Hi everyone,
For those of you that go sailing in winter I was wondering if you would recommend a wet suit, semi dry suit, or dry suit (or neither?). Winter is getting closer here (Melbourne, Australia) and I'm keen to keep sailing throughout as I only bought my boat a couple of months ago. I believe the waters here are around 13 or 14 degrees Celcius in winter - is a semi dry suit the way to go? Or is wearing these things too restrictive on a cat?
Cheers,
Michael
Winter Sailing
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Posted: Feb 29, 2012 - 07:39 PM
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Posted: Mar 01, 2012 - 05:16 AM
In water a few degrees warmer than that, I have been happy with a spray suit with poly-pro underneath. That works well for sunny days with dark colors. I think dry suits are too uncomfortable to have fun wearing.
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Mar 01, 2012 - 07:22 AM
Bacho, I am in the northeast and we have a shorter season , we have a couple people that wear dry suits I dont like them, I prefer Gil dinghy gear over my three mm wet suit.. The Zihke supper warm is nice I have worn that once .... I like foul weather gear over wet suit I like layering better to not over heat more versatile can mix and match for weather . I do hear good things about the breathable dry suits from Gil and Magic Marine think its all preference. I am lucky I sail with over 200 people I get to try out allot of things before purchasing ... Hope this is some help to you ... not like my last reply lol .. I do apologies for that rant on your last post ,you would be welcome to race at our club any time ....We encourage it .... No matter what you bring .. -
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Posted: Mar 01, 2012 - 07:38 AM
the best i have seen are Kokatat Gore-TEX® Whirlpool Bibs (around $550)
http://www.foldingkayak.com/sportswear.htm#Bibs
you can add a spay top
not restrictive like a dry suit, but 100% dry/warm ( with a zipper)
they have a non gore-tex one (also sans zipper) for under $200 -
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Posted: Mar 01, 2012 - 09:04 AM
I prefer a drysuit when the water is that cold. I don't know about eveyone else, but I get wet while sailing in moderate wind. The spray off of the hulls will get you wet even if you have a spray suit. Plus, without a drysuit and you get capsized, the cold water will sap your strength pretty quickly.
Yes, the drysuit is a bit more constricting than just poly underlayers and spray suits but you quickly become accustomed to it and you don't even notice it after a while.
The only downside of my Gil drysuit is the rubber booties that are attached. My feet are huge (13-14) and it gets a bit tough fitting a sock, a lycra sock and my feet into the booties. Then, I have to fit all of that into a regular sailiing boot. By the time I get my boots on, I'm sweating a bit.
Other than that, I would say that if you can afford one, go ahead and get it. It will extend your sailing day by a few hours and your sailing season by a few weeks.
Regards! -
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Posted: Mar 01, 2012 - 10:48 AM
13-14C or 56F ain't that bad. I think your gear is more dependent on the weather. Things like wind speed and air temp. I can tough out most anything in neoprene shoes gloves and a windbreaker.
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Nacra 6.0 NA
Ogden Dunes, IN
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Posted: Mar 01, 2012 - 04:57 PM
We sail all seasons , in fact we went out yesterday;
Wind 5 beaufort (19 knts)
Watertemp 3 degrees Celsius ( 37 F)
Airtemp 9 degrees Celsius ( 48 F)
Windchill factor 0 degr C ( 32 F)
The modern dry-suits are not uncomfortable any-more, my suit has
latex socks and is 100% waterproof. Under the suit was one layer
of thermo-underwear and 2 layers of thick fleece .
8mm neoprene boots , 5mm gloves from a kite-surf shop and
a thick wool hat completes my cold water gear.
Even was completely in the water for almost 5 minutes due to a
stupid manoeuvre and was feeling quit comfortable temp-wise.
Wetsuits are used in the summer, a 3mm shorty when the weather
is really good. 21 degr C ( 70 degr F).
And a 4mm longjohn for medium weather.
When airtemp drops under 15 degr C (59 degr F) I always use
the dry-suit with a simple T-shirt and jogging-pants.
There are thicker wetsuits available 5.5 mm, but they are not
very comfy.
Another consideration is how long you're sailing in one haul,
Chancing clothes after 3 hours plus in a thick wetsuit is like
waking up in your bath-tub after you fell asleep in it.
While a dry-suit is more of a hassle getting out of it, your
skin likes it better.
And always remember catsailing is a wet sport while you're
out of the water, so windchill-factor is a consideration.
For dry-suits, look at the kitesurfers sites, these are designed
for maximum manoeuvrability and protection.
Greetings from a cold, wet and windy Netherlands
André
Edited by catmodding on Mar 02, 2012 - 01:21 AM.
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Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Posted: Mar 01, 2012 - 08:01 PM
Thanks for your answers guys. I see some inexpensive semi-dry suits on ebay - i understand that they're wet suits that are abit more water tight. Do you think these would be any good? I wonder if they'll still keep me warm even if i dont plunge into the water (and fill up with water on the inside)
Cheers,
Michael -
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Posted: Mar 13, 2012 - 08:38 PM
Hi again,
Do any of you guys use a rostan skiff suit like this one?
https://www.whitworths.co…=18729&intAbsolutePage=1
I'm thinking that one of these is the go, am very interested to hear your opinion
Cheers,
Michael
Edited by michaelg on Mar 14, 2012 - 12:38 PM.
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