Dry Suits

gingercoastie · 05 May 2003, 21:19

Hi,

Do I need to get a very expensive drysuit, or will I be able to make do with some good quality foul weather gear?

Mike C · 05 May 2003, 21:37

Ginger C,

My wife and I survived on wet weather gear for several years.... but dry suites are so much nicer! Try and invest in one or two if you can.

They really are a must for serious ribbing. You can launch up to you neck in them

, you can swim ashore and then strip off to your DJ in them ready for Dinner

, when you fall off the pontoon drunk it doesn't matter

.... and if you sink half way to Cherbourg, you might not die!

Check out http://www.ravenspring.co.uk/system/index.html for (slightly) cheaper breathable ones!

All the best,

Mike C

gingercoastie · 05 May 2003, 21:45

Thanks for the tip,

Unfortunatly, the price is a bit high at the moment, what with paying for the boat and all the extras that are needed.

Maybe try and cope with foulies for now and invest in a dry suit for winter.

jools · 05 May 2003, 22:19

We lasted - for a while - with wet weather gear, which is fine if things arn't too bad!!

the problem I find is that if it is wet and you are getting a lot of spray then this all ends up down your neck. When your ribbing this doesn't seem too bad, but as soon as you stop you realise that your top half is soaked through.

the advantage of a drysuit, like ravenspings (which we now have and they are supurb), is that the rubber seals stop the water going down your neck / sleeve. Obviously normaly as mike says this just means that when you get to your destination your dinner jacket is still in mint condition, however if you did have a problem and were stranded the difference between dry and wet clothes could make all the difference.

Try doing a search on Ravensping - should be lots of past info!!

http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?...ght=ravensping

There you go i've done it for you!!

Cheers
Jools

Alex Brown · 05 May 2003, 22:33

I agree with Jools on this one - having the neck seal is a great plus, although there are some other products around with just tops that have neck seals.... I'm not even sure if Ravenspring do that too.

The only snag I have had with my Duo drysuit is getting in, and out of it.... it sounds very simple, but, err, I have spent many hrs dancing around on the beach looking like a prize idiot with one arm up in the air, and the other suspiciously down my front not being able to move

I think I finally have it off to a tee though, after managing to get into the complete suit the other afternoon in under 5minutes (a personal record, only after advice from Jools!!). This has however taken over 10 attempts, so practice makes perfect.

The only thing I will say is that these drysuits are not thermally insulated. When we went out with the yacht club a month or so back, I was in my entire drysuit on a wet day, lots of spray, and a cold wind. Only being able to get a t-shirt and fleece jacket on under the top section of the dry suit, I ended up wearing my floatation jacket over the top section of the drysuit as well. I don't know if it had any affect on the way the breathable suit worked, but I was warm, and very dry in the end

-Alex

Jono Garton · 05 May 2003, 22:53

If you still looking for a dry suite give me a call-

We have recentley become a gul dealer and can offer good quality new dry suites with neck seals and built in feet from £120.

Although I am a ravenspring fan, iwas very suprised how good the gul suits are (been out in a forcesfive to severn and heavy rain for the last few days in mine).

whitingiom · 05 May 2003, 23:26

Jono

If you can do Gul drysuits at £120, please send me size details etc. - I need a new one.

Jon

Jelly · 06 May 2003, 09:17

I have used oil skins for years and its fine if you are using pontoons.
Also there are times when just oil skin bottoms are all thats needed and you would drown in sweat in a full suit.
Horses for courses!
Jelly

dgpw · 06 May 2003, 12:53

Dry suits keep you dry not warm. You need cloths as well. I have been known to ware thermals then normal cloths, then a flees layer then dry suit then full oily with a gortex hat, thermal boot and waterproof gloves and still be cold. It was hailing most of the day though. Remember a hat they are most important most of your body heat is lost through your head.

gingercoastie · 06 May 2003, 13:44

Thanks for the tips, I will deffinatly get one, but have just spent the morning trying to get insurance, so the money has to be diverted elsewhere for now.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Keith Hart · 06 May 2003, 13:50

Hi

Drysuit every time. I used neoprene waders and waterproof tops for the first couple of years and this year purhcased a drysuit. My Ravenspring breathable drysuit was £350.00 very well spent. It extends your comfort and safety zones 1,000%

I got two extra suits for my part time crew through the 'wanted' forum right here on RibNet, at very good prices.

Go for the drysuits.

Keith (the voice of experience) Hart

Alan · 06 May 2003, 14:59

surplus to requirements (I had a new one made last year a little more generous in cut and with the all important comfort zip) will be available to anyone who wants to make me a sensible offer at next weekends gathering in Plymouth.

The point about drysuits not giving thermal insulation is well worth making. If you are getting one made to measure (as Ravenspring will do at no extra cost) make it big enough to fit your thermals underneath. Also they are breathable the correct thing to do is to use layers of synthetic material i.e. thermal underwear and the mid layer fleece. Avoid cotton which just holds onto your sweat when you get a bit hot!

Keith Hart · 06 May 2003, 15:18

Quote:

If you are getting one made to measure (as Ravenspring will do at no extra cost) make it big enough to fit your thermals underneath

Ravenspring tell you that they already make allowances for bulky clothing underneath the suit. They tell you that you do not need to add any extra inches!

I can't imagine that many drysuits are worn in countries where it is warm enough NOT to wear thermals.

Keith (bulk the hulk) Hart

Bilge Rat · 06 May 2003, 15:52

I found my current dry suit at the HH shop at Mc Arthey Glen factory outlet in Ashford Kent late last year and paid the princely sum of £120 for it, not bad considering i'd been looking around for an XXl of the shelf suit for some time and was about to give up and buy a made to measure. My suit is more of a dingy sailing suit and i'd have prefered to have the rubbing patches on the knees, legs and bum area and of course there is only one zip to, but for the money if it only lasts one or two years it will be a great buy. I wore it for the first time this year whilst doing my level 2 powerboat course and loved it, strangely most of the other candidates turned up in golfing trousers and tops and some other weird collections of what they thought were water proof clothing :-) first one over the bow sorted that out for them lol lol.

So if you can afford it go buy a made to measure as there's nothing quite like having something tailored exactly to your requirments, if you have time and considering we are coming into summer shop around for end of season bargains and see what you can get, being new to ribbing myself i do understand the vast costs getting started, fortunately for me i've been kayaking for many years and most of my kit can be jigged to fit my new hobby, plus i've been in and around ribs for a year or so now so slowly collected bits to make myself more comfortable for the next time i got to go out. i also found the two boat shows very good (especially South Hampton) for picking up cheap off shore clothing, having found a pair of Henry Lloyd gortex off shore long johns in xxl size for the knock down price of £60, well worth the drive down and deffinately worth a hunt around the bargain bins.

Then comes the problem of what to dress your guests in when you get to take people out, but suspect thats another thread

R

Windchill · 06 May 2003, 15:54

I originally bought a Typhoon Alpha with a front entry (diagonal) and latex socks. I thought it was excellent, but my feet got cold!! I wore it with yachting wellies over the latex socks, which I got on with the aid of the proverbial polythene bin bag! However, even though I made the wellies self draining in the end, I could not keep my feet remotely warm in winter.

I have now invested in a Ravenspring "Rapide" (back entry) with neoprene lined hard boots. Heaven!! It also has a "comfort" zip which whilst eminently useful, has left me feeling woefully inadequate!!

For ultimate comfort, I vastly prefer my yachtie stuff, but on a RIB, practicality counts, and dry suits are the best.

One Typhoon alpha XL with two season's use for sale by the way!

dgpw · 06 May 2003, 16:39

On the note of selling dry suits. One of my friends who is sometimes on this forum wet him self in a back zipped dry suit because he could not get out and their was no one around he then sold it to another friend and told him after about a year. Ha ha quite funny I think

thorper · 06 May 2003, 17:08

Being a diver, I had a drysuit long before I got a rib. I've got a Thinsulate undersuit for diving, and some gill 1st layer thermals for cold water diving. The dive undersuits are really heavy duty sleeping bags made in human shape, and are the best thing you can get. The Weezle range of undersuits is especially good : windproof, water resistant and seriously warm. They come in different thicknesses as well, and you can get boots for your feet for them as well.

http://www.weezle.demon.co.uk/wds/undersuits.html

Ricky

Phill · 06 May 2003, 21:06

Whilst not knocking Weezle Ricky (I've got a diver who swears by them) I tried one, and b----y froze. Something didn't work. Always found DUI wooly bears great, you come out of the dry bag looking soaking - but your skins dry, the wicking effect they've got is magnificent.