Has Anyone Sailed With A Dry Suit?

I live in Utah, and it's getting a little cold for wet suits, and was wondering if anyone goes sailing with a dry suit on, how comfortable it is, and what has been your experience with it.

Thanks,

Tyler

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http://www.GetWetSailing.com It's A Great Day To Sail!

I have used a dry suite once, it developed a leak in the boot and after getting my foot a bit wet, it was not very comfortable, the air temp was in the low 50's I think and the water temp was fairly cold as well. Now, in our fleet, there are a few sailors that wear dry suites virtually year around. As I understand it, a well fitting upper end dry suit can be comfortable in any weather.

Good luck.

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Sail Like you Have a Pair
Bluish gray 73 - 83 H16
Super Nice Yellow 84 H18

You can't pee in them.

Shouldn't pee in them, it is physically possible, but not a good idea.

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Sail Like you Have a Pair
Bluish gray 73 - 83 H16
Super Nice Yellow 84 H18

i like being warm and safe... go for a swim wear layers under no cotton....
they come with a fly....
http://www.waldorfs.com/swim5l.jpg

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•Present boat -1998 Hobie 16 Solana Sails furling jib[/size]

I have used one for years,order one with a relief zipper and sewn in socks.The newer ones are so much better then my old one,more breathable.Try www.stohlquist and get a one piece with drysuit liner.My has held up for 15 years which justifies the cost,don't forget your crew too.In Indiana ,the sailing season is too short without comfortable wet suits and dry suits.I have sailed on "warm" windy days in the dead of winter.Keep warm.........and be sure to get the right fit.

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Bill 404 21SE

I have used a dry suit for windsurfing since the early '80's. There are two types of drysuits, ones almost identical to wetsuits but with tight cuffs and ones that are loose baggy types (body bags). The body bag type seems more comfortable, but you tend to sweat more and the cuffs leak and break down over time. The wetsuit style have a "dry" zipper that can be a PITA, but they have never let me down and they provide great insulation. In the colder temps I wear a shorty wetsuit underneath and have never been cold in 45 degree water and 30-40 degree temps. Your PFD also provides great insulation of your core and if you still get cold you could layer additional rash guards, fleece and/or thinner neoprene pants and shirts underneath. You can also pruchase dry booties and gloves. If you look for a drysuit for windsurfing they have designed them for more arm and leg movement. I would not recommend any Scuba wet or dry suits as these are for minimal arm movement and straight leg kicking.

I hate to say it, but in the northwest there is only about 2 months that the temperature of the air and water is high enough to do water sports without a wetsuit and even then you better not be in the water long. Therefore, if you want to play in the water you must get the right equipment. One lake that I sail at rarely gets above 45-50 degrees ever, so even with 95-100 degree air temps you wear a drysuit....

Dry suits are a lot more comfortable than wetsuits. The seals may be a bit uncomfortable when you first put it on but pretty soon you don't notice them. You can wear what you want underneath depending on how cold it is. I've even worn mine when delivering big boats in cold, sporty conditions when taking solid water on the bow. You can burp the air out, so you aren't like the Michelin man, by walking out in the water while holding the neck seal open a bit with a finger. The zippers are the same ones designed for space suits. You can even buy short zippers that you can cut a slit in the suit and glue it in a "strategic" place which comes in very handy if you wear one all day. The seals are easy to replace when they dryrot.

Something to remember is that with the loose fitting dry suit, you can rip it, at that point you lose your thermal factor and it will fill with water if you go in and of course you will have all that weight in the suit.

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Bodhisatfa

Anyone try one of those orange immersion/exposure suits that have pfd built in? The one I'm looking at is made by Stearns. Too bulky?

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Mims, FL

Those orange bulky things are 'Survival suits.' Designed in Canada (Vancouver) and most often made by MUSTANG. Essential in the (cold water) Coastal fishing industry, and in the offshore oil fields off Newfoundland.

They are warm, provide built in flotation, but do restrict a certain amount of movement. Fine if you are lifting boxes, pulling in a seine net etc, but sitting crouched on a Hobie tramp would be tough after a while, due to the bulk. Also, it means less agility when going underneath the boom during a tack or a gybe.

I've used them whale watching in Newfoundland (Witless Bay), and in Ucluluet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, where we saw three pods of Orca's. We were safe and warm and comfortable in the Zodiacs while traveling through some very cold water. I asked about prices, and somebody said around CAD$1,100 for a good one. Downside is that most folks do not zip them up properly, so when you do fall in the water, you get wet very quickly, 'operator error' I guess.

IMHO Dry suits will give you more range of motion at a similar price.

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2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

Thanks For The Help!

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http://www.GetWetSailing.com It's A Great Day To Sail!

I have one in my closet right now. True they are a bit bulky but if your going out for a long time its worth it. The only way it limits your mobility is the extra few pounds and if the crouch is too low it will limit how far you can extend your legs slightly.
http://www.mustangsurvival.com/products ... php?id=277
this is it