Martin, Jack wrote: > Chuck Sutherland wrote: > > So here is a question. What is the best wetsuit of any material that > might be worn routinely by working personnel on boats at sea or by > racers that are training hard, that would at least give them some edge > against the shock of sudden immersion in cold water. Such an outfit > would ideally give them enough time to do effective things to lengthen > survival times and get emergency messages out. > ------------------________________ > > My understanding is that commercial deck crew routinely wear some sort > of "anti-exposure suit" -- the kind that Mustang and others make -- when > on deck at sea in winter, Chuck. It's a one-piece, insulated, > waterproof jumpsuit designed to keep the wearer less cold and less wet > than he/she would otherwise be while working on deck, and it usually > incorporates "float coat" type flotation in the insulation should the > wearer go overboard: water intrusion is inevitable and quick, but > somewhat controlled to give a partial "wetsuit" effect. In an emergency > situation where abandoning the vessel or having it sink from under the > crew is likely, they'd switch over to -- or probably add -- an > "immersion suit" -- This is what Joq is talking about, I believe: http://www.mustangsurvival.com/immersion-suit/ http://www.mustangsurvival.com/products/product.php?id=419 Another variant: http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/4,367.html These are not worn "routinely" on commercial fishing vessels around here, because the working conditions with pots, trawls, and long line gear demand more mobility than some of these suits allow. In addition, ones designed for long-term survival in very cold water are heavy on insulation and not on puncture-resistance. They are intended for use when you are certain your vessel is sinking, and would be unbearably warm working on deck, in many cases. Note that ours is a _mild_ maritime climate, with air temps rarely below zero Celsius, and water temps in the 5-8 C range (40-45 F). In the Aleutians, it is a different story, and heavy gear would be the norm. IOW, professional mariners and commercial fishers where I live are stuck on the same dilemma Derek highlighted recently: too warm when working; maybe not warm enough when you go into the drink. None of these items address Chuck's question. I think the answer is that fishers do not wear anything like what Chuck describes; to do so would be regarded as "sissy" on deck, I think. Yes, it is an odd, old-school culture, which changes slowly. It has taken 30 years to get these guys to carry survival suits, which are now mandatory. My fiance' works for a major west coast supplier to the trade (Englund Marine), and fishermen b*tch long and loud at the cost of the mandatory safety gear. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Mar 26 2009 - 05:26:23 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:31:33 PDT