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Winter Sailing  Bottom

  • 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
  • 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.

    --
    Greenville SC

    Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
    --
  • 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 ..
  • 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
  • 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!
  • 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.

    --
    Nacra 6.0 NA
    Ogden Dunes, IN
    --
  • 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.

    --
    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
    --
  • 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
  • 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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