I recently tore my 3/2 near the knee. A nasty fin tear - it took out a 4 inch gash near the knee in the shape of the letter 'j'. I have a few other 3/2 wetsuits so I thinking of turning this into a shorty. Can I just cut off the legs and arms and make it a shorty? Anything special I have to do with the areas I plan to cut off like sealing or something to prevent unraveling? This is a dumb question, but I want to make sure don't ruin a wetsuit twice...
I was thinking the same thing about a suit I have... I'd like to cut the sleeves off of a suit -- it's a little small on me, so the arms make it pretty hard to paddle. Wondering if I can just make it sleeveless.
I can't see why not a good tailor/seamstress can't make a nice fold over hem stitch where you cut it. Ask if they will blind stitch it (you probably can get away with a flat stitch) since essentially all you are making is a cuff. If you find someone good please let us know.
just cut it don't worry about the cuff or the type of stitch they use. You'll be fine. Put the money you would have given to a seamstress? towards a new suit for next season.
Cut longer than you think at first just in case. Come to think of it a seamstress might be a good idea and if you need your booties mended I know a good cobbler.
I cut my 3/2 into a long sleeve shorty. After i cut, i sealed the seams with aquaseal. Came out great and no unraveling.
Aquaseal is a guaranteed rash producer. That stuff hardens and the edges curl up all over. Better to use a minimum of standard neoprene cement and substantial compression.
