Snap dragon closing!?

My favorite skirt (before I got a Snapdragon) was the one that came with my first Feathercraft kayak, bought in 2002 (Fethercraft made all their own accessories for the boats)/ But about 6 years ago it started leaking like it was completely not waterproof, not the seams but the coating failed. Other than that I have not had one fail. But I did want a neoprene deck skirt for rolling practice so I’m glad I snagged the Glacier one today. I had been planning to get one – them closing down forced me to get off the stick.

I kept the Feathercraft and it just occurred to me I can rip the stitching out and use the old deck to cut a new one and re-assemble it – even have some neoprene I could use or could make it coated packcloth like the original.

Thanks to you both, that’s helpful.

SD skirts are excellent products, and the company’s service excels, too. In addition to stock products, I bought a custom-sized skirt for a S&G kayak and a special order or two for an unusually small cockpit.

When I sold my last sea kayak, I included both the old skirt (still in good condition) and a never-used one, both made by SD. That paddler will get many years of use from them.

However…think about WHY they might have ended the business, people! Look at who most of the paddlers are now: SUP boarders. No skirts needed.

As for 2020’s much-touted unexpectedly high demand for kayaks, I betcha most of those sought were rec kayaks, whose owners rarely use skirts.

R.I.P.
I’m sad to know that another fine kayak-industry company has closed shop.

Wow, just realized I bought 8 SD skirts over the years, plus 5 backbands.

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When you figure out what and who works you stick with it.

And rec yaks no skirt. I have enough to last my days and a lot longer. Maybe they could sell the name and patterns.

Lots of changes both planned and supply line initiated appearing throughout the paddling industry. An example would be Stohlquist no longer making drysuits or apparel aside from neoprene. Hence why I stocked up on the $500 EZ suits at the Store. Sprayskirts, paddles and PFDs are going to experience waves of scarcity throughout the year.

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
9 W. Market St.
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What/how do you waterproof your skirts? I have used Aquaseal on holes, but am not aware of a way to waterproof the general area for when the skirt just starts dripping through the material. Love to hear a solution.

303 Fabric Guard should work - I use it on the Sunbrella on my boat all the time and it makes it completely waterproof.

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Yes, you are right on the shift to SUP’s crowding out kayaks. A friend and I spent a week at Lake Tahoe 5 years ago. There was a large outfitter down the block and I stopped in there our first afternoon to see about kayak rentals: turned out they had completely stopped not only renting but stocking them! But they had a pile of accessories in bins beneath a big sign “All kayak items on sale”. I picked up several brand new skirts, a Kokatat, a Snapdragon and a Seals – all had an original price tag ranging from $99 to $175 (the Kokatat, which had a Goretex tunnel and combo neo deck). I always carry a compact tape measure in my bag and all of them seemed within the range that would fit one or more of my boats. I took them up to the counter and asked “how much?” “Twenty bucks each” was the answer. They also had $60 sets of flotation bags for $10 each. They just wanted the stuff gone. I bought all three skirts and two sets of Harmony float bags (I have mutiple SOF and folding kayaks) for $80, got them to give me a box from their back room, walked to the post office up the street, taped it up and mailed the whole stash back home for $20. As it turned out, the nice Kokatat didn’t fit any of my boats that well so I sold it for $100 to a guy with the right size coaming who was delighted with it and that covered my entire expenditure. So essentially I got two new higher end skirts and 4 float bags for zip.

Since then. whenever I travel I scout for paddlesport outfitters and have snagged similar bargains to outfit my motley fleet from places phasing out serious boats.

On one hand I like finding a bargain but it does kind of bum me out that the sport is waning to the extent it is. Not that I am surprised, having worked in the outfitter biz during the mid 70’s to early 80’s when cross-country skiing, backpacking and rock climbing were massively popular to a level not seen since. We literally had customers fighting over slim stocks of XC skis during the winter of 77-78 when a dockworkers strike in NY stranded our season’s shipments of them from Scandinavia. Even during those years I saw multiple excellent companies with great products disappear or morph into something unrecognizable (Eddie Bauer used to sell expedition quality alpine arctic and tropical clothing, not tee shirts and hoodies for preteens.)

One of the dilemmas of living long enough is that many things you’ve loved but took for granted eventually wane, if not vanish. I suspect the events of the past year have accelerated some of that.

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So true… so sad…

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UGH !! really! In my opinion they made the best sea kayaking spray skirt on the market the (Ocean Tour EXP) Good thing mine is still going strong. I recommended Snap Dragon products to many friends over the years and everyone loved them.

Looking for a new neoprene cockpit cover any good ideas ?
Immersion Research seems a likely replacement tonight

But what a bummer hope someone picks up there line.

I have a Seals Neo cockpit cover that seems fine. Not familiar with IR’s but I have had other IR products that didn’t disappoint.

Some buddies use IR skirts specifically on their plastic sea kayaks since the WW system holds out water better around the rounded plastic cockpit combing when playing hard in rough water/surf.

I want to try one, but luckily purchased a new SnapDragon for my Stratos just over a year ago.

I have previously used Snap Dragon skirts, but switched to IR about ten years ago. I have two IR decks, one is the ten year-old. The newer one is my ‘spare’. I actually prefer the Immersion Research decks to SD. The IR neoprene is heavier in weight and I feel they are better built. You can also send them back to IR for repairs. I have not needed to do that yet.

I have a neoprene Sea to Summit cockpit cover that’s been very good. They’re a little harder to find, though.

Snap Dragon’s website indicates it is based in Bellevue, WA—no doubt a VERY expensive place to buy or rent a bigger space. Maybe the downsized market made it not worth upsizing there or moving the company to another location that would appeal to employees.

Was it Outdoor Research that moved from the Seattle area to the Lake Tanoe area? One of the big water-gear companies did.

I’ve got some favorite pieces of gear from IR too – good company with nice designs and quality made stuff. I was impressed during the critical shortage a year ago of medical PPE that they shifted production at their Oregon facility to sewing badly needed surgical gowns (their actual HQ is near me, 45 minutes southeast of Pittsburgh.)

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Gone are the days of stompuddling through the BW and gone is the Snapdragon.
I did find a photo that modeled my custom OC SD, what a fine codpiece it is on portages. Brings back some memories.
I see the tunnel had started to shrink in this photo :wink:

That paddle was a turd.

That was a great trip. It snowed a foot the next night

back to the present:

I can see open water. First time in 23 years I do not have a kayak registered.

Peace, J

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