The question of Nylon or Neoprene Spray Skirts?

I am tossed up between:

and
https://www.potomacpaddlesports.com/sea-kayak-kayaking/lessons-courses-training-near-in-md-dc-va-landing.aspx?lnav=sea

What is your gut impression?

Call Randi at Capital City Kayak. See above about 3 posts.

Yay! You bought your own kayaks! Iā€™ve used both nylon and neo skirts, but currently have Seals neo. They make a really fine product. I paddled in the Chesapeake Bay area for over 30 years. Join Chesapeake Paddlers Association (CPA). No other club even comes close. For buying local, I like Annapolis Canoe and Kayak.

Learning skills is time well spent. The best instructors are humble and never make you feel like a klutz. However, technique is just one part of the equation. You also need to learn about the stuff that can get you into trouble. Most paddling hazards donā€™t look dangerous. You have to learn to recognize and avoid them. Iā€™m teaching a free 1-hour Zoom class on common paddling hazards for CPA on February 18th at 7pm EST. Hereā€™s a link: Paddling Hazards and How to Avoid Them.. Anybody can sign up - you donā€™t have to be a CPA member or live in the Bay area.

Overheating in summer is a non-issue in the Mid-Atlantic region if you know how to finesse it. The water is warm so you donā€™t need thermal protection. Just wear a long-sleeved cotton shirt under your PFD and keep it wet. Wear a hat and keep it and your hair wet. Evaporation of the water will keep you cool.

Chesapeake Bay has a huge water temperature range from 32F to around 85F, but the temp only gets above 70F for 4 months of the year and above 60F for only 5.5 months a year, so cold water is a real issue. Go here to learn all about cold water safety: www.coldwatersafety.org.

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Neoprene is the only choice I believe. Even on warm summer days on the West Coast of Scotland, it can get chilly with the ever present rain and squalls that arrive from the North Atlantic. Stay safe whatever you use.

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I have a, Nylon/urethane (or some such thing) the Skirt primary material is nylon but the outer bit is coated with something waterproof so it doesnā€™t leak, the tunnel is a bit floopy but is covered with the same material but has a drawstring to pull it tight.

Havenā€™t rolled it with that yet, Donā€™t think I can anymore since my back surgery and lower vertibre fusing (Canā€™t snap the hips anymore.) So I canā€™t comment on how it works in that scenario.

What I can say was I was out in a torrential downpourā€¦ and high waves breaking over the bow of my tsunami, and hitting me in the chest the boat took on about 16oz of water. Not one bit of it through the skirt, Since it was summer, I had the skirt on and just a t-shirt, so what got in the boat was what seeped down my t-shirt inside the tunnel.

So all in all good enough.

Thank you for the information. I am planning to join CPA and have purchased some thing from and have rented kayaks from Annapolis Canoe and Kayak over the years.
I have signed up for your class!
I have also been looking into beginner classes, any recomendations?
Thanks!

I have both a nylon skirt and a neoprene one. I like both seals and IR skirts. I find I always use the neoprene. I do paddle in the Chesapeake and tributaries, even in the heat of the summer. Nylon is cooler, but it does not make a good seal. It is good for keeping light rain and small splashes out of the cockpit but it does not keep my cockpit particularly dry. If there is rain or spray from wind, I find neoprene makes a much better seal. And if you want to do a lot of edging or try to roll you will want neoprene since the stretchy material makes a tighter seal around your waist. I rarely feel too hot with the neoprene. The water keeps the bottom my boat cool and if it is really hot, I just jump in the water and go for a swimā€¦
Sometimes you can find good used skirts for sale. I got my IR at the end of season from a place that gave lessons.
Have fun with your lessons and adventures!

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For sea kayaking instruction you can always check ACAā€™s site Assuming that you are interested in sea kayaking vs white water choose coastal kayaking, MD, DC, & VA. Level 2 or above and endorsed instructors. Several listed there are CPA members who instruct professionally including Brian Blankinship, Paula Hubbard, Mile Aronoff, Rick Wiebush, and Shelly Wiechelt.

In an ordinary year CPA would be running itā€™s SK101 classroom and SK102 on-water introductory classes, but probably not this year. This may be the case for many local courses until maybe later in the year when hopefully things start to get back to normal.

A full day or weekend comprehensive course is the best way to start out to give you an overview that teaches skills and safety. The things that you donā€™t know you know are what get you into trouble. After this when paddling with a group like CPA or one of the local Meetup groups, many skilled kayakers love to help people out if they want to learn or practice skills if you ask ahead of time.

Always wear a PFD and be aware of the dangers of cold water. Dress for immersion, not the air temperature.

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I took some white water courses with Potomac Paddlesports. I didnā€™t finish (non-paddling-related injury got in the way), and since Iā€™ve decided to stick with flat-water/coastal kayaking. However, I did appreciate Potomac Paddlesports. The instructor and equipment were perfectly fine.

I saw a suggestion for Randi at Capital City Kayaks for lessons, which I will second. I would also contact her about Reed skirts. Theyā€™re made from a material that fits tight like neoprene but is lighter weight like nylon.

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I think it is worth investing in one of each. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, depending on conditions. Since you will be switching back and forth between them (by season and environment), they will last twice as long as one would, so you will ultimately recover your initial investment.

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I have both, and since I got my Neoprene, my nylon only gets used when friends need to borrow a skirt. Iā€™ll seriously never use it again unless I have to.

I rarely paddle in conditions requiring a skirt at all, and when I do want one (waves, rain) Iā€™ve only used nylon. The skirt on my Carolina 14 kept me almost completely dry in waves breaking over the bow on Lake Champlain; on my Eddyline Sandpiper (HUGE cockpit!) I never asked it to cope with waves that steep, but it did keep me dry in smaller stuff and rain. I donā€™t ever expect to roll; a wet exit is fine with me. And the sight of all those jellyfish in the Chesapeake are enough to keep me in the boat! :grin:

Keep in mind that ocean going ships have sunk on the Chesapeake in sudden storms. The Chesapeake is infamous for violent thunderstorms in the summer, not all of which are accurately predicted.

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Iā€™m definately a neoprene person. Although coated nylon skirts have their place and it is what I started with. For a rental business a nylon skirt might be desirable. An adjustable tunnel could fit multiple indivduals and some skirts are even made so that you can tighten or loosen the slack for the cockpit rim. So the skirt could be used on multiple boats and individuals. No doubt neoprene is drier.

I donā€™t like rands. Too hard to get on and off. In fact I like my skirts a little loose. The idea that you have to have a tight fitting skirt or that it will pop off is a bit of a myth in my book. More important is your fit in the boat (so youā€™re not falling out, tunnel size, and how you wear the skirt (pull it up too high and it is likely to pop off). I always buy the deck size larger than what is recommended. Most of my skirts have shoe goo around the edges, which is where they wear out first. I think I evolved into wearing loose skirts when I was video boating and getting out of the boat frequently to film. There was a time when I was coming back from an impact shoulder dislocation (flipped in the base of a 8 foot drop in 6 inches of water). When I got back to paddling, after rehab, it was still painful to reach behind my back so the loose skirt helped.

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Oh, yes, I know - Iā€™ve had some memorable times on sailboats in sudden storms. But kayaking, I prefer being close to shore, to see things - Iā€™m rarely more than a couple of minutes from safety.