It may be January but I am thinking ahead about buying a spray skirt for my kayak for the spring. Last summer I bought a Necky Looksha Sport and am wondering what others would recommend. Do skirts fit all makes of kayaks or are certain brands for certain boats? Also is neoprene or nylon the way to go? My use is on flatwater lakes, some easy rivers and some surfing the waves on Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. Thanks for your help.
Go with Neoprene
and be sure of the size of your cockpit in order to get the best fit for your spraydeck. surfing, I would think would require the neoprene, Ihave always used neoprene and I wouldn’t want to do surfing with anything but theneoprene.
You will want a spare
So get a neo skirt first, for waterproofness, and then pick up a simple fabric skirt like a Seals or NRS that is breathable. Makes a big difference in warm weather on flatwater.
Jim
Fit
Most spray skirt manufacturers have a fit list that tells you what size skirt your boat takes.
Here’s an example:
http://www.snapdragondesign.com/fitList.asp#oceanTouring
For your use…
Doesn’t sound like you will be in surf zones so unless you plan on being upside down rolling a lot neoprene might be overkill. I enjoy my neo/neo pocket skirt by Wildwasser but then again I occasionally enjoy sessions of upsidedownness.
Might want to look into a Bomber Gear Tour de Jour. Very good seal due to stick rubber over an adjustable rand, Toray II breathable material, sleeved adjustable implosion bar, reflective, nice chunky grab loop and velcro’d snug upper tunnel. Been happy with it in for year round touring.
See you on the water,
Marshall
http://www.the-river-connection.com
Check out Sierra Trading Post
http://www.sierratradingpost.com They have some killer deals on neo shirts. Picked one up for less than $30
Consider your use…
It sounds like you are a novice paddler, so there is a great deal to consider. First, identify what your use will be. If you don’t know how to roll, surfing may not be a great idea, so a neoprene skirt might not be best for you. A basic nylon skirt will keep spray off of you, and will slip off easily if you must wet-exit. Also, understand that a full neoprene skirt will have a snug tunnel to seal out water in rough conditions. If you are not used to skirts, a tight tunnel and cockpit may be uncomfortable for you. After you have identified what kind of paddling you will do for your first year, try on different skirts at your local paddle shop to see what you like. Remember, you can buy additional skirts later. I personally have a full neoprene Snap Dragon for rough water which assures rolls, and a Kokatat Deluxe Offshore for questionable conditions which might require a roll. If it’s mild, I wear nothing at all…err…I mean, no skirt at all.
Respectfully disagree
I’ve been using full neoprene skirts since my first time in a kayak without any problem. The nylon skirts I’ve tried have leaked every time I edged the boat enough to put the coaming underwater, which was frustrating.
I agree with Angstrom
When I guide day trips in a double kayak, for customers, the nylon skirts are fine. But for anyone on the sea in a single touring kayak, I would always recommend the neoprene skirt. The ocean is too big and too many ‘x’ factors to concern yourself with saving money by buying the nylon one. Someone early in this chain had the best idea…neoprene first and buy the nylon spare.
Has anyone tried
the Excursion Sprayskirt from Immersion Research? I just read a review on it and the writer says it is his favourite mediuwm duty skirt.
the web site is www.immersionresearch,com
Thanks for all the replies.
Mountain surf…
…tell them what you need and they will fix you up with it.
touring or white water.
You can trust them to do right by you.