by MountainSurf about the tight fit of their DuraRing skirts. (Heck, just the name of the company is a "give-away" on their focus.) This are meant for serious white water/surf situations where folks don't want any inadvertant implosions. Swimming is very bad usually in those situations. MountainSurf weren't intended for touring boats/users. That's not where they evolved from. However, they do have, as of last year, an "easier" on/off skirt model. Maybe catering to the touring crowd more.
Warming it may be the solution. I have had my Wildwasser Spray Deck for at least 8-9 years and it still is difficult to get it on the cockpit in the colder months. I put it next to the heat outflow in the car and bring it outside just before I launch. It really helps. Good luck. Steve
OT: California Style Vs OZ Style… I can see the stability and ease of the longer CA style waveskis in getting through the break zone. The OZ style is supposedly the more high performance models with an admission price of a tougher paddle out. These are the generalizations. I haven’t seen the California style except in pics. What do you think, are they hampered in the high performance moves? (not withstanding the factor of different wave conditions.)
Made by infinity, infinity designs and Mike Johnson design. You've seen guys like Kenny King surf the Mike Johnson Mako at Santa Cruz in the contest, long sweeping turns, loose and spins easy. Goes very nicely from rail to rail, fun but kind of like driving a 57 Caddy. Much more like surfing a long board, not good for steep walled up surf. My wavemaster certainly has more zip, take off late and really fly, much more maneuverable at high speed, we have barrels and tubes in Encinitas and it wants to play in the power pocket of a steep nasty wave. Lots of punishment for those few good rides though. That being said I would like to get my hands on a used 8'6" or 9' Mike Johnson ski.
Normal wet-down helps I had a skirt custom-made, based on a cockpit tracing I sent to SnapDragon.
When I tried to put the skirt on stradding the kayak but not sitting in it (I was dry-fitting it indoors), I literally could not make it go on. I had to sit inside the kayak and struggle hard before the rand stayed on.
I then checked the skirt against the tracing, which they had sent back to me with the new skirt. It was shorter by about 3 inches!
I don’t know if it was a mistake or a deliberate move to make a “bombproof” skirt. It is still a b*tch to get on when dry but if it’s already wet it’s not bad.
JLK and njkayaker I am new to sprayskirts, but have found a couple things about my both my Snapdragon skirt and an NRS skirt on my Prijon boats (there, I am now qualified to continue on): first, I agree with the above that they go on better, stretch better, when wet. Second, I store mine on the boat. This prevents it from balling up and being tight each time. I know that the bungie elastic will get looser as time goes on perhaps, but for I have found it very key that I store on the coaming to avoid difficulty each time. Similar can be said about my Prijon dryhatch neoprene hatchcovers; they too will be a bear and a half to get on if I leave them off for any length of time. Picture me rodeo straddling the yak, placing neoprene on one end of dryhatch, leaning back with all my weight to stretch, and having that bungie snap up like a wet towel in a locker room snap fight against my forehead. Similar with my spray skirt and yes, I cursed at the aptly named Snapdragon. And please don;t tell me I do not know how to put on a sprayskirt; I watched Nigel Foster video about it, so there, Nah! (sticks out tongue and wrinkles nose).
Now JLK and njkayaker, although it is entertaining to see your text sparring like two kids fighting for mamma’s attention at the Wal-Mart candy isle, please be nicey-nicey. Santa is watching you.
EZ-On option Just to clarify: Mountain Surf makes rubber-rand skirts in two fit styles – “EZ-ON” and “Bombproof”. I’ve had a Mountain Surf “EZ-ON” for a couple of years that works very well on my Avocet RM sea kayak. It’s certainly the driest skirt I’ve tried. The fit is tight but I can get it off with one hand if I have to.
No commercial interest – I just don’t want folks thinking that all Mt. Surf skirts are hard to use.
From their website:
What is the difference between bombproof and EZ-ON?
We offer high performance touring and whitewater sprayskirts in both bombproof and EZ-ON fits. The bomproof (red ripcord) is designed for those paddlers demanding the most from their skirt, and will be more drier and more secure but harder to put on. We make no apologies for the bomproof being very tight. The EZ-On skirt (yellow ripcord) has the same construction and durability of the bombproof skirt but has more elasticity allowing the skirt to go on with less effort. The EZ-ON skirt will perform flawlessly under all but the most violent conditions.
Occasionally, my sprayskirt seems harder to put on? Why? Can I stretch the skirt?
The neoprene in sprayskirts will shrink in cold weather making the skirt harder to put on. The skirt will also shrink when used infrequently. To counter this problem, the skirt should be used frequently - at least a few times per month. In addition, the skirt may be ‘lubed’ with water, and will typically loosen after a few hours of paddling. Do not attempt to stretch the skirt other than on your kayak - the seal was designed not to stretch out over time and deliberate overstretching can cause rand failure.
Stay away from a MountainSurf Skirt... If you think the Snapdragon has bite, getting hit with the Mountainsurf would be like getting slammed by an avalanche! :)
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BTW, just kidding, the rubber rand of the MountainSurf is tougher to stretch out than the bungee cord rand of the SnapDragon. Relatedly, it doesn't snap back either. That's the harder stretch is what makes the MountainSurf tough to get on/off.
There are two types of elastic used in skirts: a “bungy” and a “rubber rand”.
The bungy is much more streachy and will fit a wider range of cockpits. The rubber rands are much more stiffer and requires a much more precise match between the skirt and the cockpit.
The rubber rand type are more common to white water and the bungy type is more common to sea kayaking.
As far as I know, a rubber rand is generally concidered not appropriate for fiberglas kayaks. I think this is because the sharper coaming edges on fiberglas would make it too hard to remove.