Not an argument because I have very little experience with sea socks but I was not impressed. I blew a roll in a boat with one and thought a reenter and roll would be the key. Well, have you ever tried to find the pegs in a wet, floating sea sock? I had to swim the boat to shore because I was just not able to get the thing straightened out enough to get back in the boat. My other experience was similar but more frightening. I got my legs tangled as I tried a wet exit from an upside down boat. Maybe I'm just the wrong shape for them. Neither of the boats were mine and one was a bit small for me but still... Joan Spinner still paddling her hard-shells with a skirt and a prayer *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
on 9/28/00 1:23 AM, JSpinner_at_aol.com at JSpinner_at_aol.com wrote: > Not an argument because I have very little experience with sea socks but I > was not impressed. I blew a roll in a boat with one and thought a reenter and > roll would be the key. Well, have you ever tried to find the pegs in a wet, > floating sea sock? I had to swim the boat to shore because I was just not > able to get the thing straightened out enough to get back in the boat. > My other experience was similar but more frightening. I got my legs > tangled as I tried a wet exit from an upside down boat. Maybe I'm just the > wrong shape for them. Neither of the boats were mine and one was a bit small > for me but still... > I made a foam insert (three inch grey mini cell) that is the exact shape of the inside of my kayak right in front of the foot pegs. I put it in the sea sock and push it up against the foot pegs. It is a tight fit so it stays in place. This holds the sea sock in place and keeps the foot area open. This eliminates the discomfort of having the weight of the sea sock on your feet and keeps the area open for easy exit and entry. I have not had the problems you are describing with this arrangement. I've practice exits and re-entries in the tidal rapids of Deception Pass (WA State) and I have not had any trouble rolling. I think the key here is having a custom fit kayak. I have custom knee braces and custom hip pads for a fit that is as good as any white water kayak I have owned. If the sea sock material seems too slippery there are ways of solving this although I've never needed to do this because of the custom fit of my boat. One suggestion by Matt Broze in the book Deep Trouble is to put a coat of contact cement on both sides in the knee and thigh area and let it dry thoroughly. Rex *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Mornin' Joan, Sorry about getting back to this so late. Just came across it while catching up on old e-mail. JSpinner_at_aol.com wrote: > Not an argument because I have very little experience with sea socks but I > was not impressed. I blew a roll in a boat with one and thought a reenter and > roll would be the key. Well, have you ever tried to find the pegs in a wet, > floating sea sock? I had to swim the boat to shore because I was just not > able to get the thing straightened out enough to get back in the boat. Having paddled an F-Craft Khatsalano for the past several years (all of it with a sea sock - no exceptions), I haven't had any major problems getting my feet back into the cockpit and onto the footpegs *after* coming out of the boat. Granted, the Khats is a smaller by volume, narrower cockpit boat than almost all the other folders out there, but... Even though the sea sock would twist with the footwear (esp. gummy 5.10s), it wasn't enough to keep me from finding the pegs in any of the numerous rescue drills (self & assisted) performed - in any of the conditions performed in. Just my experience, though. A big help may have been *patience* getting the feet into the cockpit, wriggling the shoes around, toes pointed forwards, and using a free hand to pull the sock up and around (when necessary) until just touching the footpegs, then drop the butt into place while pressuring firmly on the pegs. Someone on the list talked about the sock ballooning out of the boat upon wet exiting. A couple things; First, that a) that shouldn't happen if boat isn't filling up with water through the hatches, etc. and that b) they have burped the sea sock just before sealing the sprayskirt down (in the boat, on-water) - something I personally did not do very often and didn't have a problem with. Second, the sea sock can be Velcro-ed to the hull and foot pegs, or (as I recently caught on PW traffic), a foam foot block can be added behind the pegs to hold the sock in place and untwisted (with the added benefit of giving solid, comfortable foot support). > My other experience was similar but more frightening. I got my legs > tangled as I tried a wet exit from an upside down boat. Maybe I'm just the > wrong shape for them. Neither of the boats were mine and one was a bit small > for me but still... I've had a bit more problem wet exiting the Khats (than getting back in) and have had to trail the sock out of the cockpit still tangled around my feet until freeing up in the water. Again, *patience* along with gently wriggling free. If it happened in the surf zone, I think I might try bear hugging the boat, paddle still in hand, and letting Ma Nature's hydraulics do the undressing. Speaking of the surf zone, my most embarrassing moment coming out of a boat occurred upon landing in storm surf during my BCU 4 Star class. Hit the beach, popped the skirt, pushed off the coaming to all but jump out of the boat . . . and wound up rolling off the rear deck (followed by wallowing around on the sand for a moment or two) trying to free up my sticky soled 5.10s from the sock while a wave or two washed over / around the boat and paddle! Vince *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I'm embarrassed now! I thought this was normal - rolling around in the surf - and I don't even have a sea sock. Fred At 10:50 AM 10/9/2000 -0200, Vince Dalrymple wrote: >Speaking of >the surf zone, my most embarrassing moment coming out of a boat occurred upon >landing in storm surf during my BCU 4 Star class. Hit the beach, popped the >skirt, pushed off the coaming to all but jump out of the boat . . . and >wound up >rolling off the rear deck (followed by wallowing around on the sand for a >moment >or two) trying to free up my sticky soled 5.10s from the sock while a wave >or two >washed over / around the boat and paddle! *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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