My wife and I have used drysuits for quite a bit of cool weather sailing. Off season and a couple of high latitude expeditions. Yes, heavy weight GoreTex is the ticket. You can spend all day in a GoreTex dry suit and remain dry. Our first suits were not breathable, what a difference!

Also recommend latex socks and relief zips. The socks solve the cold feet problem since you can then really layer up your tootsies. You have to wear them under some kind of high top footgear though, to protect the latex. The relief zips are key also. You'll regret it if you don't get your suit with one.

We have Kokatat suits that we bought about 6 years ago. They have held up well though we have been through a complete set of seals in that time. The protective cuffs at neck, wrists, ankles are a good feature.

George