Wetsuits

Does anyone have a wetsuit they can strongly recommend for cold-weather sailing? Or one they would be sure to avoid? Thanks!!!!

How cold is te water? Here in Santa Cruz the water is typically in the mid 50's and most of te people that sail here wear O'Neill suits. The entry level suits are not that good for sailing as the wind comes through the sewn seams. The Heat Epic, and Psycho models are the ticket! The more pricy the suit the more flexible, the more flexible the less durable. The Psycho is what I wear, it's very comfy and warm. Hotline also make very comfortable wetsuits, and they're very durable!

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Sail Revolution
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I wear the new Quicksilver 3/2 Cell. Very flexible, has knee protection and tight seals. For sailing I think a drysuit is the best. Wetsuits are very tight and compress your rib cage. Drysuits are loose and more comfortable. I surf more often in cold water than sail, if reversed I would invest in a nice drysuit and a cheap wetsuit.

Take a look at http://www.catsailor.com/forums/showfla ... #Post84474 for a good discussion.

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After having sailed with a wetsuit for over 5 years, I now believe I am going to switch to a dry suit. It will let me sail in colder temps and stay warm. Plus they are a whole lot more comfortable.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Hey Pas, instead of raking leaves on the friday after thanksgiving, want to com to my regatta? I have a lot of interest so far on this forum for it.

CaptainNoah

I got a RIPCURL firesuit steamer 3/2

It has been one of the most comfortable wetsuits I have used while sailing. Thick enough to keep you toasty, but very flexiable as to not impede your movements around the tramp.

Northsails makes a semidry suit that I love. It fits like a wet suit, except comfortable and not nearly as expensive as a dry suit. A bad fitting wet suit is the reason alot of guys switch to dry. Form fitting and let's face it there is alot of forms out there. Some think that when a wetsuit gets wet you get cold. The cheap ones yes, the good ones no. The water actually is quite warm with your body heat. The trick is finding one that fits and one that you don't notice while sailing. I sail in 50 degree water and when wind temp dips below 50 I add a long sleeve polyester sport tee under neath to give me a little more warmth. I got that from my climbing experiance, hence, the quote " cotton kills " when in the mountains. Here's one for the dry suit guys, what do you do when your dry suit rips while capsized, Burrrrrrr!!!!! Maybe they don't ever rip , but if they did?

I have a question pertaining to wetsuits...

In what temperature water do you put it on? I am wondering specifically about Mission Bay in San Diego. Are wet suits needed there? The water temp is about 65.

from www.ussartf.org

Water Temperature 60–70° F (16–21° C)

Exhaustion or Unconsciousness in 2–7 hours

Expected Survival Time 2–40 hours

May be a borderline venue depending on how many potential rescuers are in the area if you get in to trouble.

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

Those numbers have to be way conservative, as they have to be. This would have to include a person that was 90 years old, naked, no body fat and not moving. This would also assume that you have no boat to hang onto or sit on, which is OK to assume. If you have an athletic bone in your body or some good blubber, preferably both, your going to be at the high end of that scale and way past it for many. I'm not normal, I'll admit it. If I jump in 70 degree water with a wet suit on, I'm hot. If I'm Hobie in San Diego in 65 degree water, I'm beach shorts, a life vest with a pocket for a whistle that will break you ear drums and an orange distress flag. You could wear a wet suit, a shortie at most, if you want to look like a seal. Of course, sharks probably don't like seals. Although that National Geographic special with the Great Whites throwing the seals around like a beach ball comes to mind.

HobieCPO,
Mission Bay, you are only a very short sail back to the beach, or worst case, a short swim to shore but even then, you are usually surrounded by boats (help). On a windy summer day I may wear the wetsuit for the rubber protection and to keep the wind chill away. Mid-winter in San Diego, it all depends on the air temp and wind speed. A good 3/2 wetsuit will do you well for all but the most stormy days, even then you will be ok with booties, and a hood/wetsuit hat, and maybe a spray top/foulies over the wetsuit. Like anything, keeping your core and head warm are key. On a warm windy day I still like a spray suit. Keeps the wind chill off, but you don't roast. Most of the newer racers at MBYC are sailing with Dry Suits. They are pricey and you need to keep the seals up, because if the seals or the suit fails while you are in the water especially off shore, you will be in real trouble. you can't swim or get back on a boat with a full dry suit. I'll probably sail with a light spray top this weekend, but no wetsuit unless it blows over 15kts. Unfortunately, unlikely...

Thanks for the advice, guys. I am going to ditch work and be out there tomorrow for my first time on Mission Bay. Can't wait!

After years of using wet suits, I recently switched to a dry suit (NRS extreme). The main reason I switched was that I wanted something a lot easier to get in and out since where I sail, I often dont have help with zippers, ect. The dry suit fit the bill nicely- and its been real comfortable and "tunable" by undergarmets.

But, you hear arguments about safety issues with dry suits if you get a tear in the suit so there are tradeoffs.

this is really just not true. i've been surfing for years, and haven't worn a wetsuit since '98. The water gets down to the low fifties here in the dead of winter (when we get our only regular surf that doesn't come from hurricanes) with air temps around the same. i can sit IN the water on my board for a three hours before i start getting confused.

if i'm bodysurfing, i can be in the water up to my neck for about an hour or two on days like this.

if the water hasn't dipped below 60 yet, i can be in it all day with no noticeable effects.

obviously all this varies from person to person, but it's my humble opinion that unless you live in wisconsin, you probably don't really need a wetsuit. people surfed for years in the 40 degree waters off of san francisco before wetsuits were invented (the rubber shirts people had at that time were warm, but so hard to put on and take off that most people didn't bother with them).