Leaky Waders... Flex Seal????

I have a leak in my chest waders. The uppers are neoprene and boots are rubber of some kind. I believe they are leaking at the seam between the 2 materials. I bought a can of Flex Seal and going to give it a try.

Has anyone tried this stuff for the purpose? I certainly don't have a couple hundred dollars to put out for a new pair at this time.

Garry-

I have never used Flex Seal but have used Aqua Seal with excellent results. Once opened keep it in the freezer or the whole tube will stiffen up in time. Kind of spendy but worth it in my opinion.

It's not going to hold up, maybe for a day if your lucky, neither will any of the goops.
The aqua seal is probably the best bet, but follow the prep directions

Don’t waste time with Flex Seal. Get a tube or two of AquaSeal. I head off any leaks going over seams as soon as I get a set of waders. Normally get a several years out of a pair before I rip a hole in them somewhere.

X2.

I used flex seal to fix a pair of rubber boots once. It was a miserable failure.

Aqua Seal is the best, it does come in several different types. One is the tube, one is a patch kit, and a can like a PVC sealer type can with a brush. The can is great for seams. The kit work super for rubber and neoprene. The tube works great for all but can be a pain on rips sometimes. Since I went to Dan's waders I have not had a use for it very often. Amazon

e6000 is ok

Only thing I've ever gotten flex seal to work o. Is a leaky wash tub full of boiliy trap dye of all things. Never worked on boots/waders or anything else.

Try smearing on a layer of gorilla adhesive. I have had that work way better than aqua seal for me.

Bryce

I used shoe goo and T Rex duct tape on my hip waders. upper. Has held well all season. Tore it on a piece of barbed wire in a creek. Shoe goo inside and out and tape on the outside with more shoe goo on top of it all.
Hardest part was cutting the tape.lol
just

Shoe goo is my go to boot wader fix it stuff. Works real well in multiple thin coats on a roughed up surface, each coat a little larger area. 3 coats total. Got a pair of swampers that cracked behind toes from flexing, 2 year repair so far.

PL5200 works ok.

tried flex seal for that a lot a lot of times won't get an hour out it...

3m 5200 FC. It is one of those products where I end up saying “ you had me at 3m”. The FC is for fast cure.

Thanks guys … I guess I will go ahead a give it a try …. I bought a can of the spray Seal so will give it shot... I get it to work I will let you know.

Garry-

I tried Flex Seal on my Lacrosse knee high rubber boots. Even after heavy scuffing before putting on 4 coats of Flex Seal over 5 day it still peeled where the crack was. Try Aqua Seal.

I had the exact same thing happen to me yesterday and they leaked in the same place. It was the first time I had ever put them in the water but they are over a year old..... Cabelas waders

Aqua seal or Marine Goop!

I have also bought stuff from a local scuba dive shop. Not sure what it was called though as I looked for it earlier today actually for my hip boots but it actually worked. Likely something like aqua seal.
I have used gorilla glue in very small amounts as it expands over a piece of rubber patch or neoprene. It becomes brittle but has fixed my lacrosse boots and waders before but generally needs replaced from time to time.

Put some screen wire over the problem area and apply Flex Seal. That is what Phil does.

On the boot, I scuff up the surface, use contact cement and a rubber patch like used on inner tubes. On the seam or on the neoprene, shoo-goo works fairly well but would like to find something better.

Flex seal was a gimmick. Waste of $ for yuppies that believe the commercial

Still is a Gimmick

Don't waste your $$$ on Flex seal, like mentioned above it's a gimmick. (from experience). Even their tape,as sticky as, it is won't last very long.

Have used shoe goo on neoprene, rubber boots, and breathables with zero problems.

Because of my diving history 50 some years now. I've been using Aqua-Seal for 30 maybe 40 years after first showed up in dive shop I think in 1980s? Have tried all kinds of glues and goops on waders both rubber and neoprene. I believe a tire patch is still the best for the rubber part of any boot. Problem is not to many boots are just rubber any more, but I use the tire patches where I can. I have not found anything, although I admit I'm now prejudice, to work better than Aqua-Seal as and all around patch. 3M makes a Urethane windshield sealer that comes in a caulking gun size tube. I believe it is pretty much Aqua-seal only that it's black and come out the tube a bit thicker. I've been using it now because the big tube is only about twice the price of 1oz of aqua-seal.
Anyway I've become the official boot repair guy for the group of young guys m son hunts with. Them half dozen young guys are always tearing up their waders and they end up in my basement for repairs. My fixes aren't always to pretty, I'm no expert by any means. More just to cheap to throw out boots and I get the guys back in the marsh.
PM me if you get stuck or have questions I have a few tricks.

Mac

If you have some pin holes on the upper part of your hip boots or the chest waders that is like cloth You can use Tear Mender .I get it at a Farm Fleet store here. For the upper part of hip boots You put it on the inside of the hole and it will soak in good and spread it good , as for the chest waders that is like cloth I cut a some old jeans the size over of the hole and put some of the Tear Mender over it and then the jean patch that have it on it and then you put more over the patch area . It is water proof . let it dry for a time and you will be god to go .I have done it to the chest waders like I stated it is now 3 years with out the area leak again and 1 year for the hip waders no problems . The Tear Mender peel off you hands easy also.

Here is the stuff I've been using that I believe is close to or same as aqua-seal. I'm not a chemist just going by how it looks and works for me.

3M Window Weld 08609 I see on the same page there is some stuff made by Dow. Reading that add seems like might be similar stuff at lesser price.. I can't say I've ever seen it around here or tried it. I buy the 3M stuff at Farm & Fleet..

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3m+window+weld+08609


Mac

The only thing flex seal is good for is building boats out of screen doors.

And glass!!

X2 Shoe Goo Works Excellent!!!

Well, thanks you for your opinions and I hope you are all wrong … LOL! I already had bought it before I posted so going to give it a shot. I will reply and let you know if it work at all and the procedure I used . I am using the spray on type not the sheet, because I don't really know where the leak is coming from.

Garry-

x2

And used over alligator infested waters

That's right, I have bought lots aqua seal, flex tape bfore. Once boots start leaking, shot, buy new pair, patch an use as spares. Boots patched good with aqua seal with flex taoe on top glue, if not lot traps to run, u might make the day or run , but that it, start leak agsin , I have patch an repatched , dozens of times an know. Aqua seal an flex taoe are best but only tempory fix, gander MTN used warranty boots for life. Never bought mine there, to expensive

Aqua seal will fix the leaky seam. I like to use the quick curing stuff, Cotol-240, and it will cure in 2 or 3 hours .It will bend and flex and not get hard like some of the other stuff and it will outlast the rest of the wader. If it is a bad tear, sew it, then cover the sewed area with Aqua Seal. I learned that little trick from a guy here on Trapperman ,,, "Tastelikechicken".

Rickey

Being the old fart that I am I have never had a pair of the neoprene waders before, but I have sure patched a lot of the old rubber ones and did that with good success, I have been wearing this pair for several years. I believe I got them form F & T when the National NTA meet was at Lima, Ohio. I guess that is around 9 years ago. So that is pretty good a pretty life for them and I am not careful with them. I go where I need to go, no matter what lies in the way. But the cost has gone up considerably since then, and my income and finances has gone down. I wi;; give this stuff one try, if I can get back in the water. If it doesn't take care of the problem I will get some AquaSeal or something else and give it a go. The trouble with being this old is I grew up in a time when you never thre anything away unless there was no possible way of fixing it. I was raised that way and it is too late to break that habit now.

Garry-

Not sure what kind of waders coonman220 has that are junked after patching then wearing next time??? My two pair waders in the pictures below are both at least 15 years old??really not sure any more. I bought the one pair at Gander Mt. on sale because they had my size and in a tall..Then think was a year or so later was back and they actually had same boot on clearance for half what I'd paid when was on sale. So I couldn't pass them up.. I know I'm apparently not has hard on boots as others here must be. At least based on how much I read about boot issues. I don't go out looking to trash my boots, but can't say I baby them either. For many years now I've always had at least 2 pairs at time 3-4. When I wore them daily, I usually didn't wear same pair two days in a row unless I repairing the other pair.
Right now I have just these 2 pair waders because I gave one pair to my brother in law..
Anyway
Like I've said in earlier post my patches aren't pretty but they work. Some of them are still water tight since my first season with these boots.

Regular tire patches on punchers in rubber part of boot. Can you tell which one is newest?


Couple places are literally patch on patch


Always manage to make crotch seams leak on all my boot. Both pair have now look like this with the 3M goo.


Repair I made when strap tore off where attaches to boot top..been there no for???years


This patch is done with glue and aqua-seal. Was first season had these boots new. Last day of duck season was very cold that day. My boots were so frozen stiff when I sat down in the boat to go back to landing. They actually cracked all way threw right above knee on that seam. Was good thing we were limited out and done hunting. I wasn't going back in water.


Mac

Aqua seal is the best i've used , shoe goop the next .
You can get aqua seal at cabelas .

Ive used shoe goo with pretty good sucsess. I just found another leak my last time out and my wife had some sort of waterproof goo, hopefully thatll work too

All of the sealants will be of no avail if you fall down and fill the waders from the top.

You got that right MnMan and they don't protect your nose either.

Garry-

if you have an ACE nearby get the LEXALL glue comes in a caulk tube . Has worked great for me.

Np-1 works well

I have not seen this topic since it was new. I hope someone covered this already, but with waders, you go cheap, you might as well toss them. Either use something good that is intended for it or it will fail. Shoe goo is garbage, so is almost anything else. Go with the Lacrosse brand wader repair and do it properly. Other wise you are just pouring your time and money down the toilet.

Best I can tell LaCrosse wader repair in the little white tube is Aqua-seal..I was using Aqua-Seal on my dive gear and my Waders. Before LaCrosse Boot ever offered the little white tubes.. So yes if you can get the LaCrosse wader repair sealer use it. When the factory was still here in LaCrosse I was given couple hands full of them little tubes. I used them all up years ago, and of course the Factory is in China now..So I'll buy the 3M goo..

Mac

I don't know about flexseal but we buy 3 inch tire patches at NAPA. For wader leaks. Its the professional stuff. They order it for us.

.20 patches are 22.00 and you have to get the rubber cement or glue or whatever they call it.

. That's another 15 or so but its way cheaper than buying new waders.

Aqua Seal is my go to after 20 years of being an aquatic biologist. I repaired a pair of waders with it in 1999 and the patch is still holding today. As with anything, prep is the key.