Re: [Paddlewise] Chris's spraydeck

From: Kevin Whilden <kevin_at_yourplanetearth.org>
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 23:38:29 -0800
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gabriel L Romeu" <romeug_at_erols.com>
<snip>
> I think that the kevlar may have resisted this tear but this is
> conjecture.  Any thoughts?
>
Kevlar patches on skirts really do help the longevity and abrasion
resistance of skirts. I have heavily used and abused a Mountain Surf kevlar
rimmed skirt on my whitewater boat for over five years now, and it is still
fine. The only wear and tear is on the inside front of the skirt where it
grips the very front part of the cockpit rim. The best skirts have a small
patch of kevlar right there on the *underside* of the skirt. Snap Dragon
will do this if you special order. One other random thought about snapdragon
skirts is I have good bit of skepticism over their ability to form a
waterproof seal - the exposed bungie cord just doesn't create a good seal
IMO. I have had several custom made snapdragon skirts for boats that I have
owned, and they all leaked water. Rubber rands are the only way to get a
waterproof seal, provided first that the skirt is properly cut for the
cockpit rim. Most sea kayakers don't need to worry about a leaky skirt
however. Only whitewater paddlers, kayak surfers, and storm paddlers need to
worry about this.

- Kevin

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
Received on Sun Jan 21 2001 - 23:58:12 PST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:37 PDT