dry suits

[hannah]

hi , thought of the idea of getting a dry suit ! Basically so we are able to launch rib in the winter and not worry about getting wet or cold.Not sure of any decent makes , or a good place to buy one from. Any one know anything about them?

I've researched them a bit on the internet , and i think i want a "breathable" type ,not the diving kind, and i'l wear thermals and stuff underneath. Is this a good choice?

This is a possibiliy for a xmas pressie lol , means we can do some early ribbing january and february!!

thanks
hannah

[JIY]

Hi Hannah,

Breathable is essential - my first drysuit wasn't (a Crewsaver) and even on a cold day my clothes were damp after a couple of hours in it.

If you use the forum search you'll find loads on drysuits, but here are my thoughts......

I've got two drysuits, a Ravenspring and a Gul. The Ravenspring is a great fit (their dry suits are tailor-made to your specifications) and has the boots included, which makes for easy donning (no trying to drag boots over the latex socks - not easy, even when using talc to lubricate things!).

The Gul is not tailor made, so can appear a little bulky (certainly on a bean-pole like me!), but uses a neoprene neck seal, which is more comfortable than the latex seal on the Ravenspring (although it's probably not as water-tight).

It's important to wear lots of layers under the dry suit on a cold day, because the suit itself does not protect you from the wind chill. On a warmer day they can be a bit of a pain, because of the hassle of taking them on and off, also it's not like a set of oilies where you can remove the jacket to cool down.

You'll find lots of differing opinions on the merits of front entry (zip on the front) and rear entry suits. My preference is certainly for front entry, because you can easily open and close the zip without any help.



Good luck with the search!

[Chopppywaters]

i usualy drive naked....

[hannah]

hmm ok then

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Chopppywaters

i usualy drive naked....

Try that in British waters this time of year......

[DJL]

Dry suits are great - until recently I used to wear one every time I went out in the boat. Now I’ve gone down the Musto wet weather gear route and I have to say it’s so much more comfortable and just as dry. Not to mention less hassle when pub hopping – not that you’ll have that problem yet.

Definitely get a breathable dry suit. The boots/socks thing depends on if you’re ever likely to do water sports while wearing it. I’ve never been able to get dry suit boots to fit in water-ski/wakeboard bindings.

Also you need to decide on front or back entry zip. Front entry are easier to get in and out of, and to unzip on your own. Back zips can be a little more tricky – however back zips are less likely to get damaged and a lot cheaper to replace if they do.

Get thick fabric too – I don’t know about anyone else but I wear fabric out really quickly – especially in areas that rub against the jockey seat.

I would highly recommend getting proper thermals. Fourth Element Xerotherm stuff is really good – its really thin but keeps you incredibly warm and best of all it wicks all the water away from you body so you don’t get damp. Much better than wearing layers of normal cloths which just soak up the water. Fourth Element website: http://www.fourthelement.com.

As to where to buy - Andark are pretty good. They have a fair amount of kit in the shop so you can try a few out. www.andark.co.uk

[tim griffin]

I have just got a Crewsaver Breathable Hyperdry Pro £225 From Offshore Sports in Cowes the youth ones are £125 . Will give it a test drive Mon and Tues.

[Rogue Wave]

Originally Posted by JIY

Hi Hannah,


You'll find lots of differing opinions on the merits of front entry (zip on the front) and rear entry suits. My preference is certainly for front entry, because you can easily open and close the zip without any help.



Good luck with the search!

so true! front entry for me too, makes it much easier to get in/out of

[Roy Smith]

We have two a Crew saver (no breatherable) front zip and a Musto MPX breatherable which is great i had the latex socks removed and replaced with ankle seals at Andark £20
The crew saver is very dry but boy do you sweat.
We wake board in Langston harbour and its great in April when the water cold
and its quite
Also we have done a few Channel crossings and its very reasuring that if some thing did go wrong (overboard) you have more chance of survival than wearing a two peice weather proffs

[Tideway]

Drysuits are PPE for much of my work, which entails a fair bit of wading around in salt and freshwater, and consequently I have spent far too much time encased in rubber...

In my experience, there tends to be two broad types; the neoprene drysuits, which are fantastically warm, very flexible and complete overkill unless you expect to be in the water at some point. If you exert yourself in one of these you will be as wet as if you had gone in without it. That isn't the point though if you want it as safety gear, warm is always better then cold...

The neoprene seals however are worth considering. They can be fitted on teh other types of suit (See below) and are much less fragile than the latex ones. If you use cold cream or KY Jelly(!!) then they remain comfortable and last for ever.

Then there are the more common membrane type suits. These are great and there are loads to choose from. If you want a lightweight suit then there are all of the yachtie ones which you have probably already seen, or if you need something more industrial, there are several manufacturers out there. See links:

http://www.diveshop.co.uk/pages/drysuits.html

http://www.hammond-drysuits.co.uk/

or (and annoyingly he hasn't a website, but used to do some very tough suits)

Collins Nets
Goods Yard, Station Road
West Bay
Bridport
DT6 4EW (Road Map)
Dorset
Tel: 01308 427352

The previous posts that refer too wearing suitable clothes under the suit cannot be overstressed! Once the outer layer is wet it will wick heat away rapidly, wear a Polar Bear suit or Thermal underlayer.

I have tried several of the breathable suits (N.Diver, Typhoon, Hammond, Collins and Remar) but in my humble opinion they make little or no difference once you become remotely active. Drysuits keep the sea off and let you gently stew...

Finally, if you are buying a drysuit under layer, see if they can make up any thermal booties in the the same material, I got some 10 yrs ago and they are still going strong!

Cheers,

tc

[Nos4r2]

course, you could always wear one of these with an old pair of shoes over the outside... cheap and easy way of staying very warm. I went out in Poole yesterday wearing one. Looks a bit daft when you 1st put it on but nice and light too. Only drawback is no neck seal-but they do have a hood built into the drawstring. They pack down small too.

http://cgi1.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayIS...tem=7192767644

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

course, you could always wear one of these with an old pair of shoes over the outside... cheap and easy way of staying very warm. I went out in Poole yesterday wearing one.

http://cgi1.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayIS...tem=7192767644

Saw you in the High Street Nos, and I must say you looked very festive.

[hannah]

Originally Posted by DJL

Dry suits are great - until recently I used to wear one every time I went out in the boat. Now I’ve gone down the Musto wet weather gear route and I have to say it’s so much more comfortable and just as dry. Not to mention less hassle when pub hopping – not that you’ll have that problem yet.

Definitely get a breathable dry suit. The boots/socks thing depends on if you’re ever likely to do water sports while wearing it. I’ve never been able to get dry suit boots to fit in water-ski/wakeboard bindings.

Also you need to decide on front or back entry zip. Front entry are easier to get in and out of, and to unzip on your own. Back zips can be a little more tricky – however back zips are less likely to get damaged and a lot cheaper to replace if they do.

Get thick fabric too – I don’t know about anyone else but I wear fabric out really quickly – especially in areas that rub against the jockey seat.

I would highly recommend getting proper thermals. Fourth Element Xerotherm stuff is really good – its really thin but keeps you incredibly warm and best of all it wicks all the water away from you body so you don’t get damp. Much better than wearing layers of normal cloths which just soak up the water. Fourth Element website: http://www.fourthelement.com.

As to where to buy - Andark are pretty good. They have a fair amount of kit in the shop so you can try a few out. www.andark.co.uk

thanks , i dont intend to do any water skiing or wakeboarding in my dry suit , - im not that brave!! lol Just need a suit which i am able to wade in to the water with while launching and recovering boat , and one which will keep me warm aswell. As for the thermals, i have snow skiing thermals , they should work fine .
just browsing around on the andark site
thanks
hannah

[Poly]

Hannah,

If its literally just ofr launching you might consider something like these:

http://www.trident-uk.com/shop/acata...Trousers1.html

No personal experience. I am currently trying (unsuccessfully!) to perfect the art of launching and recovering without going in the water.

Cheers

[hannah]

Originally Posted by Polwart

Hannah,

If its literally just ofr launching you might consider something like these:

http://www.trident-uk.com/shop/acata...Trousers1.html

No personal experience. I am currently trying (unsuccessfully!) to perfect the art of launching and recovering without going in the water.

Cheers

thats interesting, and deffinetly knocks a few pennies off ! Might drop that idea by my dad! thanks , and goodluck with the dry launching yourself , \

Are you attempting to do it single handed or with other people aswell?

[Rich L]

Originally Posted by hannah

thats interesting, and deffinetly knocks a few pennies off ! Might drop that idea by my dad! thanks , and goodluck with the dry launching yourself , \

Are you attempting to do it single handed or with other people aswell?

If you're thinking of getting waders, you may aswell go for the Ravenspring 2 piece (duo) dry suit which I have. You can buy the top & bottom separately so you can 'upgrade' later if you want. I mainly use just the bottom half - particularly good for wading out to the boat when anchored off a beach. I leave the top half on the boat so's I can don it if I need to swim to shore or something. Very useful for wading.

The only reservation I have is that if you keep them on like I tend to do, without the top half, and came out of the boat or fell in accidentally, they would obviously fill with water unlike a full dry suit.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by hannah

Are you attempting to do it single handed or with other people aswell?

Both with others and on my own... ...I guess you always have company so you should be able to get in the boat before you get wet and reverse the boat / trailer until you float free, and then you drive the boat whilst the other person recovers the trailer. And then you go to pick them up - this is where the problem really comes in - unless there is a handy jetty / pontoon / etc nearby.

I have the advantage that my boat is pretty small and lightweight so I can get it on and off the trailer on my own ok.

Good luck - I hope santa brings you what you want ;-)

Neil

[hannah]

lol im sure he will!!