I can’t figure out why certain people have concerns about the equipment I use when kayaking, including spray skirts, when most readers have no clue about the conditions I paddle in. Why would anyone have any business worrying about what length paddle I use when they haven’t paddled with me. That’s just being a “busy bidy!” Find something else to worry about.
You beat the PFD topic to death. There’s no law about sea kayaks needing spray skirts. Mind your own business.
Note to all. Rebel fixed the links on their site.
Forum is about opinions and discussions. It’s information for many not one person to learn different methods. I’m not losing any sleep over someone not wearing any particular gear. Reader has to weigh the opinions and chose their own path.
Beat to death subjects are also a readers choice to read or not.
Yea uh!
Marshall, The Lingo and the Harmony bilge pumps appear to be the same pump. Do you happen to know what the difference is between the two pumps, aside from the foam sleeve? Thanks
Harmony Bilge Pump - Outdoors Oriented
Definitely not the same. I only have some NRS pumps here at the store to compare but vs. the pics of the Harmony, outlet is a bit similar but lots of differences; larger cylinder, lower profile handle, ergonomic top cap grip, tether, lower profile scrum box (use that on trivia night) , internal shock absorber at top of stroke, short stroke so higher pump rate = more water moved with less fatigue. Stows behind seats with ease.
Definitely noticeable during a recent rescue skills workshop. Looked like a firehose output as opposed to the spit the other pumps were putting out.
Never thought I’d nerd out about a bilge pump. 
16.34"x2.48" 14oz. pump weight
so what I’m hearing is: since we don’t assess conditions before going out. we always need our dress.
See I on the other hand assess conditions and if the norm would require me to have my skirt on to stop shipping water, then I put it on, however if the converse is true. then I stow it.
If conditions start to change I put it on before I need it.
the only thing I can;t plan for is a random wave.
Never had issues with bugs Kayaking or hiking even fishing. I think in 60 years I can count all the mosquito greenfly bites on both hands with room for counting. Apparently I’m naturally repellent to
them.
or is that repugnant?
but I digress.
as for drips if you have your rings set right for your paddle stroke and don’t get sloppy with your stroke Drips are also non-existent. I think at most I get 1-2 drips on an outing. and that serves me as an immediate reminder that I’m getting tired and my stroke is getting sloppy. But again that relies on a certain level of kinsethicts and self awareness.
Of course having ADDHD and the hyperfocus superpower that comes with that doesn’t hurt in being consistently consistent.
I don;t for sure if one os better than the other, my pump from Taiwan (West.) Some knock off or other has a 1" outlet and a 1" diameter 18" long flex hose to insure “All” the water gets out of the boat.
It pumps on both the upward stroke and the downward stroke so it moves 2x the water ad single stroke pumps.
I think outlet diameter is less important as you are imparting mechanical force to expel water so other than maybe you having to work a bit harder I cant see much of a difference between say a 1" and a 3/4 inch outlet.
What I think matters more is the pump diameter and length as that;s the volume of water you move per pump stroke. Mine is 3.5" diameter and 15" stroke. this gives me a 1.25 gallon volume of water per up/down stroke. Roughly.
This results in enough water pressure at the nozzle to toss the water about 25" away so the hose isn’t really necessary until the water depth gets too low that you start sucking air,then you need the hose until the water depth gets to 1/8" and it no longer pumps.
then we switch to the harmony sponge for the last bit which seems to soak up about 1/2 a quart.
I do know is simply out performs my Harmony Bilge pump.
I tested this all in a 5 gal homer bucket so Real World may vary.
You can’t compress water so outlet size would matter.
Windy day no matter what you’ll get drips. Maybe some people don’t care.
Weather predictions can be wrong very easily. So to get my skirt on I’d have to remove my PFD. I got caught in a squall that came in so fast it was mind boggling. NOTHING predicted in the weather forecast and it actually damaged boats in slips in Fire Island and flipped a few. I was 10 miles away but no skirt for my partner became a problem. She couldn’t even paddle to make much headway. I didn’t have a skirt and took some water. Wasn’t the end of the world water was warm and 100 yards off bulkheads. Things happen.
Everyone walks there own path.
I use an inflatable. so to get my dress on, I just pull it over. Takes longer to hitch it to the cockpit than to get it on.
Maybe in under a minute or so, now that it’s loosened up from new a bit.
as for windy conditions I’ve never had issue unless I get sloppy on my stroke. Even surprisingly racing. This last race no drips even though it was windy.
I would suggest you examine your form if you get drips and drip ring spacing. but you seem to know what you might be doing.
And I would think you’d really have less of a problem as your boat has a much smaller cockpit than the WS boats so even less of a chance to drip in.
And you’re somewhat right but also wrong, it’s true you can’t compress water but within a reasonable amount it’s not going to matter. eg: 1" to 3/4" Then as long a you have the strength for it, and I can assume you do based on the size paddle you run (I know I do with my tiny blade area.) all the smaller diameter is going to cause is a change in velocity of the water.
until you take the opining size to the literal ridiculous and you’re not a weakling it’s not going to have any measurable effect for the amount of water you move the only measurable effect is how far you wind up chucking it.
as example at gravity draw a:
1/2" inch diameter has a flow rate of 7 Gpm or .11 GPS
3/4" inch diameter has a flow rate of 11 Gpm or .18 gps
1" diameter has a flow rate of 16 Gpm or .26 GPS
So we’re talking a difference of 4 gpm or .08 GPS on a pump that can only move at best .6 G. per stroke that a zero head pressure.
assuming your compressing at 1 PSI or trying to that will move the water column about 22 inches. .77psi will raise a water column 18"
now a human is probably pulling on that pump handle with enough force to create 10lb of force at that you moving closer 14, 23 and 37 GPM through the respective diameters. .
The difference in nozzle in a reasonable range is as I said negligible until you wind up a pump volumes of the very large. but in hand driven bilge pumps we’re looking at around .7 gallons per stroke or less. so negligible as you need to have some specific pressure to eject the water out of the boat otherwise you wind up lifting and dropping back into the boat.
Bigger opening easier flow out.
I have a pump as well, but don’t use it. What am I doing wrong? No drips fron paddling. Must be the low angle. I guess there’s a drawback to everything.
Calm water
Calm enough that I don’t flood my boat. This is my bilge pump up to 30 mph gusts.
This is my bilge pump up to 30 mph gusts.
???
That wouldn’t wipe my sweat some days. 
Ehw! I wouldn’t touch my head with that, but that’s all I carry. In point of fact, there have been occasion when I’ve had more water in my boat from perspiration than waves.
15 years running with the same Harmony pump. I’ve been satisfied and it’s more than paid for it’s initial investment…But I’ll admit, maybe it’s time for an upgrade. Side by side video comparison might make for an interesting YouTube. That is, if any body really gives a pump.
I’m curious how so much water gets into a kayak when most paddlers seem to insist that using a spray skirt is mandatory in a kayak. The same question about the lack of drip rings on Greenland paddes dripping water into a cockpit which would roll off the spray skirt.
I’m simply curious if my boat offers unrealized benefits, is my paddling environment that docile, am I doing something right, just lucky or missing something. I use a kitchen sponge if I get water in the boat.
I was paddling the Bear River near Baltimore when a very large boat went by at speed. I turned into the wake and the first wave washed over the boat and hit me just below the neck. I was paddling on the edge of a shoal which added to the wave height. I’ll leave it up to you to estimate how much water might have entered the cockpit just with the first wave if I hadn’t been wearing a spray skirt. Over the years I’ve had many waves overwash the boat. On that day, other than boat wakes, it was generally calm.
In the opinion of many a spray skirt is an essential part of a sea kayak, not an optional accessory if paddling open water.
