Mary,
I am a sailor but I also spend a bunch of time surfing. Most of the time I surf in MA or RI and the good waves happen in the winter, and the water is very cold, so I know a little about wetsuits. Surfer do not wear drysuits because sometime you need to "duck dive" waves in order to make it past a large breaking wave or set of waves. You cant dive under water very well in a drysuit. Drysuits work by trapping air in the suit and allowing your body to heat it. Wet suits work the same way with water. The reason you get hot and cold is that you are probably spending most of your time on the boat and not in the water and your wet suit is allowing the water (heated by your body) to evaporate or get cooled down by a chilly wind. Since water transfers heat much more efficiently than air, your body notices these changes faster and you get hot or cold very fast. You can also get in trouble in a wetsuit if the water is warmer than the air. A cold wind cuts through a wetsuit. Wetsuits work better up North when the water is cold and the air is warm. I have surfed in 35 degree water, in 40 degree air temp with boots and gloves and a hood and been fine more than 2 hours. I sailed at Tradewinds last month and I was close to hypothermic because I got wet and then the wind blew and I got cold fast. I was wearing the 3/2 shorty that I figured would be fine for average 70 degree weather and 75 degree water.

I have a collection of wetsuits that work great for sailing depending on the water temp and the air temp. Wetsuits also come in different thickness. Most of the wetsuits on the market are called "3/2" That means you have 3 mil neoprene in the chest and groin and 2 mil in the arms and legs. You can also get 4/3, 5/4, and even 6 mil wetsuits. The thicker the material the warmer. The newer materials have woven material in the neoprene and they are much warmer and more flexible.

Some shops sell rash guards, these are thinner cloth than help keep you warm and stop the wetsuit from chaffing you. I have a pair of Shark Skin brand rash guard shorts and they are great for keeping your groin warm and free from chaffe. This Shark skin has a softer synthetic fabric on the inside for more warmth. They make tops also.

All the wetsuits I own are have a slick fabric coating on the chest and mid section, I dont know why this made like this, but all of them seem to have it. I dont know what you are referring to with the cloth on the inside and outside question.


The secret to sailing in a wetsuit is to have a spray tosp on or a spray pants and a spray top over a 3/2 shorty (short legs and short sleeves) or a spray top over a full wetsuit if it is cold out. If you are going out on a warm day (over 75) and the wind is blowing, you can get away with a 3/2 shorty and no spray top. Depending on the conditions this is a very comfortable combination if you get it right. If you get it wrong, you will be either very cold or hot. I dont own a dry suit and I am a little uncomfortable in the fact that a dry suit might leak and then I would have no protection.

I have sailed very comfortable for long distances in the right wet suit.

If I had know that it was going to in the 40's at Tradewinds I would have brought my 3/2 full or my 5/4 with the hood.

Wetsuits should "fit like pantyhose" to use your description. They should not be loose. They should not leak, they should fit tight and have tight zippers. They should not have holes in the butt or around the zippers. You should rise your wetsuit after each use in clean water and hang it to dry in the shade. The sun will kill it and dry out the rubber. If you want to find the right wetsuit or at least learn more about wetsuits, go find a surf shop and talk to the owner. Forget about buying one anyplace else. Surfers really know wetsuits.

I like wetsuits when I am sailing my catamaran because they give you a little protection from cuts and bumps on your knees and elbows and other parts of your body that always seem to get banged up sailing or racing. I think they give you a little more protection in the groin when you spend a while in your harness.

The downside is you look really dorky at the party after the race walking around in a wetsuit. Especially if you didnt go to the surf shop to buy it and you got a neon green or neon yellow one at the Hobie dealer.... stick with black.