Drysuits

Richard B · 17 August 2002, 20:21

I'm thinking about buying a drysuit. Now, I've never had one before, so I did a little research, asked a couple of friends, and even tried to buy a second-hand one on this forum (from Mike Garside who's much taller and thinner than me! - that dissolved into a hilarious exchange between Mike and Charles...

) Anyway, I've ended up being pointed towards Ravenspring. I've also looked at the Lough Ree Power Boat School website (www.powerboat.org), who market what appears to be Ravenspring's top spec drysuit with all the options included.

So now I thought

, ask the guys who have been using them for years. Any recommendations? I'm thinking that Ravenspring's Rapide looks like it's worth the extra £50 over the Uno, and what options are useful or necessary? Are built in hard boots a good idea? Should I be considering another manufacturer?

Advice much appreciated,
Richard.

jools · 17 August 2002, 22:44

I bought a ravensping earlier this year after advice from the forum.

I have gone for the "Duo" this is a two piece suit, Trousers and a top, with boots fitted to the trousers. The two pieces are sealed in the middle by rolling the rubber seals together - I've never had any problems with them leaking. (Ask people how wet I used to get on Tomkat

- Still for sale by the way!)

Obviously depends a bit on usage - boots are no good if you are trying to waterski!! - Seals or socks would be OK.

So why did I choose this sort?

The trousers are great for launching - you dont need to put a full suit on and they come upto your chest - How many people do you see at launch sites with half a drysuit on!! or getting very hot in a drysuit.

If its getting cold and wet then just put the top on aswell.

To start with I didn't have a drysuit and although I had waterproofs the water came in through the neck when it was wet - This is whats so good about having a drysuit.

The website is www.ravensping.co.uk - and there's a couple of me in my suit on my website (click the www below)

Cheers
Jools

Alan · 18 August 2002, 10:34

Richard,

Ravenspring suits are the biz - but not cheap. I am on my second Rapide and have worn them for days on end going round Britain and upto Scotland earlier this year. The people at Ravenspring are very helpful - I spec'd up my new suit with them to improve upon the things that bugged me about the first one. So being a biggish chap I have got extra room in the shoulders and arms, wider wrist cuffs (big hands!) etc. I have also gone for hard boots which are definately the way to go IMHO. The other option to go for if you are going to be wearing it for extended periods is the "comfort zip"! Looks unsightly but believe me its a damn sight easier to unzip and seek relief than struggle out of the damn suit in a seaway to do the neccessary!

The suits are also breathable which is a big bonus. They are popular with lots of Ribsters - Brian has one, JCW as well.

HTH, Alan

John Kennett · 19 August 2002, 08:23

A drysuit is definitely a good idea if you're going to do any serious ribbing. The extra effort involved in putting it an and taking it off each time is a small price to pay for staying dry -- even the best "offshore" waterproofs will not keep you dry!

My 2p worth:

Do make sure you choose a breathable dry suit, otherwise you will get wet from the inside.

Definitely, definitely get what Alan so tactfully describes as a "comfort zip"!

The rest is really down to personal preference. I find hard boots definitely preferable as they are less hassle, and I reckon that having the main zip along the back of the shoulders is more comfortable than the front diagonal type.

Having said all this, I started off with a Musto "dinghy" suit which meets none of my criteria above and it was still better than conventional waterproofs!

John

narked · 19 August 2002, 10:10

And do go for a proper boating drysuit. I use my diving drysuit when on the RIB and it is not the most comfortable thing to wear out of the water all day long. By the end of the day you'll be soaking inside due to sweat, and the wrist and neck seals can iritate the skin when dry. And as has already been said, a comfort zip is a must!

When I was doing the boat handling course with some of the others from my dive club we must have looked stupid, wearing our diving drysuits to keep dry, and our stab jackets as life jackets, people on shore must have thought we'd forgotten the tanks or something.

Matt

Richard B · 20 August 2002, 21:29

This is very helpful, so thanks all.

I think there's only two decisions to make now, and that's one-piece or two piece

...and front or back zip. Just glad I didn't buy one of the mega-expensive ones with a "breathable panel"

narked · 20 August 2002, 22:15

Personally I prefer back zips, the zip doesnt get "deformed" anywhere near as much, although it's not a huge problem with heavy duty drysuit zips, but then you need someone to zip you up and release you.

Powerboat · 20 August 2002, 23:00

Hi Richard,

We do indeed market Ravenspring Dry Suits here in Ireland .

The "Rescue" Dry Suit we market is one we designed along with Ravenspring to suit some of our Professional Boat Squad training clients.

This Ribsters Suit has been very successful !

Essentially we ended up with what we thought were the best bits of all Ravensprings Dry Suits .

Give me a buzz off forum if I can be of any help !

Best wishes ,

Stuart

John Kennett · 21 August 2002, 08:24

Quote:

Just glad I didn't buy one of the mega-expensive ones with a "breathable panel"

I've got one of these, kindly supplied by Otter Drysuits for Round Britain 1999, and it's great. The breathable back panel works fine for me and I stay dry. The rest of the suit is seriously heavy duty and I would expect it to outlast a Ravenspring suit, which have always seemed a bit lightweight to me (although to be fair I have never owned one so may be proved wrong).

Quote:

Personally I prefer back zips, the zip doesnt get "deformed" anywhere near as much, although it's not a huge problem with heavy duty drysuit zips, but then you need someone to zip you up and release you.

I am hardly the most flexible person in the world, but I have found that I can do up my drysuit zip and get it undone again on my own, although I didn't expect to be able to! I think the key is to have the zip quite high up on the shoulders, not halfway down your back, which will vary depending on the manufacturer.

John