Wader repair tips

[jeremymcon]

My cabelas brand chest waders have been leaking pretty badly at the seam of the toe. Both stockings are leaking at the toe seam, actually. I was considering buying some uv wader repair to fix them, but I'm wondering if anybody knows of a better product/solution to seal the taped neoprene seams?

They were the cabelas blue stream waders or something like that. $75 on sale a little over 2 years ago now, so I guess I got my money's worth. But I still don't really want to spend another $75 to $100 on a new pair!

 

[KeithS]

Dealing with the same issue in a set of LL Bean Rapid rivers. Got them on closeout, Kennebec's cost twice as much, and I'm not real keen on the belt on those. Now, have to take a store credit and lay out $200.00 plus somewhere else. there really isn't much else at Bean that I need or want. We don't have a dog AND I already have a bed.

 

[dryflyguy]

Should be rather easy to find the leaks.
Jut fill the booties with water, and mark where it comes out.

To repair, you want to dry them thoroughly on both sides.
Then, use aqua seal for the repair.
It doesn't get hard and crack like the UV - and other sealants does
And I would seal the leaks on both sides of the bootie.
There is a good bit of pressure in that area of the wader, and doing that always seems to work the best for me

 

[Biggie]

Go on you tube and search for simms wader repairs. The videos shows how to repair the leaks. BTW NEVER fill you waders with water intentionally , use compressed air. Put the air nozzle in the leg and wrap the leg to close off the escaping air. Next take some soapy water and pour it on the wader foot. Forgot to mention put them inside out. The water will bubble when the air comes through the leaks. Mark the spots and when the bootie dries, seal the spot or seams with aqua seal. Have repair my waders too many times over the years and this always works.

 

[dryflyguy]

Biggie wrote:
Go on you tube and search for simms wader repairs. The videos shows how to repair the leaks. BTW NEVER fill you waders with water intentionally , use compressed air. Put the air nozzle in the leg and wrap the leg to close off the escaping air. Next take some soapy water and pour it on the wader foot. Forgot to mention put them inside out. The water will bubble when the air comes through the leaks. Mark the spots and when the bootie dries, seal the spot or seams with aqua seal. Have repair my waders too many times over the years and this always works.

Gee - that's funny.
The Simms repair video says that it's OK to fill the bootie with WATER up to the knee - but no further.
And since the OP stated that the leak was in the toe - that method should be fine to find his leak.
I've been filling my waders with water to find leaks for years with no problems

 

[sandfly]

I just thin some goop paint the seam area where its leaking let dry for a few and done, no worries

 

[UncleShorty]

What do you thin the goop w/? Mineral Spirits, water?

 

[springer1]

BTW NEVER fill you waders with water intentionally , use compressed air.

Just turn them inside out when you do this.

 

[Biggie]

@ springer, yeah I was thinking of filling up the waders with water. That's not good, but to the knee yes. But Sandfly is spot on.

 

[AFISHN]

Has anyone any experience with using ProSeal Clear RTV Silicone Adhesive and Sealant for wader repairs?
My local Harbor Freight store had a close out on a box of these 3oz tubes and I grabbed a few
what"sold" me was that the box indicated it remains flexible and is water-proof.

 

[AlphaDelta]

I would check the expiration date on the sealant. If it is old or expired, it could be bad and unusable.