Drysuit Care and Maintenance

Crewsaver’s drysuit are built to be tough, but as with all equipment they do require a certain level of care and maintenance to ensure continued performance.

Rinse And Dry
After a day on the water, it is easy to change quickly and to put your kit in a bag and leave it in the car until next time. But this does not help our kit, please follow the below instructions instead:

A) Rinse your suit in clean fresh water – both inside and out
B) Hang your drysuit up to dry, in a well vented area, but not in direct sun light 
C) Make sure the drysuit is completely dry before storing it
D) While transporting: Fold your drysuit carefully trying to ensure the zip remains flat, as bending the zip can break the teeth.

ZIPS
- Zips are an integral part of your drysuit and need special attention.
- Keep sand/grit and general dirt out of the zip, do not use oil based lubricants as this only attracts them
- Avoid forcing jammed zips, or extensive pulling as again this may damage the teeth.
- Zips should be lubricated regularly with Bees Wax
- Zips should never be folded as this will break the teeth.
- Do not forget this also applies to the relief zip.

Latex Seal
Latex seal are made from a natural product and care should be taken with them as they are fragile, always rinse in clean water making sure you remove contaminates such as sun location, body oils, make up, after shave, perfumes, pollutants, etc. this will extend the life of your seals. Allow to dry before storing.

Trimming Latex neck and wrist seals on a Crewsaver Drysuit

On all Crewsaver Drysuits the Latex neck and wrist seals can be trimmed to suit the individual requirements. It is important to follow the comprehensive instructions provided with each Drysuit purchased. Please note Latex seal are not covered by the warranty after the first time of wearing!

1. Turn the garment inside out. This will help you to see the 'rings'.
2. Marry the edges together
3. Using a very sharp knife or scissors, make an incision through both layers in line with the required 'ring' and then open the seal out.
4. Using the slit created as a starting point, cut smoothly round the seal following the 'ring'. Only cut one 'ring' at a time!
5. Try the garment on to check the fit before trimming off anymore.
6. If the seal is still too uncomfortable trim off another ring. The tighter the fit the more waterproof the seal is.

DOs

• Rinse the Drysuit in warm water after use, hang it upside down and allow to dry naturally. Towel dry the latex seals and sprinkle lightly with talcum powder.
• Store the Drysuit with the zip open 10cm. The zip can be lubricated using beeswax.
• Try to remove most of the air from your drysuit when wearing it e.g. with the Drysuit on and fully zipped, crouch down and release the excess air by venting the neck seal.
• Store the garment in a cool dry place away from UV rays to prolong the life of the seals.

DONTs

• Clean your Drysuit in a washing machine, This causes the seals to deteriorate and will eventually lead to them becoming sticky and needing to be replaced.
• Clean with any cleaning solvents or abrasive cloths. This can cause the material to "breakdown" and render the garment useless.
• Store the Drysuit in sunlight or on copper pipes.
• Fold the zip. Keeping the zip flat will reduce the chance of "zip cracking" and consequent leaking, which can happen if the zip is bent .
• Do not use baby powder, it has petroleum products in it - this is not good for your drysuit. 
• Under no circumstances should you try to repair your Drysuit yourself. The glues you use may not be effective and could make further repairs by us impossible.

Dowload the complete instructions here>>|

Information:

Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns or questions. If your Drysuit has been damaged, we will be happy to inspect and repair it for a reasonable charge.

The Drysuit should be sent, post paid, direct to Crewsaver. If you require a quotation before the work is carried out, please include a request with the Drysuit. Please allow up to 28 days for the work to be completed.

Crewsaver Service Station
Service & Repair Department, Crewsaver
Mumby Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 1AQ United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 23 9252 8621
Fax: +44 (0) 23 9251 0905

Please make sure to include the Crewsaver Returns form| form with your Drysuit.