More spray skirt questions

Started my rolling classes & need to bail after every 2-3 flips with my Harmony nylon skirt. I kayak all year in Jersey Shore bays, rivers, etc. and plan to add rolling. My boats have large cockpits (Pygmy Artic Tern & W.S. Sealution XL). What material & manufacturers are recommended? A friend sells Seals & Prion.

Len

Neoprene deck
Nothing beats neoprene for keeping out water. Seals makes very good skirts. Among the neo skirts most often recommended are those by Kokatat, Snapdragon, and Seals. Each has a fit list online (dealers have them as well). I am not familiar with Prijon’s skirts.



Find one that is the right size for your cockpits and has a bungee that is strong enough to seal well but not so strong that you cannot pull it in an emergergency.

Agree with Wilsoj2 and …
will add the chlorine is bad for neoprene. Over time it will cause significant deterioration. I would look for a cheapo neoprene deck with a nylon skirt to use for pool practice and save a good one for ocean surf etc. I currently have an inexpensive Brooks sprayskirt for pool use and plan to add a neo deck/breathable nylon tunnel skirt to my collection this spring. The Brooks doesn’t seal as well as a Seals, Kokatat or Snapdragon quality neo skirt would, but it is better than my nylon one.

~wetzool

Thanks for the replies
It appears to me that the nylon tunnel will not seal as well as the neo for rolling. Is that true? Must be good enough I guess since the hybrid type seem popular.

true
In general that’s true, The nylon tunnel will also let some water in. More than if it’s all neo. Of course there’s all sorts of provisos. . How tight, model, wardrobe, etc.

I use the Wildwasser skirts that
are carried by Prijon. I think they are fantastic. The ones I use are the Pocket Neo/Neo.



I’ve found that if you want to stay dry and are going to be rolling, nothing beats an all Neoprene skirt. The others all let more water into the cockpit.

Thanks again for the replies
I’ve been looking at the Prijon/Wildwasser on the web and like the pocket and sloping tunnel. I tried my rolling instructor’s Prijon (neo, but not the pocket version) which he thought was the large size but it was way to tight on the Pygmy Artic Tern (took two hands to release). I’m going to call them and see if there is a larger version. Thanks again.

Len

The Wildwasser skirts are indeed good…
…other good skirts start with the words, “Mountain Surf.”

seals
are just fine and if your buddy can get you one at a discount - then great. I had a seals skirt - all neoprene - for many many years and was very sorry that it got to the point where I could no longer patch or glue it. Replaced it with an IR.