Newbie Skirt Question

Hello,



I just bought a Harmony Nylon Skirt for my wife’s Pungo 140. She has used it a couple of times, and has complained that it leaks like crazy.



Ok, here comes the ‘newbie’ part of it. Trying to find a skirt for the large cockpit has proven to be difficult, but I managed to find one locally.



The front of the skirt puddles water and it leaks around the bottom of the zipper. When I looked at the underside of the skirt, there is a couple of “sewed in” nylon pockets on the ends and a nylon “loop” through the middle. I am assuming this is for the “implosion bar?” If so, the skirt did not come with one. I bought it at my local shop and it was stuffed into a nyon harmony bag. No bar.



Can you buy one of these? I assume the “implosion bar” keeps water from puddling in your lap while paddling. Can you make one?



I appreciate any help



Regards,



XC

Go with a simple A-line
Works for all occasions. Pencil skirts may be too confining. Pleated take too long to iron. I hear the bubble skirt is coming back in style - go 80s!

Yeah… thanks
After finding another similar model, I see that there is supposed to be a thin pliable metal band that runs underneath the skirt that is missing. My shop needs to order me another one… looks like no kayaking for my wife this weekend.



XC

Get a neoprene skirt
and what’s with the zipper?

An implosion bar for a Pungo???
Are you planning to go over some big drops? Get a skirt designed for the Pungo and neoprene is better. You will almost certainly have to use the Internet.

Well
I am pretty sure that a Neoprene skirt is not available for the Pungo… I’ve searched high and low…if anybody knows of one, let me know! Such a huge cockpit… I imagine it wouldn’t be cheap.



Since the Pungo 140 is pretty much a rec kayak, I don’t forsee any serious water on it.



Without the implosion bar, the water was pooling right on top of the bottom of the zipper. You know, where the two pieces come together. It was dripping on my wife’s legs. I didn’t know that it had an implosion bar, but after looking at it, noticed that it looked like there should be one. After comparing it to another Clearwater, my suspicions were confirmed… missing a black rubber coated metal bar. And there you go.

Maybe I can help
I have a “day skirt” for my Clearwater Design Iqaluit cockpit, brand new in July. I haven’t used it yet but I’ve fitted it several times on the kayak. It’s not neoprene, but much stiffer than flimsy nylon. It has stiffeners on each side and a pocket topside up. It’s royal blue.



A day skirt is not a full skirt (opens at the paddler’s back) but it will keep most water off & does a nice job of sun protection as well.



If you would measure the Pungo cockpit I’ll check it against my own. I’m not saying I’d sell mine - I like it and plan on keeping my rec kayak ensemble, but I can tell you where I got mine. You can order yours by phone or internet if you want one. You might even have different color choices depending what the dealer has in stock at this time of year.

ditch the skirt
go with tights

WS makes a spray skirt that fits
It isn’t neoprene but it does fit and keeps out water in rec boat conditions. An implosion bar is meant for WW boats to deal with the pressure from going over a drop. It has no real place in a spray skirt for a Pungo except that the cockpit is so large that it may help keep the spray skirt from sagging down in front. The basic problem is that you need the spray skirt to fit tightly with the cloth taut (i.e., it fits). Then you don’t need things like faux implosion bars. I agree that there is probably no market for a neoprene skirt for a Pungo and you would have to get one custom made.

Lots of large nylon skirts
use “implosion bars” I own two large skirts that do.

large cockpit kayak spray skirt
i’ve got the large cockpit too on my loon 111. i ordered a nylon splash skirt from Seals. it came with one implosion bar installed. when i put that on my loon, i noticed that water pooled at the front because the skirt sagged. i called Seals Skirts up and i spoke to Joe who told me to send the skirt back and they would sew in another smaller implosion bar near the front. that took care of my sagging problem and any water pooling that had occured. now the splash skirt is taut and fits like a glove.

tha tis the one for the pungo…
it has the bar in it because the deck of the skirt is soooo long…and any water will pop it since it is just nylon…

Right…

– Last Updated: Oct-12-06 12:51 PM EST –

Right, I am not under the assumption that it is a "real" implosion bar - nobody is going to roll a Pungo 140, or do any drops, but the bar is to keep the water from pooling in the center since the skirt is really really really large.

Thanks for the advice on the mini-skirt (or "day skirt"). I have seen the one Seals makes, and had at one time considered it. However, my wife just wanted something to fit completey around her, so it would keep a bit of warmth in for fall-paddles here in MN. I know, I know, nylon won't hold heat like neoprene will, but it is better than nothing at all for rec kayaking. Thanks for all the help!

I think for the Pungo 140,you are pretty much confined to either the Harmony Clearwater, a basic nylon Seals skirt or a Wilderness Systems Nylon skirt. I haven't been able to locate anything else that will fit a cockpit that is 57" long. (Yikes!)
XC