Santa Barbara Surfing
2004 Wetsuits Guide
Herein lies an addition to Maddux's Wetsuit Guide , a special update for the 03-04 Winter. Below you will find:
1. 2004 Rip Curl Slickskin Stinger 4/3 Wetsuit Review by Benjamin
2. Pope's experience with O'Neils repair department
3. Pope's Experience with Rip Curls Repair Department
4. Follow the life of Pope's 2004 Rip Curl Ultimate Elasto 3/2
For reference on suit wear and tear, I surf anywhere from 3 to 6 times a week on average. My last suit lasted 1.5 years before showing serious wear.
pros:
* the price was right. $229. good deal for the quality of suit, compared to my last wetsuit purchase at $349.
* good neck enclosure. long strip of vertical velcro. short horizontal tab. large area to stick to, on back of shoulder/neck. doesn't appear that it will stretch out and loosen up too much over time -- which my last suit did.
* good back enclosure. they call theirs the 'batwing'. it has snaps on the top to which you may affix either a hood or a collar. the suit came with a collar. it doesn't have a drainage hole at the bottom, but i have not found this to be an issue. it doesn't carry a lot of water and drains itself just fine.
* the slickskin stuff actually works as advertised. it repels water and cuts down on the windchill. the suit is actually too warm at this point, however i am sure i will appreciate it in the winter.
* the 'ultimate elasto' is pretty damn elasto. super stretchy. mobility is good.
* suit has no colored 'panels', and thus none of that fabric stitched over neoprene crap, which always wears out and comes off in pieces after a year or so. (note: the entry level elasto suit does have colored panels, and this might be an issue on it).
possible cons (too early to tell):
* suit picks up wax easily. as in ground-in to the neoprene. could be the wax i'm using (palmers). my old suit didn't seem to pick up wax so easily. whether or not this contributes to the deterioration of the neoprene, i dunno yet.
* cuffs not stitched. this seems odd, because the entry-level elasto suit does have stitched cuffs.
* on all but the 'raptor' model (which I couldn't find in my size), the slickskin is colored. one of: red, blue, yellow, or green. that, along with the general design, makes you look somewhat like a comic book super-hero. i suppose this may be a plus if you are 17 and live in santa cruz. otherwise, be prepared for a little heckling from your bros.
* although the seams are taped and the stitching is good, it feels like the suit won't last a really long time under heavy use. the slickskin stuff is possibly a little fragile, and the ultimate elasto's survivability is unknown to me. time will tell.
overall i'm real happy with this suit. whether or lasts one season or two, i'm pleased with the construction and performance relative to the cost. now if i could just get my fellow locals to stop making comic book wisecracks cracks in the lineup...
24 Sep 2003 - O'Neil recieves wetsuit
29 Sep 2003 - Pope calls O'Neil, they want $128 to fix his suit which he sent in for the same repairs as last time.
29 Sep 2003 - Pope ends his 15 year relationship with O'Neil, buys Rip Curl Fullsuit for first time.
Some Info that may help you with your O'Neil Repair:
Send your wetsuit to:
O'Neill Warranty Repair
1022 Bay Marnia Drive, Suite 140B
National City, California 91950
O'Neil Corporate: 1-800-331-1637
Repair Supervisor: Chinda (619) 336-6969
09 Oct 2003 - Got suit back. Replaced over 50% of the suit. No charge.
Summary:
Rip Curl Service: Good
O'Neil Service: Bad
Some Info that may help you with your Rip Curl Repair:
Rip Curl Service Center
2105 Rutherford Road
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Rip Curl Service Corporate: (760) 603-6700
After being severely disapointed by O'Neils degrading repair policy over the last few years, Pope purchase a brand new 2004 Rip Curl Ultimate Elasto 3/2, mainly because of the 2 year warranty compared to O'Neils 1 year warranty. Please follow along the life of this suit:
29 September, 2003 - Purchase Brand New.
10 October, 2003 - After 8 sessions I'm incredibly pleased with it. No problems yet.
1. 2004 Rip Curl Slickskin Stinger 4/3 Wetsuit Review by Benjamin
2. Pope's experience with O'Neils repair department
3. Pope's Experience with Rip Curls Repair Department
4. Follow the life of Pope's 2004 Rip Curl Ultimate Elasto 3/2
2004 Rip Curl Slickskin 4/3 Wetsuit Review by Benjamin
For reference on suit wear and tear, I surf anywhere from 3 to 6 times a week on average. My last suit lasted 1.5 years before showing serious wear.
pros:
* the price was right. $229. good deal for the quality of suit, compared to my last wetsuit purchase at $349.
* good neck enclosure. long strip of vertical velcro. short horizontal tab. large area to stick to, on back of shoulder/neck. doesn't appear that it will stretch out and loosen up too much over time -- which my last suit did.
* good back enclosure. they call theirs the 'batwing'. it has snaps on the top to which you may affix either a hood or a collar. the suit came with a collar. it doesn't have a drainage hole at the bottom, but i have not found this to be an issue. it doesn't carry a lot of water and drains itself just fine.
* the slickskin stuff actually works as advertised. it repels water and cuts down on the windchill. the suit is actually too warm at this point, however i am sure i will appreciate it in the winter.
* the 'ultimate elasto' is pretty damn elasto. super stretchy. mobility is good.
* suit has no colored 'panels', and thus none of that fabric stitched over neoprene crap, which always wears out and comes off in pieces after a year or so. (note: the entry level elasto suit does have colored panels, and this might be an issue on it).
possible cons (too early to tell):
* suit picks up wax easily. as in ground-in to the neoprene. could be the wax i'm using (palmers). my old suit didn't seem to pick up wax so easily. whether or not this contributes to the deterioration of the neoprene, i dunno yet.
* cuffs not stitched. this seems odd, because the entry-level elasto suit does have stitched cuffs.
* on all but the 'raptor' model (which I couldn't find in my size), the slickskin is colored. one of: red, blue, yellow, or green. that, along with the general design, makes you look somewhat like a comic book super-hero. i suppose this may be a plus if you are 17 and live in santa cruz. otherwise, be prepared for a little heckling from your bros.
* although the seams are taped and the stitching is good, it feels like the suit won't last a really long time under heavy use. the slickskin stuff is possibly a little fragile, and the ultimate elasto's survivability is unknown to me. time will tell.
overall i'm real happy with this suit. whether or lasts one season or two, i'm pleased with the construction and performance relative to the cost. now if i could just get my fellow locals to stop making comic book wisecracks cracks in the lineup...
Pope's Experience with O'Neils Repair Department
23 Sep 2003 - Send Suit in via Priority mail to O'Neils National City repiar department24 Sep 2003 - O'Neil recieves wetsuit
29 Sep 2003 - Pope calls O'Neil, they want $128 to fix his suit which he sent in for the same repairs as last time.
29 Sep 2003 - Pope ends his 15 year relationship with O'Neil, buys Rip Curl Fullsuit for first time.
Some Info that may help you with your O'Neil Repair:
Send your wetsuit to:
O'Neill Warranty Repair
1022 Bay Marnia Drive, Suite 140B
National City, California 91950
O'Neil Corporate: 1-800-331-1637
Repair Supervisor: Chinda (619) 336-6969
Pope's Experience with Rip Curls Repair Department
30 Sep 2003 - Send Suit in via Priority Mail to Rip Curls Service Center09 Oct 2003 - Got suit back. Replaced over 50% of the suit. No charge.
Summary:
Rip Curl Service: Good
O'Neil Service: Bad
Some Info that may help you with your Rip Curl Repair:
Rip Curl Service Center
2105 Rutherford Road
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Rip Curl Service Corporate: (760) 603-6700
Follow the life of Pope's 2004 Rip Curl Ultimate Elasto 3/2
After being severely disapointed by O'Neils degrading repair policy over the last few years, Pope purchase a brand new 2004 Rip Curl Ultimate Elasto 3/2, mainly because of the 2 year warranty compared to O'Neils 1 year warranty. Please follow along the life of this suit:
29 September, 2003 - Purchase Brand New.
10 October, 2003 - After 8 sessions I'm incredibly pleased with it. No problems yet.