WSO+ Wetsuit Repair | In partnership with Bodyline

Note: The WSO+ Repair service is only available in the UK.

As an island nation, we rely on rubber to get us in the water all year round. Spotting someone in boardshorts or a bikini is a rare sight in UK watersports. They’ve either got the skills to back it up or a classic case of over confidence in the water - it’s usually the latter.

This dependency on wetsuits is pretty much a given; a high-value commodity, second only to the board or boat. As a community, we need to take better care of our wetsuits, which is why we are sharing some tips and tools to extend the lifespan of your trusted rubber companion. 

It’s true, we are a watersports retailer and we are here to sell you the best (not always the most expensive) suit for you. But we also want you to look after that wetsuit as much as it will inevitably look after you. So, we want to share a little of our 20 year experience that might help throughout the beginning, middle and end of your wetsuit narrative.

 

Bodyline

Bodyline have been providing quality wetsuit repairs and alterations for the UK surf, sailing and triathlon communities since 1987. We've worked with them and recommended them for years, and they've always looked after our customers. So, we wanted to make it official. Giving new life to old rubber via theWSO+ Repair service in partnership with Bodyline.

Bodyline offer the following services, but aren’t afraid of any bigger/smaller challenges you may want to throw their way:

  • Fin cuts & rips
  • Seam splits & general wear repairs
  • Zip repair & Zip replacement
  • Panel replacement
  • Replacement knee pads
  • Alteration

Note: If you’re not sure how best to word the required repair, be sure to email them some images and a short breakdown of the damage. They’re the experts after all.

 

The process

  1. Wash, clean and dry your suit. Simple.
  2. Print and fill out the Wetsuit Repair Form. This ensures that the team at Bodyline have all the information they need before starting on a repair. You can also highlight where on the suit the fault is located, the wetsuit brand and returns address to ensure a speedy turnaround.
  3. Print out the Repair Address Label. This can then be stuck to the front of your package before heading down to the local Post Office. If you're local to the Newquay area or have a Kernow-based surf trip in the diary, we suggest you hold on to the suit and drop it off in person. This will reduce costs, carbon output and general faff - All good things in our eyes.

 

What’s next?

Now we know that this is not a long-term fix to the over consumption of wetsuits. But until neoprene is phased out, it may help reduce the need for more of the material. It's also a way to wean ourselves off this way of thinking. To put more focus on longevity and investment, putting in the work and making your suit work for you. For as long as possible.

We are planning to also expand our repair partnerships to cover other key product categories such as SUPs, drysuits, and apparel - as well as partnering with organisations based elsewhere in Europe and the US. If you are reading this from outside the UK, here are a few alternative repair initiatives to take a look at:

  • Stitchbox Repairs are based in the US and are backed by a number of wetsuit brands, including Patagonia - A great option for those based over in Central America.  
  • Tearing Waves are based in France and have performed wetsuit repairs for customers all over central Europe - Ideally suited to our customers within the EU.   

More to come on this one...

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Repair form (download)

Repair address label (download)

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Contact info:

www.bodylinewetsuits.co.uk 

01637 851523 

info@bodylinewetsuits.co.uk

Updated on 1st November 2023

Originally published on 18th September 2023 in Sustainability

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