May 30, 2005

Sprayskirts

Seals

I've decided I won't buy any more Seals products.

Coastal Tour Sprayskirt - Of the two skirts I bought, this one is the better of the two. I have only one real complaint. It leaks. Not a lot, but the drip drip on my lap as the water leaks through the deck is annoying.

Mariner Sprayskirt - It is supposed to be for 'extreme' conditions, but I'd suggest a light rain is too much for this skirt. Water drips through as if someone drilled holes in it. It has some sort of deck stiffining material sewn in (looks like it came out of an air conditioner filter) to a pocket that you just about can't avoid while stepping in to the skirt. The 'quick release paddle park' looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen. I was ready to cut it off as it snagged on everything when practicing rescues. But before I cut it off it fell off - it is designed to just slide on/off a strap. It has now permently slid off my skirt and in to a trash can. Like the Coastal Tour, it doesn't seal well to the coaming and causes lots of water to enter while rolling. But again, the most irratating trait is the water dripping through the top deck and on to my lap.

I know it is hard to fit all the different coaming rims out there, but how hard can it be to do a good job on sealing the seams?

Brooks

4 x 4 Expedition Sprayskirt

Finally, a non-neoprene skirt I can recommend. Made from embossed polyurethane Supplex, it isn't breathable but still cooler than neoprene. The tunnel has an adjustable neoprene band that does a good job of keeping out water from the tunnel and the Supplex material and minimal seams don't let in a single drop from spray or paddle drips. Like all non-neo skirts, the fit around my fiberglass rim isn't watertight, but that is to be expected. At least as long as I'm not rolling I can paddle all day and keep the cockpit dry.

Two negatives:

One downside I've found is the internal bar to keep water from pooling on the deck seems a little too large for my deck and is set too close to the tunnel. The result is the bar is usually distorted rather than in a pretty arc across the deck. But since the skirt is so dry for regular paddling, I don't mind.

The other bad thing is that Brooks gear is hard to find and expensive. I ended up having to order from a canadian company for $163 CAD, which with shipping came fairly close to that in USD.