make it last.
a deboer suit is engineered to the gram and it lives or dies by sixty seconds of care after each swim. here's the whole routine.
put it on without putting a nail through it.
dry skin, dry suit
wet neoprene grips. put the suit on before you sweat, before sunscreen on the palms, before the water.
feet through first, low and slow
work the legs up in stages so the crotch sits right. most "too small" suits are just suits worn too low.
fingertip pads, never nails
pinch and slide with the flats of your fingers. nail nicks are the #1 wetsuit injury we repair and are entirely avoidable.
roll the shoulders before you zip
lift each arm overhead and pull material from the wrists up. the zipper should close easily. if it's a fight, the suit is sitting too low.
after every swim, the sixty-second routine.
- rinse in cold, fresh water, inside and out, the same day
- hand wash race & training suits in cool water with a mild, natural soap
- drip dry inside-out, on a wide hanger or flat over a rail
- dry away from direct sun; UV ages neoprene faster than chlorine
- store flat or on a wide hanger, fully dry, away from heat
- machine wash, tumble dry or iron — any of these ends the suit
- bleach, hot water or rough surfaces. swimwear coatings hate all three
- petroleum-based products like Vaseline. use a neoprene-safe lubricant instead
- leave it balled up wet in a transition bag overnight
- hang by the shoulders on a thin wire hanger because it stretches the cut
- dry on a radiator, car dashboard or beach rock
tech suits — protect the compression.
a race suit's compression weave is a consumable. it's engineered for maximum hold, not maximum mileage. rinse cold after every session, never wring it, roll it in a towel to press water out, and keep it for races only. many swimmers run two suits: this season's for finals, last season's for prelims and time trials. training suits, cared for the same way, last 6–24+ months. the rinse after every swim is what buys the time.
tears happen. most are fixable.
small neoprene nicks and surface cuts are usually repairable with Black Witch Neoprene Glue and a repaired suit swims exactly as fast. Not sure? email photos of the damage to info@deboerswim.com or file a claim and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a home fix, a workshop job, or a replacement.
Clean & bone dry
Rinse the area and let the suit dry completely, inside and out — glue won't bond damp neoprene. Don't trim the edges of the cut; you want them meeting cleanly.
Thin coat, both faces
Open the cut gently and brush a thin layer of neoprene glue onto each face. Let it sit for five minutes, until it's touch-dry.
Second coat, then press
Add a second thin coat, wait until tacky, then press the edges together firmly for thirty seconds. It bonds on contact — line it up before the faces touch.
Cure overnight
Give it 12–24 hours before it gets wet. If the cut crosses a seam, a zip or the liner fabric, stop — that's a workshop job. File a claim instead.
something wrong with your suit?
every suit carries a one-year warranty against manufacturing defects — and small tears or nail nicks are usually a ten-minute home fix with the guide above.