Anyone tried using electric gloves for cat-sailing ?

Bille

No, I never tried them. But the subject of having problems with cold hands in the winter is quite known to me.

In fact it is my biggest problem with wintersailing. Not only on the water but also on shore when mounting and (especially) with demounting the cat.

I have heard wave-surfers talking about gloves with heat from some kind of wonder sticks which they had to break. But in my mind they have the least trouble because they don't use their hands so much. So watertight gloves put under their suit will keep them dry (so warm), IMO.

In my shed I have at least 30 pairs of sailing gloves, bought in the years for trying and hoping that they would be the ideal pair.
The best of them are the ones with preformed claw finger shape, but they all get wet inside. After one hour my fingertops start turning intens white and painfull.

So yes, I'm also interested in the solution for cold hands.

Goretex skiing gloves?

These are the best cold weather sailing gloves I have used:

http://atlasfit-solutions.com/atlas-gloves/chemical-protection-gloves/atlas-460/

They are waterproof and fleece lined- great for judging, umpiring, pulling marks, and frostbiting.

Unfortunately, I don't think they would be great on a cat as it is easy to get water down the top, and then you are kinda screwed. I haven't tried putting a drysuit seal over the cuffs, might work.

I also know a lot of New England college sailors would wear these: http://atlasfit-solutions.com/atlas-gloves/multi-purpose-gloves/atlas-451/

They would also layer a pair of dish-washing gloves under the Altlas gloves to provide a waterproof layer the goes inside the drysuit seal.

I have also used ski gloves while crewing on an interclub for frostbiting, but they wouldn't hold up to trimming.

We have little reusable chemical heat packs for snow skiing that tuck in a pocket or wherever, it would be easy to sew a pocket on the back of the glove to slide them in, they are handy in that you boil them to set them after use so you can reuse them and you have to snap them to start the reaction going again, you could sail until your cold then snap them and tuck them in the pocket, slide one down next to your nuts as well if you want. If you have a basically water tight glove and only need to stop water going into it, a stretchy band like used on dry suits pulled over it would seal it, I have an arm cover used for pregtesting cows that would seal it quite well so maybe you could check out a dairy supply company for gloves etc as they work in very wet and cold conditions.

I guess in that kind of cold, you don't have to worry about sweat/moisture buildup in the glove itself?

i wear scuba gloves.
they have a grippy palm and have decent grip

they get wet after a while but it just traps the water in and gets warm like a wet suit

I never tried those, but I will do that.

It so happened that I sailed today in cold conditions: about 1 degree celcius temperature with a northeastern (polar)wind and a minus 3 degree windchill.

I first started with my standard gloves: open fingertips and small opening on the gripside for good grip. After half hour my fingertips started to hurt.
For starting (stepping up the mast and rigging), I used my woollen car-gloves. That worked, except for the clevispins.

Most of the suggestions done in this thread, I have already tried , but with no succes.

It seems to me that the problem is undissolvable. I mean the gloves should keep the water out (warming up the water inside is doubtful because your hand works like a pump). Besides that, water leads 16 times(?) faster the heat away. For that reason modern wetsuit design is using frontzip entry through the neck and very stretchy and well-fitting models. The goal is minimum water entry. And that works! Those wetsuits stay almost dry on the inside and are very warm.

So, keeping the water out,.... but also with isolation. Just bare plastic gloves don't work. And that's where the problems begin. With a minus zero windchill you need atleast 2 mil neopreen on the backside of the glove and but also as less as possible thickness on the inside for not losing grip-strenght. So glueing the fingerparts together? I've never seen those. They are always sewed; hence not watertight on a few mil thickness.

I just drive out to the middle of the lake with the truck to stay warm in the winter.

Karl_Brogger, Loc: Northfield Mn ; Yea , i could see that !!

Glad to see that I'm not the Only one who gets cold hands.
Now ; what to do about it.

I'm probably a bit more of a pussy than most here , since
the water temp at lake Mead rarely goes below 45-deg ; add
a bit of wind, and i get cold Fast. I got no problem when
the air temp is 113-deg in the shade though !!

Bille

would any sort of heat on/at the wrist area help?

I should have prefaced my response with "i live on the gulf of mexico where the water doesn't usually get below 50* and i won't sail in sub 55* and full sun anymore "

But the scuba gloves 100% block the wind, and when they get wet from spray... it doesn't effect the temperature in the glove much

Ofcourse there already exist electrical heated vests, undersuits and wetsuits:

http://www.heatedwetsuitreviews.com/

And someone invented (sailing)gloves heated with your breath:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z89zi0nkpnY&feature=g-upl

NICE !!!
And , Now Ya get Full Disclosure :

I already knew that they had electric heated gloves AND vests
for Diving

I also already knew there was a LOT of discussion about
DIY , or do it yourself electric gloves .

Google : DIY electric gloves for Diving .

And here is one Thread Ya find on a diving forum :

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-447365.html

For the home-builder ; you Should place a Fast-acting
fuse on the (Negative) side of the battery, to help eliminate
most possibilities for harm to yourself
"like a full charged LIPO,exploding if it gets shorted out"!
and
make the battery (Eject-able) if things go bad ; don't place
the battery Under your clothing.


Even with my RC airplanes, i never full charge a LIPO and
leave it over-night ; charge to 90% and top-off just before using it.

I Don't have the money to burn on a pair of gloves ; but
with the information provided on other forums, i'm certain
i can make my own electric gloves for sailing !!

Anyone into it ?

Bille

I just use the Gill 3 season gloves. I bought them after a recommendation on this forum i think, and never want anything else anymore. We sail 0 - 30 C, and I cannot say that I ever had real cold hands anymore. On top they provide exelent grip, and do not have to be replaced after each season.