neo spray skirt water proofing

2mm is too thin for a skirt…

– Last Updated: Apr-29-11 7:01 AM EST –

...at least if you want any durability. It sounds to me like NRS is just hedging, as they know it's not going to hold up. Think about this: Why would anyone sell a spray skirt that they don't expect to be waterproof? They're essentially admitting that they're selling a product that's unsuitable for its intended use Weird!

I don't think I've ever owned a neoprene product that had a DWR coating. It shouldn't need it.

I have a Snapdragon, and it’s a great
skirt, but it’s no guarantee of perfect performance. Nor are Snapdragons so good that one shouldn’t consider alternatives.

Neoprene varies
There are closed cell versions and open cell versions. You cannot say categorically that all neoprene is closed cell. Most modern versions are closed cell. But there is lots of open cell stuff out there. The point of open cell was to increase stretching even though it was at the expense of water penetration. There are now ways of increasing stretching with adding other materials so you can use closed cell. We do not know exactly what the age of the OP’s spray skirt is nor what version of neoprene it is made of. For good quality closed cell neoprene mixed with, say, spandex, it does not matter much how thin or thick it is.

Open vs. closed-cell neoprene

– Last Updated: Apr-30-11 9:21 AM EST –

Yes, neoprene rubber can be used to make both open and closed cell foam, but wetsuit/spray skirt material is always closed cell, for the reasons I specified above. Closed cells are required to contain the nitrogen bubbles that create the insulation in wetsuit material and closed cells are also required to create the waterproofness required for a spray skirt. Otherwise, you have nothing more than a neoprene sponge which will allow water to flush through it. Making a spray skirt out of open-cell foam is about as sensible as the proverbial "screen door on a submarine".

Some forms of closed-cell neoprene material are more porous than others, but that has to do more with the QUALITY of the material than anything else. High quality, closed-cell neoprene is not porous, at least not in the thicknesses commonly used for spray skirts and wetsuits (3mm+).

As the material gets thinner, it becomes more likely that there will be large or interconnected bubbles that create channels which allow water to pass through, which is what you see in the thin materials often used for shorts and tops. Again, this is more prevalent with lower quality foams.

Another factor that affects waterproofness is whether the foam is skin-faced (molded in it's final thickness) or if it is skived from thicker foam. Skins form a continuous rubber layer that's waterproof. Skived material has open surfaces on one or both sides. While skived materials don't necessarily leak, they have greater potential to, especially in low quality foams. Either of these can be laminated with fabric that hides the nature of the foam.

Stretching the material can cause small-scale tearing which creates leaks. Likewise, compressing the material can cause splits that create leaks. These are the leading causes of leaks that develop in spray skirts and it eventually happens to all of them in normal use. However, a neoprene spray skirt in good condition should not leak, at least not through the material (fit and sealing around the edges are another matter).

The bottom line is that if water is passing through a neoprene spray skirt, the material is either low quality, defective or damaged.

Yes! A new skirt -:slight_smile:
Mine is thin and quite stretchy but does not let any water in from anywhere except through the tunnel irough water or upside down … Both my plastic boats w WW style skirt (even lightweight) are watertight…

New skirt is the best
solution, since neo skirt is NOT supposed to leak. It is a closed-cell foam/rubber, and if it does leak, then it is defective. Could be defective material, with pores and channels transporting the water. Could be abrasions or leaks. Doesn’t matter - if Seamgrip treatment on a few spots doesn’t help, - replace it. Covering the whole skirt with Seamgrip is OK for nylon skirts, but with neo it results in decreased elasticity of the skirt, thus defeating the very purpose of neo.



Just go and get a new one.

How high do you wear the skirt?
If the tunnel is to low on your body, it allows water to pool on the spray deck. The tunnel should be around your chest, so the spray deck is always angled down.

True, but…
…whether water pools in the skirt or not, it shouldn’t leak.