I have been pondering the merits of a sea sock lately. Based on the photos I've seen it difficult to tell how much water is actually kept out of the kayak. IT seems to me that if the sea sock fills most of the cockpit, its not going to keep much water out. As a result, its not going to help much. Thoughts? http://www.blackdogkayaks.com/seasock.html http://www.feathercraft.com/accessories/misc.php Derek *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> Sea socks are most often used in kayaks without bulkheads. > They're of > limited value if you have a low volume cockpit. But they do > keep sand and > grit out of the cockpit if that is a problem. > > Craig Pam posted some useful instructions about how a sea sock is used. These were helpful. I was actually pondering the sea sock as a safety item for cold weather paddling. Air temperatures are finally warming here, but the water is still very cold (in 30F to 35F range). It appears that the sea sock may not make that big a difference on a boat with bulkheads. It could actually make things more difficult. I found it interesting that there were only a couple of companies that actually offered sea socks. IT appears that they are not a popular item right now. Perhaps they have been made redundant by current kayak design and construction? Derek *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Derek wrote: > I was actually pondering the sea sock as a safety item for cold weather > paddling. Air temperatures are finally warming here, but the water is > still very cold (in 30F to 35F range). It appears that the sea sock may > not make that big a difference on a boat with bulkheads. It could > actually make things more difficult. > > I found it interesting that there were only a couple of companies that > actually offered sea socks. IT appears that they are not a popular item > right now. Perhaps they have been made redundant by current kayak > design and construction? A sea sock will have very little effect on maintaining warmth within the cockpit. Their major advantage is not keeping the cockpit tidy. Rather, they minimize the water entry in the event you have to make a wet exit, facilitating pumpout and hastening reentry. As to their popularity: it has never been high, and that is the reason the market availability is low. IIRC, Mariner is an advocate, as is Pygmy, and Feathercraft, all manufacturers of boats without bulkheads. (In the case of Pygmy, they tout the safety advantage of a sea sock whether the boat is bulkheaded or not.) In any case, you should be more concerned about the water temp from the standpoint of immersion clothing, not what is needed to keep your body warm while _out_ of the water, safely in your toasty cockpit. -- 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 1:20 PM, Derek <glamourpets_at_yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Pam posted some useful instructions about how a sea sock is used. These > were helpful. Yes, Pam is the only paddler I know who has recently paddled with one. She has two Mariners with no forward bulkheads so they are more useful in that context. Although inflatable flotation bags are easier to deal with, in my opinion. As long as the floatation bags are big enough (they should fill the boat from bow to foot pegs and from stern to seat back to be really effective in floating the kayak well enough for a paddler to re-enter. > > I was actually pondering the sea sock as a safety item for cold weather > paddling. Air temperatures are finally warming here, but the water is still > very cold (in 30F to 35F range). It appears that the sea sock may not make > that big a difference on a boat with bulkheads. It could actually make > things more difficult. I think it would make things more difficult; especially if you paddle in a drysuit. I find that there is already enough bulk in the drysuit (and undergarments) than I like anyway. I found it interesting that there were only a couple of companies that > actually offered sea socks. IT appears that they are not a popular item > right now. Perhaps they have been made redundant by current kayak design > and construction? > Mariner Kayaks used to sell them and there is good advice from Matt Broze on www.marinerkayaks.com if you look at the "manuals" drop-down window and choose "flotation". About 2/3 of the way down is a write-up on sea socks and cockpit pods. It's actually worth while for paddlers to read all of Matt's "manuals"; they offer excellent advice and wisdom about so many facets of sea kayaking. His comments on the drawbacks to sea socks are worth reading for anyone contemplating the use of them. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA (It's finally 57F here but the wind is fierce and the water temp is 33F. Yikes!) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Derek There is an article on our www.marinerkayaks.com website (in the "Manuals" picklist titled "Flotation") that discusses the importance of flotation and plenty of it. I discuss the pros and cons of many methods of providing adequate flotation, including sea socks. There are many cases where flotation has failed discussed there as well. Whichever flotation system you have, or choose, it is important to understand how it could fail and what the best back-ups for it are. *************************************************************************** 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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