Hobie Cat Forums

Geordie, I have ordered a pair of Caddis breathable chest waders, which appear to use material with similar properties to goretex
http://www.caddiswaders.com/
We just don't get air or water temperatures that cold around here to justify a dry suit.

I currently using Sailing Coastal Trousers and a spray top.
http://www.nzsailing.net/gul-mens-vigo-coastal-trousers-xidp337863.html

The shop I bought it from said he was getting allot of kayak fishermen buying Coastal Trousers (with the double forint zip ) / titanium or Poly Pro base layers and switching from wearing wetsuits. The water may be a little too cold where you live, but it might be something to think about for the few warm summer months. Where I live people go out all year round Sailing and Kayaking.

myth busted. watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwG52p4yjs

Here's my observations, although I haven't worked out my own solution yet.

I too Sail mostly from mid-may to late sept. and either sail in the Long Island sound (cold most of the time, warms a bit in summer but its still the ocean) or Lake Champlain (northern NY just below Canada ... water temps never really get warm).

- In both places, mid-summer temps can be 90*+ with cold water temps. Even with the air very warm, in a bathing suit and T-Shirt I have gotten to the point of shivvering and pulling in the sail to lounge a bit and warm up. WET + WIND = COLD after enough time - even in 85-90* air. Generally, we're talking about > 10mph windspeeds where the boat is moving pretty well.

- I too SCUBA dive and own a 5 mm Farmer John suit (think waders with a cover jacket but all in neoprene). I could not imagine wearing that on the AI. In fact it is so confining and I hate wearing it so much I rarely cold water dive. Just getting into it on a hot summers' day is enough of a workout by itself... I do it at least once a year to clean the zebra mollusks off the water intake at the Lake Champlain house and dread it each year. The Thermocline at about 18' goes from ~60* to 42*

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Alan W.
'07 Golden Papaya AI
'07 Golden Papaya AI LadyJane

Got my Caddis waders this morning from the postie - gee they are lightweight.

So, nothing for it but to maiden the Ti, so dressed like the Michelin Man (roomy suckers these), I assembled the akas to minimise launch time, and headed off to Pipers Bay ramp, near Forster Keys canal homes.

The waders work perfectly, and being so lightweight and breathable, they were very comfortable for the five plus hours I wore them, and I now "usually" won't have to worry about my compression stocking getting wet (see later but).

First trap for newbies, you will never lower the rudder if it is cleated "up" in the rear seat D'OH!. With that solved I discovered I could actually move forwards instead of every other direction.

I spent the next three hours revelling in my new toy, getting some solid upwind experience and discovering that I could tack through the wind without needing to pedal if I got the sail and rudder trim right, and then cruising quietly amongst the flash canal homes, fielding lots of friendly questions from residents out enjoying their "back" yards.

Eventually I sailed back to the sandy beach next to the ramp, highly pleased with myself (especially the effectiveness of the wind indicator - works like a charm), packed up the TI and reversed the trailer down the ramp. I walked the TI to the rear roller of the trailer and then BANG, slipped on my arse on the slimy ramp!

Apart from the shock (and a bit of pain) what TICKED ME OFF was the feeling of water now entering my waders, negating all the brilliant work they had done all afternoon. It was now a real job getting out of them, and of course , I then had a wet car seat fr the drive home.

As I said, almost perfect.

Hey Tony,
congrats on the maiden voyage of the TI-tanic. Sorry to hear about the dunking, but at least it did not end in a trip to hospital (which I did a few years back after a slip on the boat ramp).

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Geordie
West Ausie

My money is on a dry suit. I have a TI on Puget Sound. I have both the Tropos and Gore Tex suits from Kokatat. Best suits out there! And not uncomfortable at all. Just the opposite. I can scramble around on the tramps without a problem. I know if I were to go in, I'm safe (with the suit and a good life jacket!).

I just went crabbing on the TI last weekend and had no problem doing that in a dry suit. The Tropos will save you some money and the neck gasket is Neoprene not rubber. Very comfy.

Both suits have integrated booties and I wear Crocs over them to protect the bottoms. In really nasty weather in the winter months, I go for the full-on Gore Tex boots over them (the booties not the Crocs!). I have a Revo and fish from that in the winter.

Good luck and good purchase! I LOVE my TI!

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dp

Vashon Island, WA USA

2012 Hobie Tandem Island in Ivory Dune
2007 Hobie Revolution in Ugly Brownish Green Gray (currently being ignored)
2010 Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 in Mango (this too, abandoned)

Hi greyhound,
can you post some web-site details for the type of drysuits you have?

I did one trip out this winter in my US Divers drysuit and it was reasonable but a bit restrictive for peddaling (as it is a diving suit, it is a bit tight around the neck seal). I also started to get hot when pedaling as the wind dropped off, it is a 5mm neprene suit and it was only a 5 degree C morning, which is cold for here but probably a warm day for your area.

I am used to spending two or more hours in a drysuit underwater but it is not that coumfy out of water. I did think about the full goretex type suit for winter here but still not convinced.

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Geordie
West Ausie

My breathable waders are awesome. Even though they are only chest high, I wear a lightweight breathable cycling spray jacket on top, and I am dry as a bone.
I have used my TI 2-3 times a week since I started out in June, but our winters here are rather mild compared to what some of you have to endure, but it is a snap to add warm layers underneath as required

Living here where the air and water rarely reaches 60f in and on the ocean I have to say my kokatat tropos paddling suit is a godsend. That thing with some fleecy undergarments is wonderful.
Mind you I've only been an AI sailor/fisherman for a year, but a yak fisherman for a decade or so. Wetsuits, waders, they all don't hold a candle to my little red suit.
I do have to admit when the world series striper bite starts, and our Indian summer kicks in, I will sail in the SFbay in shorts and pfd...but that is a very rare time.

Steve, what were the shortcomings of the lightweight breathable waders you tried?

I used a pair of Simms chest waders that would protect my lower half, but i always got leakage on the upper half ( i wore a kokatat dry jacket). With a belt and the dry top i felt secure enough that they wouldn't get filled up in a dumping- but there was enough leakage around the gaskets to be annoying (and eventually that trickle would make my feet/butt wet) and always have that tickling in the back of my mind that i wasn't quite totally safe. Additionally, i always had the top riding up and/or my layers riding down. Finally, while the top is designed for the movement, the waders always seemed restricting to pedaling.

The real issue however, was it is SUCH a pain to pee!
In the wetsuit i could do the, ahhh...well you know. You don't want to do that in waders.

With the dry suit (paddling suit actually) i've got a wonderful relief zipper! I don't seem to have the issues with the restrictions while pedaling. I also got a fleece suit to go under recently-- which solved the riding up/down issues of the layers. THe final one is i have more peace of mind that i won't leak somewhere and end up being too heavy to swim and/or self-rescue.

So Stevo - can you slip a wide-mouthed juice bottle down there?

Hakas and loose board shorts. That's how I spell relief.

Board shorts...I dream about AI sailing/fishing in board shorts...done it once just a few weeks back in Baja. Air 91, water 85....5-15 it afternoon winds...was like heaven.

I may have to move someplace where the water temp isn't considered warm when it hits 57f.

I want to avoid the "wet-butt". I have a trip planned for a couple of days of TI sailing in 60 degree water with 65 degree air, so the wet seats will probably get annoying.

Has anyone tried the Kokatat Lightweight GORE-TEX Kayak Semi Drysuit ? Or a "Paddling" suit vs a dry suit? I like the idea of getting their Whirlpool bibs, so if anyone has worn them, did you stay dry?