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cold weather wetsuit |
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3/13/2006 10:21:08 PM |
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Hi Roger-
Since you sail year around and all over, what would you recommend for a April-May sailing in New England (Cape Cod)? Steamer or Drysuit? 5/3 or is 4/3 enough? Which ones have enough room in forearms to keep from cramping up? Thanks Roger (or anyone else with advice). ilia |
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ilia (email removed for privacy)
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3/14/2006 8:52:21 AM |
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- wool pants or fleece very thin...1mm
- pants shell very tight ... form Wal-Mart $6
- wool/fleece long sleeve shirt and rush guard/lycra over it
- 5/3 Prolimit Steamer
have a fun ! |
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(email removed for privacy)
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3 |
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3/14/2006 12:57:38 PM |
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Hello Ilia,
Well, you have some choices here.
I use both, but not a "steamer" (whatever that is).
I have a very nice Kokatat GFE Drysuit that I can wear in virtually any conditions where I need protection from any degree of cold weather.
It's a "bag type" very high end Gortex suit so it "breathes" to some degree and I can wear whatever amount of layers of fleece (Mysterioso) or expedition weight long underwear under the Kokatat that I need for the weather/temperature conditions.
I also have a 4/3 mm wetsuit that I wear when it's just a little cold, but mostly anymore, I wear the Kokatat because it's like sailing in my pajamas.
No pressure on the forearms or wrists, and I stay completely dry inside the suit.
So, for my money, I vote for a Kokatat GFE Goretex Dry suit for your suggested conditions, but lots of people seem to wear heavy wetsuits 4/3 4/4/5/4 and stay reasonably comfortable.
I like the Kokatat becasue I can stay in it all day, It's warm "on the water, and standing around in the cold wind on the beach, unlike my wetsuits which are OK out on the water, but get very cold for standing around in.
Hope this helps, |
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Roger USA 7011 (email removed for privacy)
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4 |
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3/15/2006 9:30:10 AM |
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My only problem are fingers. Still did not find good gloves . Roger, have you try new 2006 Dakine Winter Gloves ??? |
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(email removed for privacy)
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5 |
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3/16/2006 2:16:01 AM |
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Hi ( ):
I do not use the DaKine Winter gloves. Atleast not gloves with individual fingers.
I've found my hands stay a lot warmer in the DaKine Cold Water Mitts
(more like neoprene mittens with a thin leather like palm.
With the ow pressure seals in the sleeves of a Kokatat GFE suit, you get far better warm blodd circulation to your hands, and the DaKine Cold Water mitts are by far the warmest I've found.
Not sure if I have the 2006 version or not, but I've urged DaKine several times to bring the neoprene over the finger tips a bit further around toward the palm (to at least the first finger joint) to take care of the problem with the fingertips hanging out in the air stream below the boom. There's a lot of wind chill on the fingertips, and if they could be covered they would stay nice and warm.
I use some Russian Army Surplus Expedition weight furry interior mitts when off the water to warm my hands and especially my fingertips back up quickly.
Hope this helps, |
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Roger USA 7011 (email removed for privacy)
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3/17/2006 3:15:47 AM |
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Yesterday bought a set of Mystic gloves with fingers. Got the EL's because extra space = extra air = extra isolation. No water got in. My suit is a Maui Magic Heat titanium 3/5/6. used a Prolimit cap and a motorcap of partial Gortex-like material under it. With air and watertemp. of 2 degrees celcius (felling as -5) had no cold hands or other body parts. Water is knee to chestdeep. The problem is grip vs extra boom diameter with sealed handpalms resulting in muscle problems in the lower arms. Could'nt pump back on the plane after my first leg (after-winter problems?). Had a great day of about 1,5 hour in could weather.
Greets |
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Steven (email removed for privacy)
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7 |
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3/17/2006 4:05:59 PM |
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I sail in coastal New York, so thats pretty close to New England. We sail all winter and use drysuits until the beginning of April , after that a 5/3 wetsuit is enough for me. If the air is above 50 F I dont use gloves. In the winter I use surfer style gloves 3m with the palms cut out, these are the only gloves for me after trying many. Cheap too, just cut with scissors. This way you get a great grip on the boom and once underway no wind hits any part of your hands. I dont hold the boom in my fingers, rather with the ditch formed by your palm about a half inch below the base of your fingers. We have experimented with many cold weather tactics and we are comfortable to the mid 30's just above freezing, after that booms and sails start to ice....
Have fun, but keep a healthy fear of cold conditions. |
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Franz (email removed for privacy)
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3/18/2006 12:54:19 AM |
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Has anyone else tried diver's dry gloves?
Winter sailing for me means ice boating, which can mean below freezing temps while assembling/dissembling the boat and and high apparent wind speeds in an open ice boat. Keeping your hands dry helps greatly, and so when I got a Kokatat for windsurfing I tried diver's dry gloves.
These are relatively snugly fitting long sleeved rubber gloves. Some are thinner that others and for windsurfing the thinner are better. I tried a thin (about 0.018” thick) pair with my Kokatat and was pleased with the results. I insert my gloved hands and forearms into the Kokatat dry suit sleeve. The Kokatat's wrist seals prevent water entering the gloves and your hands stay dry and warm. For additional warmth, the dive shops (or winter oriented outdoor shops) also sell polypropylene-type glove liners.
The ultimate might be to get the expensive dry glove wrist ring systems which prevent any compression reducing blood flow through your wrist to your hand. You could even do what ice boaters and fishers do in really cold weather and use chemical hand and foot warmers. These require oxygen to oxidize the iron in an exothermic reaction that produces heat and rust (iron oxide). In a sealed glove (or boot) with no air exchange, the oxygen is consumed and the reaction stops just like a lighted candle in a sealed jar. With the gloves open to the suit (or Gortex socks), oxygen remains available and the reaction continues. In fact, divers using these warmers have to be careful or their increased partial pressure of oxygen under water results in a faster chemical reaction resulting in minor burns.
For still more dexterity and a thinner glove to grip the boom, I'm considering some thinner disposable sized long sleeve nitrile gloves plus the glove liners.
Links to some dry gloves and wrist ring systems (the first claims to even work with a neoprene wrist seals):
www.divingconcepts.com/dryglove.htm
www.scubacenter.com/drysuit.htm (where I got my gloves)
Interesting 3 fingered mittens/gloves but perhaps too thick:
www.hunter-diving.com/divingsuit_gloves.html
www.scubacenter.com/scubacenter_onlinestore/drysuit_accessories/Viking_Dry_Gloves.htm |
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jt (email removed for privacy)
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