Re: [Paddlewise] sea sock

Gerald Foodman wrote:
> 
> I tried a sea sock for the first time in a rental boat, and didn't like the
> feel of it at all.  It made my knees slippery and kept getting rumpled when
> I entered.  I tested it with a roll near the beach and came up with no
> problem.  Later, I thought I would try a roll in some tidal rapids but
> failed.  I tried twice more before wet exiting.  I haven't missed an on side
> roll in quite a while and blame the miss mainly on the sea sock.  Maybe the
> new rental boat played a part.
> 
> The assisted re-entry went fine.  But once in the boat water was in
> different parts of the bunched up sea sock and everything seemed out of
> order.  I paddled a short distance to a beach and tried to remove the water
> by lifting the sea sock.  No go.  There was, for some reason, suction
> holding the sea sock in the boat.  I turned the boat over to empty it but
> the sea sock seemed to prevent a total emptying I would have achieved
> without it.
> 
> The sea sock seemed a big awkward pain and not worth the bother.  Maybe I
> need more practice with it.  Or is it just another gimmicky complication?
> 
> Jerry

Sea socks can be slippery.  So depending on what you were wearing there
could be quite a difference in experience.

I don't like sea socks, while conceding their tremendous safety
benefit.  My reason is that in a folding kayak I can carry a whole lot
of stuff to get at within the cockpit (tied to ribs, inside framework
etc.); the sea sock hinders such access.

ralph
-- 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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