Darter
04-18-2017, 11:18 AM
Found an ad for a barefoot international dry suit in my size on craigslist. Turns out the guy lives on my lake, on my street! Walked over but found he had sold it already but he had an O'Niell suit available with some small holes in the seals. He said it would be usable as-is, but would leak. For $50, I figured I couldn't go wrong. I already had the boat in the water and was itching to get out there.
First off, I don't know the age or model of the suit. The fabric looks clean and not worn. It does not have suspenders as the online description of the Boost mentions, but has an internal gasket at the waist (not sure if that's typical?). I put some marine Goop on the holes that night and took it out the next day.
I couldn't believe how much easier it is to don and shed a dry suit compared to a wet suit! Should have gotten one of these years ago. Even with conditioner on a wet suit, this was far easier.
So after hanging out in the water, one ski set, and one surf ride, and then making adjustments to the lift and removing the prop (maybe in the water for 30 mins total), my jeans were very damp from the knees down and my sweatshirt from the elbows down, but I was still plenty warm. Is this considered acceptable performance given the known holes and usage? I could certainly live with it like this for a while, but I doubt they'll last if I were to try barefooting in it. Both the ski's bindings and the neoprene boots I use for surfing cover the ankle seals, and my gloves cover the wrist seals. How much drier would it be with new seals?
First off, I don't know the age or model of the suit. The fabric looks clean and not worn. It does not have suspenders as the online description of the Boost mentions, but has an internal gasket at the waist (not sure if that's typical?). I put some marine Goop on the holes that night and took it out the next day.
I couldn't believe how much easier it is to don and shed a dry suit compared to a wet suit! Should have gotten one of these years ago. Even with conditioner on a wet suit, this was far easier.
So after hanging out in the water, one ski set, and one surf ride, and then making adjustments to the lift and removing the prop (maybe in the water for 30 mins total), my jeans were very damp from the knees down and my sweatshirt from the elbows down, but I was still plenty warm. Is this considered acceptable performance given the known holes and usage? I could certainly live with it like this for a while, but I doubt they'll last if I were to try barefooting in it. Both the ski's bindings and the neoprene boots I use for surfing cover the ankle seals, and my gloves cover the wrist seals. How much drier would it be with new seals?