A Wetsuit Tip that applies to all wetsuits - from Emilio

Thanks Emilio !

Thanks, I never thought about this.  Cool

Thanks, I enjoy being here. Just so busy these days, but I will be contributing more tips over time.

There have been quite a few questions posed to me similar to this one:

Can I cut the legs of my wetsuit? or

Why don't you make the legs of your wetsuit shorter? or

How about cutting the legs in an oval or elipse so the leg hole is bigger?

In my dry humor I am tempted to just reply: You own it, so you can do what you want with it...

But I have more to add to that.

Before you cut your wetsuit here are a few things to consider:

1. Removing a wetsuit is a lot easier when wet than when dry, so practice it with it wet. You can remove the Bibjohn then put it back on again just to your knees and practice again. This will make things faster for you without altering the wetsuit.

2. Remember the thicker rubber, and the more rubber, on the legs, the better the wetsuit is going to float. Shortening the legs of a wetsuit, reduces the buoyancy, and thus the speed of the wetsuit. It also makes it a less expensive wetsuit to make and if you are trying to save money, you are also losing buoyancy and speed in the water.

This applies to all wetsuits, not just the T1 Wetsuit.

If you want to cut the legs of your wetsuit, go for it. It is not rocket science, and if a suit is well made, it should cause any additional damage to the suit.

1. Consult first with your wetsuit manufacturer to see if you are voiding any guarantee or warranty by cutting the suit. (T1 Owners, if you cut the legs, the suit is yours permanently, but the service warranty is still valid.)

2. Decide how short you want the legs.

3. Turn the suit inside out and draw the cut-lines with a piece of chalk.

4. Use sharp scissors (no razors or exactos) and cut with smooth long scissor strokes.

5. If you cut through any seams – and this depends on how much you cut, take some wetsuit glue, or clear tubular tire glue, or tire-patching glue, or any kind of waterproof rubber-cement type of glue, and dab some on the end of the seam so the stitching does not unravel. Let this glue dry for 24 hours before using.

Your wetsuit is ready.

Great tip, Thanks

Awesome tip ~ thanks!

Thanks for the kind words, and yes you are right, it good to be me. I am very blessed really. Here are a few things I am thankful for everyday.

1. I can't wait to wake up every morning.
2. I get to respond to posts during business hours without my boss getting angry at me,
3. I get to design and bring to market any idea I want....they happen to mostly be triathlon ideas, and
4. I will never be a millionaire, but I will be happy not being a millionaire everyday of my life.



< Emilio - 2007-03-22 8:52 PM Good if you are me, bad if you are you.
I love this line. Emilio's candor is refreshing.

I get the impression that there are lots of things that are good about being Emilio.>>

Emilio,
I find that my legs are too buoyant in a wetsuit to do the breaststoke (my rest stroke when I am getting tired). Would cutting off the legs help that or does the buoyancy come from the core?
Thanks.

You are correct the cutting the legs shorter will reduce the buoyancy, but it will also reduce your speed, but if you are breast stroking, you are probably not so concerned with speed.

Below is something I have posted before that may be worth reposting.

CUTTING WETSUIT LEGS
There have been quite a few questions posed to me similar to this one:

Can I cut the legs of my wetsuit? or

Why don't you make the legs of your wetsuit shorter? or

How about cutting the legs in an oval or elipse so the leg hole is bigger?

In my dry humor I am tempted to just reply: You own it, so you can do what you want with it...

But I have more to add to that.

Before you cut your wetsuit here are a few things to consider:

1. Removing a wetsuit is a lot easier when wet than when dry, so practice it with it wet. You can remove the Bibjohn then put it back on again just to your knees and practice again. This will make things faster for you without altering the wetsuit.

2. Remember the thicker rubber, and the more rubber, on the legs, the better the wetsuit is going to float. Shortening the legs of a wetsuit, reduces the buoyancy, and thus the speed of the wetsuit. It also makes it a less expensive wetsuit to make and if you are trying to save money, you are also losing buoyancy and speed in the water.

This applies to all wetsuits, not just the T1 Wetsuit.

If you want to cut the legs of your wetsuit, go for it. It is not rocket science, and if a suit is well made, it should cause any additional damage to the suit.

1. Consult first with your wetsuit manufacturer to see if you are voiding any guarantee or warranty by cutting the suit. (T1 Owners, if you cut the legs, the suit is yours permanently, but the service warranty is still valid.)

2. Decide how short you want the legs.

3. Turn the suit inside out and draw the cut-lines with a piece of chalk.

4. Use sharp scissors (no razors or exactos) and cut with smooth long scissor strokes.

5. If you cut through any seams – and this depends on how much you cut, take some wetsuit glue, or clear tubular tire glue, or tire-patching glue, or any kind of waterproof rubber-cement type of glue, and dab some on the end of the seam so the stitching does not unravel. Let this glue dry for 24 hours before using.

Your wetsuit is ready.

and I just thought i gained weight in the offseason thanks for the tip and good to see you posting...

Not so sure about the "now" part of that as this thread is over a year old...

Edited by the bear 2008-04-02 4:47 AM

Thanks for your kind words. We guarantee everything we make is to your satisfaction or your money back. So try more of our products!

yep, funny how old threads resurface... As you can see from the posts, a lot of people never saw it the first time.

ARRGGGHHH

Beware of the Black Pearl!!

 

eta:  That's a compliment btw.

Edited by Marvarnett 2008-04-02 11:06 AM