Wading Boot Repair

[DFoster 0]

Old age has gotten to my White River (Bass Pro) brand wading boots and they began to fall apart this year.  The issue is that the nylon cording that holds the sole to the boot has worn through which allowed the sole to seperate.  I think I paid around a $100 for them and after 12 years of heavy use I really can't complain.   At this point I would like to be able to finish the Autumn fishing season with them before buying a new pair.   They are pretty beat and I couldn't justify dropping them off at a cobbler.   I restitched them with some heavy nylon thread which wasn't too hard because the holes are already there and thread I used was considerably smaller than the original.  Because of the lighter weight thread  I had to reinforce the area and worked some JB Weld 2 part epoxy into the seam before covering the exterior with the stuff.  Looks like hell but it works.  I repaired my left heel 2 months ago and it's still holding up.  I finished the right front last night.    

[Sandan 0]

JB Weld rocks. Nice job on the boots!

[niveker 0]

4 hours ago, DFoster said:

the nylon cording that holds the sole to the boot has worn through which allowed the sole to seperate

Noticed the same thing happening to my Weinbrenner boots last outing, I shudder to think how old they are.  I absolutely detest getting new footwear of any kind, and usually wear what I have until friends and family refuse to be seen with me.  Good idea on re-sewing the sole, I'll take a look and see if that'll work on mine.  

[DFoster 0]

On 9/9/2021 at 12:47 PM, niveker said:

Noticed the same thing happening to my Weinbrenner boots last outing, I shudder to think how old they are.  I absolutely detest getting new footwear of any kind, and usually wear what I have until friends and family refuse to be seen with me.  Good idea on re-sewing the sole, I'll take a look and see if that'll work on mine.  

Niveker- JB Weld will never be removable once it's cured in place.  If you really love the boots It might be worth asking a cobbler to repair them correctly.  I only went this route because I'm trying to get to the end of the season without dropping $150(ish) for replacements.

 

On 9/9/2021 at 12:15 PM, Sandan said:

JB Weld rocks. Nice job on the boots!

Thanks sir-  JB is a permanent resident in my work shop.  Over the years I've been able to stick together a lot of broken things that I was pretty sure couldn't be stuck back together.  It's never pretty but it is practical. With boots and waders I don't care what the look like I just want them to work.  Besides all the ugly home repairs add character to an item.  Since I don't expect Prince Charles to invite me salmon fishing on a "tweed required" English estate this year-   character is good.😉

[Sandan 0]

9 minutes ago, DFoster said:

Niveker- JB Weld will never be removable once it's cured in place.  If you really love the boots It might be worth asking a cobbler to repair them correctly.  I only went this route because I'm trying to get to the end of the season without dropping $150(ish) for replacements.

 

Thanks sir-  JB is a permanent resident in my work shop.  Over the years I've been able to stick together a lot of broken things that I was pretty sure couldn't be stuck back together.  It's never pretty but it is practical. With boots and waders I don't care what the look like I just want them to work.  Besides all the ugly home repairs add character to an item.  Since I don't expect Prince Charles to invite me salmon fishing on a "tweed required" English estate this year-   character is good.😉

Character is good. My ex, took the drivers side mirror right off pulling out of the garage years ago.  Mixed up the JB, clamped the mirror back on let it cure overnight, never needed to fix it again. It's a staple in my shop too.  I used some waterproof silicone caulking to fix and old pair of wading boots, should have used the JB.

[TroutFodder 0]

JB weld is always a solid repair option. Adventure dual-sport motorcyclists carry it to make emergency repairs to just about anything, including a cracked engine case. I also have also had good success with Lepages PL Premium adhesive.

[Steeldrifter 0]

JB weld is one of those things where you say "yeah right, that stuff won't work".....till you try it, then think "holy crap that stuff works!" lol

I have about a 20yr old? Lamson Litespeed reel. One of the first ones they made. The two screws that hold the foot to the frame stripped out about 15 yrs ago. I JB welded it, been rock solid every since.

[The Mad Duck 0]

JB Weld,Gorilla Glue and Duct tape. Thats all a man needs to fix anything

 

A couple of weeks ago, while Goose hunting, the sole of a pair of  my Muck Bots,literally fell off the boot. the boots are 15 yesrs old and have seen a LOT of miles. I took the boots home and filled the sole up wilt Gorilla Glue,duct taked the boot and sole together to keep it all together while it dried. The boot is now good for another 15 years. I used the Gorilla glue simply because it was easier to get to than the JB Weld..

[DFoster 0]

My 1st experience with JB Weld-  I'm a professional musician and one of the bands I work with uses Sure 55 series microphones (see below).  They look and sound great but after screwing them on and off of mic stands over hundreds of gigs the treads in the metal housing eventually strip.  These mics are heavy and I play a very expensive upright bass which is made out of old school wood.  A microphone getting dislodged from a stand and falling onto, probably through the soft spruce wood was a terrifying scenario.  A JB Welded that sucker on  a decade ago and there it still remains-

  

[DFoster 0]

Well I'm sad to report that I finally had to put the 'ol boots down this weekend.  On Friday I hiked roughly a mile and a half in and out of a fishing spot and the strain was just more than they could bear.  The JB Weld held out but the fabric side wall of the right boot rotted in half leaving a 5" long hole above the sole and is beyond repair.   😟   My wife gave me some comfort saying "You got something like an extra 20 fishing days out of them so you should be happy about that".  I am but still I was really hoping to get to cold weather before buying new.  Yesterday I wore my back up pair, cheap with rubber soles that do not accept studs and are damn dangerous on a freestone.  My wading staff saved me more than once from what probably would have been a swim with broken bones.  Wednesday I'm off to the local fly shop for a new pair.  Any one have a recommendation?  Felt soles are not allowed here in Mass.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Take a look at Korkers with the interchangeable soles and boa laces. I made the switch to them myself about 10-11 yrs ago and was IMO the 2nd best things I ever changed too ( breathable waders being the only change that was better). The interchangeable soles are really nice because you can swap out studs to rubber in case you ever get in a boat or walk to the river and dont want to wear down the studs faster than need be. And the Boa laces are SO much nicer than normal laces. Fast on and off, and stay tight and never need any re tightening which is one thing I always hated about normal laces once they got wet and stretched a bit. 

[DFoster 0]

14 hours ago, Steeldrifter said:

Take a look at Korkers with the interchangeable soles and boa laces. I made the switch to them myself about 10-11 yrs ago and was IMO the 2nd best things I ever changed too ( breathable waders being the only change that was better). The interchangeable soles are really nice because you can swap out studs to rubber in case you ever get in a boat or walk to the river and dont want to wear down the studs faster than need be. And the Boa laces are SO much nicer than normal laces. Fast on and off, and stay tight and never need any re tightening which is one thing I always hated about normal laces once they got wet and stretched a bit. 

Thanks for the reply Steve-  The shop I'm going to is a Korker dealer and I will certainly look for them.  I love the concept of being able to change from studs to rubber for exactly the reasons you cite.  Unfortunately my options will depend on what he's got in stock.  I live for autumn fishing and these next 3 weeks are the best of all.  I don't want to be down I'm waiting on a shipment to arrive so fingers crossed he's got my size.  Since covid getting items can be really difficult.  I ordered a tacky fly box that was out of stock and it took 4 weeks to arrive, I'm told due to the lack of truck drivers. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Checked my flats boots today. and found the zippers on each one corroded in place ( nothing like saltwater to shorten the life of your gear..). Hit each one thoroughly with spray lube and will work on them.  Doesn’t look good from this end…. 
Funny thing, these days I’m not doing any wade fishing at all. They’re only on my skiff for situations where I need to get out and push when I manage to run us aground…

[Sandan 0]

On 10/11/2021 at 1:28 PM, DFoster said:

Well I'm sad to report that I finally had to put the 'ol boots down this weekend.  On Friday I hiked roughly a mile and a half in and out of a fishing spot and the strain was just more than they could bear.  The JB Weld held out but the fabric side wall of the right boot rotted in half leaving a 5" long hole above the sole and is beyond repair.   😟   My wife gave me some comfort saying "You got something like an extra 20 fishing days out of them so you should be happy about that".  I am but still I was really hoping to get to cold weather before buying new.  Yesterday I wore my back up pair, cheap with rubber soles that do not accept studs and are damn dangerous on a freestone.  My wading staff saved me more than once from what probably would have been a swim with broken bones.  Wednesday I'm off to the local fly shop for a new pair.  Any one have a recommendation?  Felt soles are not allowed here in Mass.

My old 6 years old Simms G3s which I think were much nicer than the current version, finally gave up the ghost last winter. I researched a some top of the line boots and decided on the G4 Pros, Vibram soles and I sprung for the Alumabite cleats. They were a bit pricey but so far I've been extremely happy with them, traction is great no complaints at all. If I use a wading staff I can basically go anyplace below the top of my waders, hahaha. If they last me the six years I got out of my old boots I'll be happy though I expect to get a few more than 6 out of them. The reason I went for the G4 Pros is the insert into the sole that you can lok-tite the cleat screws into. On regular vibram soles the screws will come out, even if you JB weld 'em in. It's not the JB that fails it's the rubber the JB adhere's to.

[DFoster 0]

Thanks everyone, for just under $200 I came home with a pair of Korkers Wraptr boots, changeable soles but not boa laces. They had a pair with the boa's but they were just a little small for me.  If this was the America that once was I would have simply ordered a pair my size and had them in a few days.  Under our current circumstances I went with the ones the had on the shelf and I'm thankful that they fit me.  Cord laces will have to do.  (Life is becoming strangely reminiscent of the old news footage of Soviet Union super markets we people waiting in long lines to shop empty shelves)  Anyway these boots are a massive upgrade from what I had.   I was starting to get a little worried when the local Cabela's had literally 4 pairs of wading boots in the entire store and all were in extreme large or small sizes. 

I was mistaken about the felt ban here, my state does NOT ban felt soles so that's what I went with.  An advantage with these boots is that should I need to change to rubber or rubber with studs it's  simple to do.   A potential requirement because at least one neighboring state does ban felt soles it's not like the state of  Massachusetts to pass up an environmental regulation.