Re: [Paddlewise] Heavy Duty Sprayskirts

From: "Joshua Teitelbaum" <teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il>


> Snapdragon has a kevlar-reinforced model at
> http://www.snapdragondesign.com/images/products/exp_ww_kevlar.jpg.  They 
> say it is for whitewater but there seems to be no reason I could not use it 
> my NDK Explorer.  They don't seem to have a similar ocean model.
> 
> Also, this Bomber Gear skirt looks pretty heavy duty as well.
> http://www.bombergear.com/breaker.html
> 
> And here is the Whetstone kevlar 
> skirt. 
> http://www.kayakstore.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/c-Spraydecks.php3?L+scstore+rpig9123+1002429768

My only comment is that some WW skirts are made for plastic cockpit rims
and are not recommended for composite.  The thin composite edge will chew
up the rand on the edge of the skirt and may have problems with holding or
releasing.  For example, the Whetstone K-Deck has a "wedge rand cockpit seal" 
which sounds like it's designed to mate with a thick, roughly triangular section 
plastic coaming.   My Perception skirt is such a beast and it states clearly that 
it is not recommended for composite kayaks; I use it exclusively on my WW kayak.

I've seen a Snapdragon sea kayak skirt that looked very good ( and pricey!) but I
have no memory of the model.  It had a heavier construction but was suitable for
composite coamings.

Mike

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