[Paddlewise] Neck ring option

Although this option to drysuit cooling requires special gear, it's a viable
solution in ventilating a drysuit-type situation.  I currently use a Mountain
Surf "Drydeck", a drytop integrated into a tough neoprene skirt.  The whole
system mates pretty well onto my Pintail cockpit --- a very small rim --- and
little water gets in during sculling of rolling maneuvers.  And, because the
foredeck of the Pintail is relatively flat, I have been able to install a four
inch Viking deckplate --- the kind made for Hobie Cats and other open racing
sailboats --- that has a small nylon bag hanging down inside the hull.  Serves
as a "glovebox" for small stuff.  But the deckplate, when unscrewed a half
turn, also serves as a pretty good ventilation system for the drytop --- it's
a sealed system, cockpit and drytop --- and even with big water coming over
the deck or in a roll, not much water comes in and a lot of excess heat goes
out.  If it gets sloppy, a couple of strokes on the foot pump dries out the
bilges, and the deckplate vents air <in> to offset the pressure differential
and avoids sucking the skirt down into the boat.

I also wear a wetsuit --- varies with conditions --- to serve as a survival
aid should I fall out of the boat.  (With the close quarters and the 16 by 20
cockpit, "falling out" takes a lot of effort, and is not normally a required
option --- not yet, anyway --- but a layer of wetsuit protection serves
adequately as a backup.)  It's a more comfortable option than a full wetsuit,
and the cockpit ventilation option helps keep everything pretty copesetic.

Jack Martin
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