Hi All, Has anyone experience of use of the above? I need a new skirt and Kokatat have a Goretex skirt which looks OK. I understand use of Goretex in saltwater is not an issue. That is, I have read somewhere that saltwater has no deletrious effect on the Goretex membrane and as long as you wash in fresh water. But what about the wear issue? How does Goretex stand up to abrasion? I have a walking parka made out of Reflex which is supposed to be a tougher version of breathable membrane than Goretex. The price difference between a standard neoprene skirt and a similar model Goretex is about thirty bucks. Why consider Goretex? Because I normally paddle in fairly high air and water temperatures and the breathable aspect appeals. Cheers *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I don't think goretex would breath enough to make much of a difference. Breathing in goretex means that it allow water vapor to pass through the membrane. The higher water vapor pressure inside the jacket "pushes" the water vapor through. The amount of actual air transfer is rather small. I doubt you would notice a difference. I've been using a "mini skirt" in warm/hot flat water conditions and really like it. It keeps the drips and misc splashes out of the boat and the sun off my legs, yet allows free air movement in and out of the cockpit. ----- Original Message ----- From: "PJ Rattenbury" <ratten_at_uow.edu.au> Subject: [Paddlewise] Use of Goretex in Sprayskirt *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "PJ Rattenbury" Subject: [Paddlewise] Use of Goretex in Sprayskirt > Hi All, Has anyone experience of use of the above? I need a new skirt... > ...Cheers Ok, I had similar questions. My solution was to make a Gore-tex skirt to custom fit my boat. The total cost was something like $20 (buying an overstock scrub-green color material from the internet). I used Shawn Bakers easy method of constructing it from his geocities website. My intention was to buy the bomb-proof neoprene skirt for rough conditions and use the Gore-tex for average and mild conditions. I still think this is the best approach after using the Gore-tex. This project took a few evenings of work and the results were really good even though I can't sew worth a damn. The custom fit is tight as a drum without sagging and puddling, just like a good fitting neoprene skirt. This is the key aspect for me, the custom made skirt fits precisely like a drum so there is no sagging. Unlike the store-bought nylon skirts designed to fit a range of cockpit sizes. One problem with Gore-tex is that you have to keep it from "wetting out" where it finally gets soaked and can't breathe like it should. This is the problem that salt water is supposed to cause. A bonus is the left over material for a Gore-tex cockpit cover. I can keep the night-time critters out of my boat at my campsite while letting the moisture out at the same time. If you try making one, use the heaviest three-layer material you can get and consider using the generic Gore-tex competitors like your jacket. Bill *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
>A bonus is the left over material for a Gore-tex cockpit cover. > I can keep >the night-time critters out of my boat at my campsite while letting the >moisture out at the same time. Good looking covers aside, is Gore-Tex really going to work for this application? My impression was that it took a certain degree of vapor pressure inside to force the moisture out. This works in a close fitting situation like a jacket where you have heated vapor that builds a pressure on the inside. But in the large expanse of the kayak, filled with chilled air (both from radiant heat loss with the absence of a body in the interior and the evaporative effect), I would have thought that the net vapor transfer would be pretty much zero. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Craig Bowers wrote: > >A bonus is the left over material for a Gore-tex cockpit cover. > > I can keep > >the night-time critters out of my boat at my campsite while letting the > >moisture out at the same time. Assuming you are not going to be out in the rain, something a lot cheaper and much more breathable than Gore-Tex for a cockpit cover is 5' of bungie cord and a hunk of fiberglass screening big enough to cover the cockpit opening. I can't claim this is my idea but just something I noticed someone else using. Works well to keep the creepy crawlers out of the cockpit and allows the interior to dry out. Total weight and cost is minimal and easy to stash in your boat on trips. I use to come home and immediately take off the cockpit cover to let the interior dry out. One time I didn't and you'd be amazed at what can grow in that wet warm dark environment over a week! I always had to check closely when it was time to load up the boats again before I put the full cockpit covers on to make sure nothing had taken up residence in the boat. Now I don't worry about it, just pop the screening, put on the neoprene cover and go. The reason I use the neoprene covers is to help with the gas mileage while driving with the boats on top of the truck. I think I gain about one mpg with the covers as opposed to without. The reason I say "think" is my testing was not all that rigorous, plus they keep the rain out. John Blackburn *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Before buying my Pintail with an ocean cockpit a friend invited me over to try sitting in an ancient fiberglass whitewater boat with an ocean cockpit. As I began to slide into it he jokingly said to stick my head in first to look for scorpions. I took him seriously and was glad that I did. On the exact spot where you would put your left thigh was a wasp nest the size of a small watermelon. It really would have gotten ugly. Jim et al ----- Original Message ----- > Works well to keep the creepy crawlers out of the cockpit and allows the > interior to dry out. I always had to check closely when > it was time to load up the boats again before I put the full cockpit covers on > to make sure nothing had taken up residence in the boat. Now I don't worry > about it, just pop the screening, put on the neoprene cover and go> > John Blackburn *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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