Are neoprene zippered spray skirts worth a look, one or two companies advertise they are easier to access a pump etc, provide another back up to release the skirt, and are waterproof closures.
Are Zippered Spray Skirts Worth a Look?
zippered skirts
I have looked at Wildwasser & Brooks several times as I have a bad back & 2 metal knees and 1 metal hip. Plus my fingers on both hands are numb from nerve damage. Getting in and out of a yak is difficult for me.
My concerns with a zippered skirt are these:
Impossible to hoop the front part of the skirt so water doesn’t puddle & waves don’t implode the skirt…more of a worry on nylon skirts
If you bail and pop the skirt loose in the traditional fashion, the advantage of a zippered skirt for getting in & out is lost. You still need to put it on the old fashion way. That may be more of a concern for me than you.
If you are pumping after a spill, waves can really fill your boat back up if you leave the skirt unzipped to pump. Running the pump down the skirt tunnel makes more sense.
Advantages: able to vent easier & get gear inside the cockpit easier.
Hope this helped and not confused the matter.
DaveT
Dave T… You da man for persisting
in the face of challenges.
I hadn’t sea kayaked enough to think about where to stick the pump while pumping out the boat. When you get the pump down your skirt and start stroking away, do you get some funny looks from passing power boaters???
zippers break
eventually a zipper will fail. Potentially well before the life of the spray skirt itself is up.
KISS
if you HAVE to get to something it should be on your person/pfd.
if you HAVE to get water out in order to paddle your kayak consider lower volume cockpits, paddling with friends, etc.
Like sponsons zippered skirts look to me like a solution in search of a problem. Although a skirt with a pocket would be nice.
Check out the Zyflex skirts if you want a versatile skirt.
I agree
Think you have it nailed. Thanks