I do have the right size Seals neoprene skirt for my tsunami (according to seals the nylon is 2.2, but the neoprene is 1.7) , but it is darn near impossible to attach the skirt from the back to the front.
I now have blood blisters on my thumbs from trying to get it on the last time. Sure I could use some yoga, but that will take too long.
Getting this skirt on is going to be a problem in any kind of rough water.
I was thinking of attaching two grab loops to each side of the back of skirt—right where the comb has its sharpest radius.
I wonder if I should use loops or just strips of webbing to minimize hooking on to something…
Has anyone tried this? Does anyone have an alternate solution?
Get the skirt wet
Just toss it into the water and get the top completely wet (not necessary to get the tunnel wet). It will stretch more than when dry and will be easier to get on.
Thnaks
Thanks! I will try that
And leave it on the boat
Very common that we have to put the WW skirts on and leave them there for a few days to get their attention early in the season. Once they’ve been hanging around dry long enough they get reluctant to stretch. The same may be needed with the skirt for the Tsunami.
Tsunami cockpit
The back of the cockpit in the tsunamis is really far back behind the seat compared to most boats. Also, the back is fairly square, making those corners farther back than with a more rounded skirt.
If you’re physically able to reach the back of the tsunami coaming, and it’s hard to stretch your skirt back there, then I’d agree with the previous poster that the tunnel on your skirt is too far back. You might need to have a skirt custom made (which is not a big deal, or even expensive). Most boats just don’t have the seats that far forward.
Another hint
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Wetting it was one (and there are are other good ones too).
Here's another idea.
Put it on the back part of the coaming and then scoot forward in the seat (and/or lean forward) a bit to keep tension on the back while you pull it forward over the front part of the coaming.
Something is wrong with this picture
I have a Tsunami. My skirt fits perfectly and goes on as it should. No worries.
Very helpful
…
A random thought
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The longer distance from back to seat noted by Nate can be a bear to deal with - I had forgotten but we've hit this in loaner boats used for demos when we had to go with shorter pool-length boats. There is a point of having to lean forward, especially for a 36" long cockpit, that inevitably pulls it off the back.
Some nylon skirts tend to be longer from seat back to rear coaming than the neo skirts that are assumed to be going on 16 and longer newer (often skegged) full-out sea kayaks. But I don't know if you'd want to go that route.
As to your present skirt - I had one that strictly speaking worked but proved to be unduly time-consuming to get onto my Vela in one of my early surf sessions. The time factor really pushed the safety issue, especially at launch. It wasn't worth trying to get that skirt modified - I opted to get a more suitably fitting neo deck skirt that would snap on faster. You may want to go the same route.
I had a Prijon made bungee skirt for a
FG rim I laid up on a boat, carefully mimicking Prijon keyhole dimensions.
That skirt took a committee to put on. I added snap tabs to the sides, just forward of the hips, so I could temporarily attach the skirt sides to snap studs on the boat while I got the front of the skirt in place. Once on, the skirt was fine. I thought there was something “off” about my cockpit dimensions.
Then I picked up a Snapdragon bungee skirt, and it had none of the problems presented by the Prijon skirt. The Snapdragon had just enough more width to stay in place. Once in place, it was bulletproof but tolerably removable.
I second the custom skirt idea, but if you have a dealer who will cooperate, park the boat out front and try a series of skirts. You may find one that is just fine.
Isn’t it a bit odd that
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the recommended nylon and neoprene skirts are listed by the OP as requiring different sizes (2.2 and 1.7 respectively)?
A quick check of the SEALS size guide for pretty much any boat (http://www.sealsskirts.com/sizing/sizing.php) shows that the two types of skirts are usually the same size.
(I have yet to find an exception to this, but I have found cases where SEALS recommends, for the same boat, sold under two names, two different sized skirts.)
So while I would second "dampening the skirt prior to use" and "leaving the skirt on the cockpit when not in use", I think it possible that the skirt is just too small.
I bet it’s just too small
I agree - I bet that the OP somehow ended up with a skirt that is simply the wrong size. I say this because I have a Tsunami 165 and my skirt fits fine. Consider returning the skirt and trying the next size up.
My tsunami 145 and 140
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Both use a seals 1.7 nylon skirt, not a 2.2. They fit but it is a bear to get the back on because the seats sit so far forward in the cockpit and the high back barco lounger doesn't help any. But I think the OP is talking about a 1.7 neoprene skirt not fitting.
Usually two of us raft up to put the skirts on.
Stupid question- You are putting the back on first, right?
I think the OP has a Tsunami 175
for which the SEALS web-site has:
WILDERNESS SYSTEMS Tsunami 175 (all models)
Nylon Sprayskirt & Cockpit Cover Size: 2.2
Neoprene Sprayskirt Size & Cockpit Cover Size: 1.7
This is the only example I have spotted (so far) where two different sizes are listed for one boat, So might this be a mistake? But if Nylon and Neoprene skirts must always be the same size (for any particular boat) why list them separately on the web-site?
I’ve found that if the seat back is too
high (above the coaming) the skirt will definately be more difficult to fit. Mind you, I’m not familiar with the Tsunami seats, just seats in Old Town kayaks.
I hope you find a solution. Many offered already sound helpful.
this has GOT to be the wrong size
OK, idealistic but you should be able to put it on upside-down in case of a re-entry and roll.
video clip?
Any chance you can get a quick video and post it?
Or, at least, a few pictures?
Pictures?
You want to see my blood blisters on the outside of my thumbs?, lol… Ill see what I can do
Just to confirm I have a TSUNAMI 175
Seals says nylon is 2.2, neoprene is 1.7. These are the sizes I have. The cockpit is a giant.
The nylon is much easier to put on but won’t stand up to rough conditions.
I have to be very careful to put the neoperene skirt at the right height around my waist. I also have to loosen the phase III seat so that the backrest touches the back of the combing. (PS This makes it all but impossible to readjust the seat because the pull ring is in the back right. Now you have to partially remove the skirt to pull the ring.
time to change the seat
If you are doing lots of paddling, I recommend ditching the Phase 3 seat back and purchasing the Wilderness Systems back band upgrade. you will have no interference with a skirt. Wilderness Systems should make the back band standard on the Tsunami 160 and larger in my opinion.
Yes, as someone who looks at skirt fits often, there are lots of times when a different sized nylon skirt is recommended than a neoprene one. Seals uses arbitrary numbers. Each number, while generally correlating to a larger size, does not mean that a skirt is “too small” if it doesn’t fit. Nylon doesn’t stretch, so in order to fit length, width, and circumfrence of a boat, different skirts are needed whereas neoprene does stretch. A 1.7 neoprene skirt will fit on a number of boats that call for a 2.2 nylon skirt where a 1.7 nylon skirt wouldn’t be wide or long enough to fit. You could purchase a 2.2 neoprene skirt, but its fit will be loose. In rough seas water will leak in the sides and having it stay on during rolling is questionable.
I echo other’s feed back. Wet the skirt and leave it on the boat to form it to the boat and install a back band and your issues will go away.