Dry siuts

Looking for a good catamaran sailing dry suit to lengthen my Wisconsin sailing season a little bit. Any suggestions? I have found mainly diving and paddling dry siuts while searching online. None seem to be sailing specific. The closest thing I have found so far is the O'Neil Boost drysiut. Does anyone have one that they can comment on its performance?

What features would define a "sailing specific" drysuit?

I guess the question is, what does everyone who sails cold water use? Is there one suit that is better for use on a cat? Freedom of movement and durability are key. The O'neill "Boost" dry suit by description seems to be for waterskiing. I am unsure if the suit would be the right thing for hanging on the wire or sitting on the tramp. Maybe it would be great, maybe not. Just looking for some guidance.

Here are a few good online retailers:



www.apsltd.com

www.murrays.com

www.layline.com

www.team1newport.com



All specialize in sailing gear, so they should be fine sources.



Best of luck.

We love our Kokotats. breathable, comfortable, well-made, not cheap, but worth it, lots of options when ordering one. We got ours through Jill Nickerson at Fun In The Sun Recreations: funinthesun@juno.com

My old Gul Hydrolock is still keeping me dry and warm in LI, NY... can't say I've tried any of the others, though.

I owned a Gul non breatable suit for 2 years and I would be fine when it was cold. When it is warm or if you are wearing too much under the suit you sweat and get wet... defeating the purpose of a dry suit. I recently purchased a Kokotat gor tex breathable suit and got a relief zipper and gor tex socks with it. I will NEVER ever go to anything else. I have worn this in 75 degree (only 45 degree water) weather and taken it off without breaking a sweat. The rest of the local high school team came in all sweaty and complaining. The relief zipper is even more convienent. No more taking the whole suit off to go to the bathroom. If you go to www.kokotat.com you can see the different suit options. I believe the suit with the zipper and gor tex socks is $809 but a few dealers offer discounts.

I use this suit in Rhode Island and Connecticut. I even used it at Spring Fever in Georgia. It has been great for temperatures from 20 degrees to 75.

Ahh yes, it does get cold in Wisconsin, doesn't it? Probably not as cold as it does here in Minnesota, though, right?



I have a Gul Breathable dry suit, and I love it! It has a front diagonal zipper, and latex booties. The booties are great, because it means that your feet stay dry.



I have a buddy who's an avid windsurfer who swears by his Bare Polar Heat drysuit. It has heavy neoprene pants married to a non restrictive nylon upper. Add to that an included polar fleece liner, and I guess it's very toasty!



The important thing with any of the nylon suits, is that they're only as warm as wearing the proper stuff underneath. So if it's really cold, you'll want the fleece.



I find that since purchasing my Gul suit, that I never reach for my full length wet suit anymore. It's now an extra item for the ocassional suitless crew.



Good luck, neighbor!



Tim J.

Tim, you make a good point about insulation under the suit. A couple years ago a sea kayaker off the New Jersey coast capsized just outside the break. It was winter. The water was cold. The paddler was wearing a drysuit, but he didn't have much for insulating layers underneath. He died within view of onlookers standing on the beach (who couldn't go out after him due to the cold water).



So, be sure to pay as much attention to what you wear under the suit as you do to the suit itself. Dress for the water temp, not the air temp. (If the water is cold, like where I sail, you will also find that the air temp can be up to 20 degrees cooler once offshore as it is cooled by the frigid water.)