I’ve recently purchased a kayak and have been rolling in it. I’ve gotten fairly good at it, but I obviously don’t want it filling up with water now. Does anyone have any suggestions on good brands of skirts?
some good brands
Snapdragon, Mountain Surf, Immersion Research are generally pretty well-regarded.
I have had fairly good luck with Seals sprayskirts but I know others who have been unhappy with them.
Immersion Research Shockwave
– Last Updated: Jun-21-11 8:40 PM EST –
You will probably see many recommendations for Seals and Snap Dragon models but I tried several with my Nordkapp RM and found that the Immersion Research Shockwave (a bungee skirt usually used on whitewater boats) worked the best for me. They retail for approximately $110 but I was able to pick one up for $75 on sale. A neoprene skirt with a neo tunnel,I love the big bright yellow pull handle and the kick strap. Easy to put on, stays on when I need it, and easy to release for wet exits.
Some people have luck with nylon or neo-nylon hybrids but I prefer a neoprene skirt with tunnel. Some use rand style (instead of bungee) skirts but randed skirts are generally not recommended for composite boats although on plastic WW boats they usually provide more resistance to implosion. They are also usually harder to put on and take off.
Reed Chillcheater
makes some great spraydecks out of their Aquatherm material. They are lightweight and offer a bombproof seal in all conditions.
Ditto
I’ve got the Immersion Research Shockwave, and I love it for all the reasons previous poster stated. Plus the outer fabric is tough, and won’t get abraded when doing rescues.
rand with composite boats
I’ve never used anything but. And I’ve noticed at symposa that more folks have randed skirts with composite kayaks.
Where does the “no randed skirts with composite boats” recommendation come from and am I missing something?
(yes, I can remove it very easily)
yes
I do the same. I have not noted any problems using sprayskirts with a rubber rand on my fiberglass Arctic Hawk kayak or on composite C-1s I have tried them on.
not sure what you have for a kayak…
but i have not had good luck getting a good fit for my P+H Scorpio with the Seals skirt. I have a Snapdragon Ocean Flirt now and it rocks…boat was nice and dry after several rolls. The Seals skirt is nylon and light neoprene on top 1/2 and comfortable in hot weather…but not a great fit on the combing. They redid it for me once , but still not great.(a custom order also, not a quick turn around) but the Snapdragon fits the combing great and no special order.
Level Six
if you are in canada, or even parts of the states, check out level six skirts, i have a neo expedition and it has held up well for me