Wet weather gear for smaller ribs/sibs?

[SpearRib]

We all know inflatables are wet, but the smaller ones I find more so, our current is 2.85m.

I considered getting a surf wetsuit and just putting a lightweight rain jacket over this.

What do others dress up in on choppy days?

[henryfreston]

Originally Posted by SpearRib

We all know inflatables are wet, but the smaller ones I find more so, our current is 2.85m.

I considered getting a surf wetsuit and just putting a lightweight rain jacket over this.

What do others dress up in on choppy days?

if you want to go proper job a dry suit is the way to go. you can wear nice warm clothes underneath and remain 100% dry even if you happen to fall in.
they are not cheap though.

[A1an]

I agree, a surface drysuit is the way to go if you want to stay dry, I've found that they don't have to be a mega expensive luxury either.


For example, you can pick up a half decent suit for £350, a Musto jacket and leggings can set you back a damn sight more and you still get wet from the neck and sleeves.

[Starovich]

For many year when coaching windsurfing, a wet-suit with a lined Waterproof Jacket worked for me.

[SpearRib]

On a really small budget.

Starovic did you get cold often? I have a surf wettie already, I could just get a jacket.

Id love a dry suit though, one that when you fall in doesnt fill up with water.

[tumnus]

Just a thought, as I use my sailing / kayaking gear when the weather is iffy - however you can get some good waterproof motorbike kit cheaply. Lidl and Aldi often have some stuff - but check the back of Ride magazine for their best buys - some reasonable kit by most accounts without the "marine" price premium ( although not full drysuits they are prettty adept at keeping the water out )
I've also found the cheap microfleeces ( about £6 ) from decathlon to make a reasonable mid layer for the money.

[Nick Hearne]

Dry suit for me but I do also use wetsuit too and a waterproof jacket over the top helps as if the neoprene gets wet the wind will soon chill you as it sucks out any heat very quickly!
Years ago when I used to dive a lot I would still put on a cheap waterproof coat after a dive to keep the wind off me neoprene dry suit helped keep me warm.

[SpearRib]

Makes you wonder why windsurfers use wetsuits if they get freezing after being in the water.

[Peter_C]

I spent $25 on my drysuit. Of course I did have to put a zipper and new seals on it, but I usually keep that stuff lying around. Typically though the only time I am out in more severe conditions is when scuba diving, and then I always have my scuba drysuit on.

For windsurfing I often wore a wetsuit, but when the water got cold, I wore a drysuit.

Other times we are in jeans, and regular street clothes...we get wet.

[SpearRib]

When your in a 9ft SIB its wet every day :-)

Where did you get a $25 drysuit?

[JH&H]

I acquired some "waterproof overalls" from work and they are ideal. I sell john deere tractors / groundscare machinery and we sell a lot of these for winter and pressure washing. They come out £50+vat and they have kept me n the mrs dry when the honwave is splashing water everywhere!

[Poly]

If you can't afford a full on dry suit and aren't planning on actually going in the water have a look at flotation suits.

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by SpearRib

Where did you get a $25 drysuit?

From a scuba forum. The guy got it then found out it was gortex and couldn't be used for scuba diving, plus it needed new seals and a zipper. So I paid to have it shipped. It is a DUI military suit with a pocket and full camo. I would have preferred orange myself, and I do have another DUI CF200 that is orange. Most of the time when wearing a drysuit I use my Whites Fusion suit, as I am scuba diving. My partners drysuit was $127 (US) shipped from Ebay, including a ringed dry glove system, and all I have had to do was replace the exhaust valve and patch a few leaks.

Surface suits are far cheaper than scuba, and can be found for quit cheap on Ebay. You just need to know what size to get.

[GJ0KYZ]

I think a wet suit with a good canoe top would be best. Dry suits are ok but they're expensive, can be a bit claustrophobic and if you get flushed at the wrists or neck you'll soon get cold. I have both but when I'm on my jet ski I always wear my wet suit (O'Neill Psycho II 3/2mm).

[SpearRib]

but i thought wetties get cold in the wind?

oh its all so confusing.

[GJ0KYZ]

Originally Posted by SpearRib

but i thought wetties get cold in the wind?

oh its all so confusing.

They do, but the amount of water next to the skin is minimal and forms a very thin layer that soon warms up with your body heat. A good quality canoe top will help cut down on wind chill considerably. For winter you'd need more than a 3/2mm; maybe something like a 5/3mm or even thicker would be better. What you don't want is wet clothing inside a dry suit; you'll soon get uncomfortable and cold - dry suits don't provide much insulation I'm afraid. Incidentally most people on this forum are very pro dry suits. However, there's a world of difference between getting some spray over the tubes in a rib and having a full-on sub on a ski or a swamping in a small sib. You simply can't stay dry on a jet ski when it's rough in my experience, no matter what you wear.

[Peter_C]

I used to be a hard core wakeboarder before breaking my knee into many pieces. We wore drysuits when it was really cold, but I tended to stick to a 4/3 Psycho for most of the winter, since it offers more flexibility and although I would typically come out dry in the chest, a header would only add a little water. In a drysuit with good fitting seals though I have never been wet riding in a boat. It takes a really hard face first landing to force water into a drysuit. The challenge with drysuits is overheating. When diving we wear really thick undergarments to deal with the cold water, and when air temps are high, we will have sweat running down our faces, and be adding a lot of moisture into the suit, which can make us cold. Still even sweaty drysuits are far warmer than even a 7mm wetsuit.

I just won some $425 Pinnacle wetsuit deal, I suppose I should go and pickup to resell.

[Starovich]

Originally Posted by SpearRib

On a really small budget.

Starovic did you get cold often? I have a surf wettie already, I could just get a jacket.

Id love a dry suit though, one that when you fall in doesnt fill up with water.

didnt get cold often.
for me, wesuit means you accept you are going to get wet get but are going to be active, and then stay warm.
Dry suit means you don't want to get wet at all(winter boating) little activity.
Flotation suits are great, but bulky in a small boats, and awkward if you are going to be in the water frequently.

[stray]

I've got several wet suits ranging from a 3-2 mm to a 6mm with hood, I've also got a Gul dry suit. They all keep me warm/dry, to warm at times, but are very restrictive when I'm fishing.
So I'm thinking of getting a Kayakers breathable, waterproof bib and brace with built in socks and a Cag top. They'll keep me dry, allow freedom of movement and I can take the cag off if it gets too warm.

[SpearRib]

i must be crazy but i actually enjoy the spray in my sib, sometimes its more like a wave coming over the front haha, but seldom far from shore. will be even better when i stay warm