit with 3 latex seals, and a
watertight zipper.

Thanks for your input, Iceman from Iceland.

"gudmundur" <hexter@blazenet.net> wrote in message
news:10v5667rljidne8@corp.supernews.com...
> Hi folks,
>
> Assuming I must bite the bullet soon, and have this zipper replaced,
> who/what would you recommend? Best brand of zipper? Most durable type
> of zipper? Someone who is more reasonably priced? I think the choice
> of sending it to a Viking dealer is going to be like shooting myself
> in the wallet! I never could figure out why a vulcanised rubber drysuit
> was so expensive. It is little more than a glorified version of a
> 1960's cotton cloth and rubber rainsuit with 3 latex seals, and a
> watertight zipper.
>
> Thanks for your input, Iceman from Iceland.
>
Once you start having problems with the zipper it is just a short time
before it will have to be replaced. You should, however, consider the
expected life left in the suit before you make an investment in a new
zipper. It is my opinion that rubber suits have the shortest life
expectancy of any of the materials used for the manufacture of drysuits.
As for the maker of the zipper, I think just about all zippers are made by
YKK or one of their subsidiaries.
If you had ever replaced a zipper(I have) you would not question the cost.
It is a difficult job to install a flat zipper on a curved surface and make
the job both watertight and attractive.

"gudmundur" <hexter@blazenet.net> wrote in message
news:10v5667rljidne8@corp.supernews.com...
> Hi folks,
>
> I have a Viking sport drysuit with a funky zipper problem. If you
> flex the zipper in a smooth radius of about 5 inches, there is a place
> where the zipper wants to bend back on itself. (one area between 2
> teeth of an open zipper.) It is a little rough zipping past this area,
> and the zipper is not leaking at the moment. The entire length of
> the zipper is about 38 inches.

I had a slow leak when my zipper was that bad. I took my suit to the local
dive shop for repair. Whatever it cost it was worth it. Nothing worse than
getting wet.

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 17:20:38 -0600, ben bradlee wrote:

>
> I had a slow leak when my zipper was that bad. I took my suit to the local
> dive shop for repair. Whatever it cost it was worth it. Nothing worse than
> getting wet.

? ...getting cold?

DUI will service Viking suits. I had them replace the self donning
zipper on my CF200 at a cost of $200 US. They guarantee their repairs
for 90 days. Their phone # is (619) 236-1203
Mike Howard
gudmundur wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I have a Viking sport drysuit with a funky zipper problem. If you
> flex the zipper in a smooth radius of about 5 inches, there is a
place
> where the zipper wants to bend back on itself. (one area between 2
> teeth of an open zipper.) It is a little rough zipping past this
area,
> and the zipper is not leaking at the moment. The entire length of
> the zipper is about 38 inches.
>
> Assuming I must bite the bullet soon, and have this zipper replaced,
> who/what would you recommend? Best brand of zipper? Most durable type
> of zipper? Someone who is more reasonably priced? I think the choice
> of sending it to a Viking dealer is going to be like shooting myself
> in the wallet! I never could figure out why a vulcanised rubber
drysuit
> was so expensive. It is little more than a glorified version of a
> 1960's cotton cloth and rubber rainsuit with 3 latex seals, and a
> watertight zipper.
>
> Thanks for your input, Iceman from Iceland.

http://www.drysuitrepair.com