One caveat on the wetsuit - I have a thin 1.5mm Hyperflex SUPreme shorty (retail ~$200). I know its thin, but water penetrates the suit much more than my Oneill Psycho Freak (retail ~$450). If you are looking at the Hyperflex, i’d ask about how waterproof the neoprene is compared to top of the line neo like Technobutter 2 or 3 (or equivalent top of the line neo from any brand). I had the same experience comparing the PF in TB2 neo to my old Oneill Mutant 4/3. The old 4/3 let water through and was colder than the PF 3/2. Maybe the thicker Hypreflex neo is more waterproof as well, I would just check.
Just saying, top of the line neoprene is pretty amazing. Might be worth scowering Craig’s to see if any top of the line suits are available in your area for a good price.
I find the thinner late spring/summer wetsuits, 3 mm and under, will sometimes not have sealed seams (look at the specs). Water flushes through there.
Most of my wetsuits are Xcel, chest zipped style. Even my 2 mm Xcel has blindstitched and sealed seams. But, you pay a premium for the quality of work and materials.
With the Wetsuit Wearhouse, I have two of its in-house brand, Hyperflex. I brought a 5/4 hood last year and was surprised by how comfortable and warm it was. (I was wearing the Hyperflex in the pic of me above, encrusted in ice.) The neo seems even stretchier than the Xcels that I have. I will admit the jury is still out, for me, on the durability of the Hyperflex. If it goes through this winter and next, I will say it is a very good buy as it is about 60% of the price of my 5/4 hood Xcel. I just bought my second one – a 4 mm hood wetsuit – on sale for 50%. A 4mm wetsuit with a hood seems like an odd duck (I am used to unhooded 4/3). I was willing to spend the money to see where this fits in the late fall/early lineup, since I really like the stretchiness/comfort of the Hyperflex 5/4.
Layering… In the summer, I will go with a lightly padded neoprene impact vest over my wetsuit. I have had surfers drop in on my wave. I haven’t been hit yet but a standing surfer could crash his surfboard into my back or chest. One guy almost did. I saw him coming and pushed his surfboard nose away from me and knocked him over. Anyway, I like the insurance against injury. I’m getting too old to be losing time to injury and physical recovery.
In the photo above, I was using heavier duty foam impact vest. It has 2/3 of thickness and flotation of a coast guard approved PFD. Technically, I am on a surfboard and nobody enforces PFD laws on surfers. Heck, we surfers don’t even observe the “no swimming” flags during hurricane swell season. So there. A reason surfers don’t wear PFD, except on really BIG wave riding, is the ability to duck diver under an oncoming breaking wave to avoid getting tossed around. However, standup surfers don’t have to worry about being speared by a board in the ribs while surfing a sit on top waveski.
I suggest you wear a coast guard approved PFD in your Kaos.
@sing, did you have to custom order your short paddle from Werner? I am pretty sure 190cm is too long for my surf paddling, but then most venders don’t carry 175cm short paddles. Thank you!
coloradokayak.com offers 165cm or 175cm R30, but I prefer straight paddles.
I am getting a Dagger Kaos by the way, likely from Carl at Osprey on Saturday afternoon, after meeting with you on Saturday noon.
Don’t buy a paddle yet. I have a right hand, 191 paddle that you can try a bit first. The Kaos is wider and rides higher than my waveski. It may be ok and/or it will give you a reference point if you want to go shorter in the future. But, you won’t really know until you get a couple of surf sessions in first.
Do you have a straight short paddle? I have tried R30 or R45 paddles before, for a minutes or so on land, but was not sure if I can get use to them. I prefer straight paddles that are not feathered.
Werner will make non-stock lengths of paddles. When you know what you need just talk to them.
I had (still have) a Werner Sherpa WW paddle, 191 cm standard size. After a few years I felt a slightly shorter paddle would be better. Werner made me a 185 cm paddle at a tiny extra charge. At the same time I also downsized my sea kayak paddles from 205 to 200 cm. They said these lengths were not really a custom size, but that retail shops do not stock them due to low demand.
The paddle is a 191 with offset of 15 degrees, right hand control, that I modified from an old 200, r30. I think the slight feathering is easy to get used to if you are used to unfeathered. The paddle shaft is oval and so is “indexed” on both sides by the shaped and feel. For me, the length is still longer than I long so I have it around as spare.
You can try/use until you are ready to make a more definitive judgement about your preference.
Sunday morning - 9 to noon - is looking almost perfect if forecast holds. 10 second plus, 3-4’ easterly swells with an offshore wind to clean and steepen the wavefaces. Astronomical high tide, ~ 11’ at a bit past 1 PM. Waves will be slamming into the seawall sometime after 12 PM.
Get your gear ready. Take the fins out of our Kaos, sit on it and adjust the thighbraces so it is snug with your feet in the preferred peg positions. You legs ideally should have some bend in them to keep the thigh braces on and snug. When you take your feet off and straighten the knees, the thighbraces should release readily. Also, find a place to attached you paddle leash towards the front of the Kaos.
Put on you drysuit and check the neck gasket for fit. If it feels too tight now, trim them to a comfortable snugness (google how to trim gasket). Trimming is the way to go. The gasket will not stretch to a comfortable level anytime soon, if at all (I speak with experience with 2 drysuits, and four drytops of my own).
Meet me where you saw me last. If there are too many folks out, we’ll paddle or drive to a less crowded spot. You should not be near boardies on your first outing.
Saturday looks to be a soaker. But, we need the storm to get the waves. I’ll be at Nantasket between 9-9:30 AM, Sunday. Hopefully, the sun will break at some point during the session.
What a fun surf! I have been dreaming of doing this for 13 years and finally got to do it, with Sing’s help. Thank you for your mentorship, Sing!! Let us do it again next time!
For this “test” session for zzz’s Kaos, we had clean 3’ waves at 10-11 second intervals. However, we had a hellacious, sustained offshore wind of 25 MPH plus. So, strong that my waveski that I had set alongside the seawall while I got ready, actually was picked up by the wind and blown over the wall. It landed on rocks 8’ below. Ah crap… Waveski sustained a cracked fin box and a punctured bottom.
Well, without a ride, I was able to spent a little time watching and giving pointers to zzz. He got in a couple of straight rides () and was able to make some adjustments and learn the feel of the Kaos, as well as what to watch for holding onto to the SOT in the break and soup zones.
He also offered to let me try the Kaos. While I surfed with some who ride a Kaos, I had never personally tried surfing it. It’s 10’ length gave a fast paddle out through the break zone. On the first wave I caught, I promptly buried the bow into the trough and flipped. Oh well… The plus side was that the Kaos was easy to roll back up with the thigh straps, Actually easier than my waveskis. zzz took some pics and caught this sequence:
I found the Kaos fin placement farther back than I like (or am used to), making the Kaos a bit more tracky than my waveskis. After a couple more waves, I got the hang of it, using more active stroking and more extended paddle rudders to effect the desired directional changes. Was able to do some rollercoastering and diagonals in front of the wave pockets for some quality rides.
I think the Kaos is definitely a good boat for a beginner/novice to learn with. It’s only downside is that it’s heavy. One has got to be careful to not get caught between the boat and the shoreline with an oncoming wave.
Waveski sustained a cracked fin box and a punctured bottom. 
) and was able to make some adjustments and learn the feel of the Kaos, as well as what to watch for holding onto to the SOT in the break and soup zones.
