I ordered a Kokatat skirt and it doesn’t fit my kayak even thought their fit list claims it will. I’ve emailed the manufacturer and the site I bought it through trying to resolve my problem. any suggestions?
it’s a Tropos Deluxe Sea Skirt in size XL. My boat is a Pungo 100.
measurements
I googled Pungo 100 cockpit dimensions and found them listed as 22 inches wide and 47.5 inches long.
then, from kokatat’s site
http://www.kokatat.com/documents/2006_SeaSkirt_FitList.pdf
I found an apparent contradiction in the pdf …at the top it states that XL will fit min/max width up to 23.5 inches and length up to 43 inches.
Did you happen to see that? Anyway 43 inches is way short of 47.5 esp since this is not a neoprene deck and will not stretch as much.
Whitewater neoskirts could stretch four inches or more, yes, they have to take more implosion and seal more tightly - but not a tropos skirt for a big cockpitted rec boat.
Further into the pdf it states that the Pungo 100 will take an XL skirt. This doesn’t exactly jibe w. the text I quoted previously.
From what I can tell this skirt is not gonna fit your boat. Kokatat is a good company, if you point out the apparent contradiction I think you have a reasonable case for return.
If you have not already done this, order your next skirt with someone on the phone at Kokatat, Seals, or Snapdragon, and give them your cockpit dimensions and of course boat model. Go by measurements and take into account fabric doesn’t stretch as much as neoprene. Good luck.
http://www.kokatat.com/documents/2006_SeaSkirt_FitList.pdf
Call on the phone
– Last Updated: Mar-19-08 8:18 AM EST –
Looks like friendlyfire has it - you need to work a deal on the skirt and nylon ain't gonna stretch. Though with a 4 inch diff I doubt neoprene would make it either.
But I do suggest that you get on the phone. Some of these folks are great in person but it can be a frustrating time to get response to an email. Also, if the dealer is unresponsive you can call straight to Kokatat.
I agree that they'd like to be informed that the statement about fit on that skirt and your boat should be revised.
In fairness to Kokatat though, it's not exactly a boat where there is a huge demand for a skirt.
hooray…resolution.
i bought it for a really good deal on geartrade.com
36$ for a 160ish$ skirt.
i emailed gear trade and kokotat, geartrade said the seller would be sending me a return label…
I was kind of hoping that kokotat would try to set me up with a skirt that fits…but i doubt they have one that will fit my boat 
Try as above
Trace the cockpit and send that to someone like Seals or Snapdragon. They may have you officially buy thru a dealer, but that’s minor.
Also, you may want to consider a neo deck. With that big a cockpit, it’ll be very easy for water to get on top of a nylon or similar deck and implode it. And it might be easier to get on as well. I have a vision of your having to lean so far forward to hook the front that the back will pull off in that boat - with a neo deck skirt it might be more willing to stretch rather than pop off the back.
Maybe a nylon or supplex tunnel with a velcro closing waist as well - that way you could leave the tunnel open while you get the skirt on the boat, then close the waist around you. I think that the sheer size of that cockpit could be interesting just to get it on.
more suggestions
can ya take a few more LOL. Glad you got your money back from the geartrade seller.
If there is a paddleshop in your area, take your boat there, let them fit you (your waist) and fit your kayak (cockpit) While still instore sit in the kayak and put it on. Nothing like IRL.
If you do choose to order remotely - and this can work out fine - send in tracings of the cockpit. measure from outside to outside edge of the coaming lip, and tell them how wide the coaming lip is. You can either trace on paper or provide your measurements.
Please don’t forget to include a waist measurement taken approx a few inches about the bottom of your ribcage. (I like a high waist fit so the PFD will easily overlap it and do a better job of repelling water, but that is personal preference)
Your waist fit can be one size (e.g. Medium) while the deck itself is XL or whatever. A maker like Snapdragon can take in a skirt,or, put in an expansion piece to fit your upper waist. A paddler can also do this himself/herself if they have a sewing machine which can do interlock stitching on a thick material like neoprene. If you are ordering a new skirt the maker will frequently do the fitting at no charge.
Hopefully some people who own the same boat can post what they use, and a ready made skirt is available somewhere.
good luck and let us know how it works out.
how is seals?
I found this one:
http://www.shopgetoutdoors.com/paddling_gear/skirts_covers/adventurer.html
Seals
as a company they are top notch. I’m not familiar with this particular skirt. I don’t own a skirt made of nylon packcloth.
Hopefully others here can offer their experience.
CALL Seals about YOUR boat and see what they say.
You will be pleasantly surprised. They know a skirt is safety equipment and want yours to be right for you.
Again, measure the cockpit
Your boat is a beeeg cockpit - you are way safer sending in a tracing of the cockpit to start rather than going off the shelf.
Don’t count on any fitting 'well’
on a rec boat w/a long, sorta straight sided cockpit. Those long sides aren’t really great at holding a skirt on, often a simple lean left or right can start to lift the skirt off the coming. I remember selling a Perception skirt for their boats that had similar cockpit lengths some years ago that had clips built into the skirt sides to ‘try’ and hold the sides of said skirt to the coming. They sorta worked, sorta didn’t, the skirts sides/bunji would pop off the coming, but at least the clip kept a minimal attachment point, but H20 was still able to enter. Long, somewhat straight sided cockpits often bugger-up a skirts ability to hold and NOT pop off at the sides.
Too beeg.
– Last Updated: Mar-19-08 1:23 PM EST –
Excuse me for asking, Mike: But what kind of water are you intending to paddle with a Pungo 100 that you even feel the need to buy a skirt?
The beauty of a large cockpit (40+")rec boat is the fact that it is not a ww/seakayak. They're stable, not easily tipped and allow for easy in and out or escape. I'm not playing devils advocate here, because I myself have a Seals for one of my large cockpit rec boats (it's been used maybe, twice) In high waves or strong whitewater, as Celia pointed out above, I can tell you for a fact that most non-neo skirts will most definitely implode on a rec boat when hit with big water (and good luck finding a tight fitting neoskirt in that whopper size that will also stay put/not be a hassle to put on.)
Water by the gallon weighs over 7 lbs. Multiply the volume in gallons of what your Pungo holds, and this is the amount of filled bathtub weight you will be trying to resurrect out of submersion.
If you're taking a little too much water over the bow, want to keep rain out, or perhaps stay a little warmer, well okay I can understand it. But personally, I wouldn't bother with another skirt. Maybe upgrade to another boat with a smaller cockpit if I could afford it.
Not a criticism, just an opinion.
From March 18 Topic
– Last Updated: Mar-19-08 5:30 PM EST –
"I am going to take my kayak on a multi day trip down a moderately fast river in May."
Don't know for sure what mikesova means by moderately fast, but this and another post I recall sound to me like he is talking something up to class 2. (...post expressing reservations that were off base.)
Ditto that, Sister. (nm)
ok.
I want the skirt because it’s going to be slightly cold and yes, I wan to keep water out of the cockpit from over the bow and possibly rain. I’m not planning on rolling this thing, sheesh. I’m also going with a group of canoers, so if you’re worried about the pungo not being big enough to store stuff, i can pack stuff in the canoes. I say its moderately fast because we’re doing this in may and it will be faster then rather than in July. This isn’t a white water river. does that calm everyone down?
Good Man. (nm)
Sorry if I had that confused
– Last Updated: Mar-19-08 3:22 PM EST –
In the your post about floatation, I didn't see any dialogue about having others help you in case of a capsize etc. So I didn't connect the dots between the trip with a group in May (post about gear), the floatation and this one that must all be about the same trip. So I got the impression that this could be a solo trip in more water than you just indicated.
well now
now that you’ve cleared all that up…
Somehow I didn’t think you’d be rolling 
If you just want to minimize water on your legs get a partial deck that will cover your legs yet not seal the cockpit completely like a traditional skirt. Doesn’t even have a waist tunnel. Clearwater Designs in Canada makes them for big rec boat cockpits like their Iqaluit - you should be able to find something like that for a Pungo.
If you want to stay warm, dress in fabrics that retain heat when wet - cuz count on it, you will get wet. Especially if the skirt slips off.
I agree with the other posters that this will probably happen due to the cockpit size. The river doesn’t sound at all hairy so this is not a disaster, just anticipate that it will happen, pull it out of the water, reattach it,smile and paddle on. And strap a pump in there. If nothing else you can launch some fine water fights on the canoeists.
Enjoy your trip.