I am planning to get a Reed spray skirt, as I want a better fitting skirt to keep water out of my boat in the surf. I currently use a neo Snapdragon with neo tube combined with a dry top that has a tunnel and am still getting a lot of water in the boat. I think it is due to a poor fitting cockpit seal.
So…I notice that they have a model with a drawstring waste and one with a non-adjustable waste. Normally I would go with one with a fixed waste size, but I notice on their website they don’t list tube sizes for the fixed waste model.
Is the fixed waste model a “one size fits all”? I have a 36 inch waste and am concerned that it may be really tight, especially over a dry suit in the winter.
On the other hand, I don’t want water getting in through the waste, but perhaps this would not be an issue with a dry top or dry suit that has a good spray skit tunnel.
Can anyone comment from experience on this?
thanks for your help
matt
my experience with Reed
has been very positive. I have been using an adjustable waist model for 4 or 5 years. No leakage against coaming. It is very easy on and off. Some minor ingress around my torso if that bungee is too loose. I did replace the Reed torso bungee with larger diameter for better seal. This Reed replaced a Snap Dragon, all neo deck and would never go back to a fitted torso due to being hot in summer and no girth adjustment for added layers in cooler waters.
Reed
Hey Matt,
I use a Reed deck with the adjustable tube on my Romany. Nice tight fit around the coaming and waist and i get very little water. It also drys out quickly and isn’t nearly as hot in the summertime as my other neoprene skirts. Very light weight, too.
However, because of it’s light weight, i don’t think it would last long if you were practicing T-rescues and the like. I’ve been warned that the Aquatherm material won’t hold up well to that sort of abrasion, so i haven’t pulled any boats up on mine.
Otherwise, it’s an excellent spray deck and my favorite of the several i have.
Jim
I’m surprised the Snapdragon leaks
at the rim. I have a Snapdragon on a composite rim I laid up myself, and it doesn’t leak a bit.
Things that might cause leaking at the rim include a skirt deck that is too loose, not bearing enough on the outer rim edge; a deck that is too tight with a bungee that can’t quite reach in to the bottom of the groove under the rim; a bungee that is a bit too loose, allowing sloshes of water to be rammed up and over the rim; and a boat where the sides of the rim are too straight, rather than being convex enough that they engage the bungee properly.
That kayak in your profile looks to have a nicely proportioned rim. If you’re not using a sewn bungee skirt, I don’t know what to say.
You’re correct in wanting a tunnel that isn’t tight.
great skirts, but
After 6 years of using Reed skirts I can confidently say that they breath better than the neoprene I tried.
They are great in summer as I don’t sweat in them and they dry very fast since the material is so much thinner.
And that where the problem is: thin material.
Any T-rescue with a kayak over the skirt kind of scenario has put a hole in the fabric.
I also had some skirts where the face fabric simply delaminated prematurely.
Great product but not that durable, in my findings.
More details and images here: http://gnarlydognews.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/gear-reed-spraydecks-and-clothing.html
durability…
yeah durability is my only concern at this point. I am a bit concerned that it will not last through too many rescues.
I may consider another neo skirt that seals better. My main concern is a water tight seal in the surf and right now I am not getting that with my current skirt, despite it being the right size.
Matt