neoprene
I use neoprene chest waders when fishing and sometimes will stand in waist deep water for the bigger part of a day and have no water leakage through the material. I can’t imagine why a spray skirt made of neoprene would leak?
Full neo
is the only way to go for surfing, rolling, etc. Seals Pro Shocker gives me a great tunnel seal & around the coaming too. Just spray it off with the hose after use. No leaks, no drip through. It’s a beautiful thing.
Agree
The neoprene material shouldn’t be leaking. If water’s getting in it’s a bad seam, a bad seal somewhere, or condensation.
That’s what the manf.says.
Somehow I doubt that I got 6 bad skirts bought over a period of 5 or 6 years. I have tried everything I have heard of to “locate the leaks” to no avail. The water pools behind the tunnel and then just leaks through. I have coated the seams inside and out with Aqua Seal and still get wet. I even tried having a custom made skirt with less distance between the back of the tunnel and the coaming. NADA. Now I have cut the legs off of a pair of NRS Black Rock paddle pants and wear them over my regular nylon shorts. Sitting in water for 3 or 4 hours at a time holds no appeal for me.
skirts
Ok, nylon is ok for a nice sunny day when you don’t need a skirt in the first place.
A warm weather skirt would have a neo deck and a nylon tunnel. Trying to make a nylon deck waterproof isn’t likely.
My skirts are all either all neoprene or a neo deck and a nylon tunnel.
Bill H.
For what it’s worth,
– Last Updated: Aug-28-09 10:52 PM EST –
We are very pleased with out Snapdragon neo spray skirts with nylon tunnel. You are in Michigan - not nearly as hot there as it is here in the southeast.
I was initially very concerned that having neoprene skirts (black, no less) would be hot in the summer, but we have been pleasantly surprised. Even paddling on a hot Florida summer day. My PFD is more likely to make me feel hot than my sprayskirt.
Six attempts at a decent sprayskirt! Kudos to you for not giving up, but going neo may finally solve your problem.
Something dragging across the deck?
– Last Updated: Aug-29-09 6:33 AM EST –
Like a paddle leash maybe or your PFD contacting it? I have Snapdragon neo/sympatex skirts and nylon ones. They both will drip a little from pooling, usually not much, but it is especially noticeable if I have a paddle leash attached that drags across the deck surface. It seems to force water down through the material, even neo. It's like touching a tent rain fly in a downpour. The amount of drip will increase significantly.
I also treat the surface of the nylon one with 303 Fabric Guard once or twice a season. That stuff is the best for repelling water!
That doesn’t sound right
Are you keeping the sprayskirt tunnel all the way up your torso? When it’s hot, I keep my tunnel bunched up around my waist and it leaks as you have described. When I’m in rough, cold conditions, I have the tunnel up to my chest and stay quite dry (Snapdragon full neoprene).
Not to speak negatively about Reed, but
I bought their skirt this season because of the same leaky problems with other skirts.
The first few weeks I absolutely loved it. But after some use (not abuse), the skirt has little micro tears and it leaks horribly.
I noticed a few problem areas: at my lower back where my PFD and seat back will occasionally rub and where my tow belt is worn, either in front or back. Both areas have rubbed recently on a trip and within a couple of days and some rough water, I had a constant leak/dripping down the back and right down my butt and pooling in the seat. After a couple hours of waves over the skirt, I had a considerable amount of water in the cockpit.
I like the design of the Reed skirts, but they’re very fragile in my opinion. Not even a full season and at least 5 holes in it.
I’ve even tried field repairs on it and nothing will stick to it, at least for the duration of a days paddle. Sealant used recently pealed off pretty quickly.