VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

I'm looking to find a place in Victoria that will do repairs/alterations to wetsuits. I want to add some material to the forearm of my wetsuit to help ward off the dreaded winter forearm cramps that you get windsurfing. Apparently, a lot of this crampage is caused by tight wetsuit arms.

any leads on businesses that do wetsuit repairs?

thanks,

Mike

i've stretched mine out a bit with glass jars in the sleeves, when its hung up. this might help unless you have crazy popeye forearms.

a serious symptom of not sailing enough, Mike. Perhaps a new suit will make things feel better

Glass jars like those guys that stick tennis balls in their straps what do you stick into your pants when ur not getting any, I need to know

It's that steady diet of iron (kettlebells) that's making his masseeve foah ahms soopah pumped up!

my straps are just fine with no balls.

crazy popeye forearm is not a symptom of not sailing enough...

nanmoo wrote:crazy popeye forearm is not a symptom of not sailing enough...

true, but the shrinking neoprene is after hanging in the basement for two months....it is most noticable in the arms/wrists and ankles .....that's why a new suit feels so much nicer where was this sale again? I drove past what I thought was the place yesterday but it seems to have relocated

735 Goldstream Avenue #129
Victoria (Langford), BC V9B 2X4
(250) 474-6620 Behind 'Smoken bones' according to the web p.s. My neoprene always shrinks in the belly area

If your talking about the Switch Boardshop, believe it moved two years ago to the CanWest mall, if thats what its still called.

On the topic of forearm cramps, I have always associated this with sailing overpowered and not stretching the forearms enough before going out.
Early fall gales are prime situation for this happening!

Here is another thought. Shouldn't compression on the forearms reduce cramping?

Light compression should help with venous return and maybe cramping, but some (surf) suits used for windsurfing don't allow for the "pump" we get in the forearms. It's almost like creating an artificial compartment syndrome (but on a minor scale). I noticed the same thing wearing my new-last year Psycho Freak a couple of sessions ago after it sat unworn all summer. I felt hand and forearm fatigue for the first time in years while wearing it. My Mutant suit which is thinner and stretchier gave me no issues last session.

rocdoc wrote:If your talking about the Switch Boardshop, believe it moved two years ago to the CanWest mall, if thats what its still called.

Switch Boardshop is on Goldstream beside Whole foods or whatever that ghetto grocery is called. The one in Westshore town center mall (formerly Canwest) is called Surface.

Morewind - It helps to soften up a suit that hasn't been worn for awhile by washing in warm water with some mild hair shampoo.
As suggested by others, I would also stick some plastic bottles down into the forearms to stetch the material out a bit.
As for wetsuit alterations (cutting and gluing/sewing inserts) I don't know of anyone who does this on th island. If their professinal it would cost a bit I'm sure.

From http://www.coastalbc.com/surf/madehere.htm

•Clay's Wetsuit repair 43 Cooper Lane Victoria B.C. V9A 4K2
Clayton Albany - 250-381-3769

•Whites Mfg Ltd wetsuits - 6820 Kirkpatrick Cres, Saanichton, BC V8M 1Z9
250-652-8554

•Sea-Tux Diving Ltd 7439 Industrial, Lantzville
250-390-1122 fast, quality wetsuit repairs

Great ideas on forearm solutions. Went with DWD/Rocdoc's suggestion to stretch out the neoprene. Pushed a couple of litre sized paint cans into the arms. If that doesn't work, then I'll do some neoprene surgery and add some material. Or, just move to Maui if nothing works

What have you been up to to bulk up those forearms