What to wear for winter sailing?

Cavi

Member
what do you all wear for the winter? I have a good jacket but as for pants, i am thinking wetsuit pants? Or even wetsuit pants under kayak pants?
 
There are numerous threads on this and the Laser Forum about this question. Please use the Search function (upper right hand corner).
Important issues are the weather and temperatures (water and air) you are likely to face in your neck of the waters.
 
I am also researching this and so far I've found the following sites helpful:
http://www.wetsuitmegastore.com/wetsuit/6-wetsuit-temperature-guide-and-chart.html

Then I searched for "water temperature data" in my state to find a graph of historic water temperatures, one result let me search for local temps.:
http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis

(I also used the "National Oceanographic Data Center" web site for coastal water temperatures.)

I'm not planning to sail in the middle of winter, probably just to the end of fall.
 
I used the SEARCH function and didn't come up with anything useful. I tried several searches and read for an hour or more... then I decided to search elsewhere.

You can probably answer every question that hit's this forum by saying "search for it" and the answer will probably be there somewhere, possibly many times over, but you have to ask yourself, what's the point of having a forum? If that's how you want it, why not just have an archive? If this question is too common to be asked, maybe it should be added to the knowledge base.

Besides, the question was, "What do you wear for the winter?"

(Also, some of those posts are outdated and useless today.)

You can keep answering posts with "search for it", but it's going to get really quiet in here.
 
Hi Cavi, I will take up Pat75 on his thoughts and post a direct response. The first concern when deciding what to wear for winter sailing is to determine whether you are interested in just functionality, or if you want to combine functionality with style. I personally start with a color palette, and then try to find the clothes that match. Like many today, I find Zhik's gray/black palette a good fit with my aesthetic. Others prefer a more classic dinghy palette of reds and blues, and you can find a wide variety of sailing attire in a number of color choices. There are even yellow clothes available, if you fancy yourself to look like the Gorton's fisherman.

If you don't care about style, then you can buy attire purely for its function. If it is going to be very cold, a drysuit lets you keep sailing even after a capsize, although a drysuit can be pricey. A wetsuit will work if you are pretty sure you will stay out of the water. If you go in the drink, the wetsuit will ensure you don't get hypothermia, but you may end up pretty chilly. I have not seen wetsuit pants, just an entire wetsuit, but maybe such things exist. A setup that keeps your feet DRY helps a lot. Drysuits have booties build in, or you could buy latex socks to wear with a wetsuit. People sometimes duct tape their boots to their sailing pants, but I find that aesthetically unappealing. If you wear a wetsuit, I would wear a spray top instead of just a jacket. The spray top has seals to seal your waist, hands and neck. If you wear thick rubber gloves, or even thick dishwashing gloves, you can tuck them under the seal and keep your hands mostly dry.

Hope this helps.
 
I used the SEARCH function and didn't come up with anything useful. I tried several searches and read for an hour or more... then I decided to search elsewhere.

You can probably answer every question that hit's this forum by saying "search for it" and the answer will probably be there somewhere, possibly many times over, but you have to ask yourself, what's the point of having a forum? If that's how you want it, why not just have an archive? If this question is too common to be asked, maybe it should be added to the knowledge base.

Besides, the question was, "What do you wear for the winter?"

(Also, some of those posts are outdated and useless today.)

You can keep answering posts with "search for it", but it's going to get really quiet in here.

A forum such as this one will always be a compromise. Fortunately, we have a great set of volunteers who patiently answer newbie and not-so-newbie questions. Thanks!
But even the nicest volunteers (count the number of responses) will loose their patience answering the same questions over and over. And some of the best responses are in fact in older threads. For instance, Wayne was very knowledgeable about all things Sunfish and wrote detailed (and sometimes humorous) responses. We sorely miss him. And there are others who once were very active on this Forum, but don't contribute anymore. Hence, a good reason to use the Search function, even though I agree that some info may be outdated.
 
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Hi Cavi, I will take up Pat75 on his thoughts and post a direct response. The first concern when deciding what to wear for winter sailing is to determine whether you are interested in just functionality, or if you want to combine functionality with style. \
Hilulover, I am interested in a functional way to keep my cone warm and dry during winter sailing. Any tips? Right now, I use a fleece blanket covered with a bit of tarp. It is neither fashionable or functional. Help! BB
 
Hilulover, I am interested in a functional way to keep my cone warm and dry during winter sailing. Any tips? Right now, I use a fleece blanket covered with a bit of tarp. It is neither fashionable or functional. Help! BB

The Tractor Supply Company might be able to help. I am always amazed at the hats, warming devices and other paraphernalia they have for humans as well as their remarkable assortment of gear for barnyard companions. All ridiculously affordable. You'll have to keep an open mind (eg, check out the heavy duty feed bag assortment, among other things) .

If they can't help, I doubt anyone can.
 
some of those insulating foams in a spray can provide an excellent R rating. a light coating of grease on the cone, spray the foam. wait 5 minutes for the foam to harden and Voila!
some duct tape for a chin strap and you're ready to go....
 
1.Shorts and a t shirt worked good for us, sailing the bays around Pensacola FL :) There is an area where it stays pretty shallow and the water temp stays in the low 70s. My profile pics from a winter sail as well as the cover photo on our Facebook page.

2. And for BB, have you tried an orange windsock? They have a nice vent hole at the top.

3. Thread creep alert! How do we add answers to FAQs to the FAQ page? Librarians (aka moderators) tackle the same challenges/opportunities to help folks find information. It is important to understand what someone is looking for and how much time they have to work with that information. Then the first priority is to locate the information, and second priority instruct on how the information was located. Each database has nuances that new users may not be familiar with.
 
I wear a Kokatat drysuit [Dura] that ... wow, 7 years ago was $800+. I know a lot of other manufacturers make them for less now and they are a little more common too. I love mine. Just make sure its never torn and and size your neck and wrist gaskets so they arent too restrictive. Underneath, longjohns, some fleece and its pure wet-free comfort.

Pete
 
A wetsuit will work if you are pretty sure you will stay out of the water. If you go in the drink, the wetsuit will ensure you don't get hypothermia, but you may end up pretty chilly. I have not seen wetsuit pants, just an entire wetsuit, but maybe such things exist..


It doesnt ensure that you dont get hypothermia, even heavy wetsuits used for ice diving are time rated and will eventually, sooner than later, allow the individual to get hypothermic. When you talk winter sailing, Im not think of Florida but the northeast where evenn the salt water starts to get slushy in certain areas. Then the other bother is that the ice diving neoprene suit is a BEAR to wear even in relatively cold air. Youll sweat so bad youd wish you flipped if its 40degrees outside and you are even a little active.

A drysuit for frigid winter sailing is the best measure and it can be had for some money but not nutty like it used to be. Even then, proper thermals unerneath matter. Itll keep you DRY but its only going to keep you as warm as you dress underneath it. Oe fella capsized in li sound windsurfing and despite his drysuit he was losing dexterity and limb ability. Youve gotta be warmly dressed neath the gortex.

Pete
 
Sailed yesterday in nearly-70 degrees, but the water was likely in the 40s or 30s (felt like it, anyway) since we have been dropping into the 30s at night. I'm in Nebraska. Took a club boat out to take my brother for a spin ... OMG. Everything was great except launching and beaching, and it seemed to take forever for my feet to warm back up! I just had sneakers on, so today I looked up sailing socks and yowsa! :eek: Call me cheap, but I have a hard time justifying $50 socks for recreational sailing.

Are there cheaper sock alternatives out there? I've been fine with gym clothes layering (moisture wicking), but I don't think the good ol' cotton socks are going to cut it here.
 
Sailed yesterday in nearly-70 degrees, but the water was likely in the 40s or 30s (felt like it, anyway) since we have been dropping into the 30s at night. I'm in Nebraska. Took a club boat out to take my brother for a spin ... OMG. Everything was great except launching and beaching, and it seemed to take forever for my feet to warm back up! I just had sneakers on, so today I looked up sailing socks and yowsa! :eek: Call me cheap, but I have a hard time justifying $50 socks for recreational sailing.

Are there cheaper sock alternatives out there? I've been fine with gym clothes layering (moisture wicking), but I don't think the good ol' cotton socks are going to cut it here.
I feel your pain.
Can't you dry your tootsies and put on another sock (preferably not cotton) or shoe? You could do that on the boat, once you are launched.
 
I'm looking into those neoprene booties on Amazon. Thought about putting dry socks on the boat, but it was already getting crowded with 2 people, water bottles, keys in the waterproof pouch, etc. And if my shoes are already wet, new socks would just get wet, too. Then you need a third pair for hoping out and pulling the boat on shore. Technically, I could solve the problem by not sailing once the temp dips, but that doesn't seem like a happy solution! There will be 75 degrees Sunday, but the water will likely still be cold from the overnight. If I Prime it, I can get the booties in time, or I can find some non-cotton socks and bring a large plastic bag to swap them out.

The booties won't keep me dry, I don't think, they seem to be the wetsuit in foot form, but they should be better than cotton.
 
I have a pair of these.
http://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/page/WW/XB51N
I got them mostly to keep from getting water in the cockpit (my bailer doesn't work), and to protect my feet when walking on the rocks where I launch my boat. Since I have to raise the sail on the water, they make it easier to move around the boat. I haven't tried them in cold water yet, but I think they will perform well.
 
Ordered some NeoSport socks and these booties: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00358VC9M/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 Wound up sending the socks back (they fit weird) but kept the booties! They fit better, have tread, and I didn't like what I had been using (old sneakers or water shoes, depending on the day), so I hope they will help out there if we can time life and this last gasp for some 70s before we dip into the brutal season. I might still get some moisture-wicking socks to wear inside, but I think these will be good for launching the boat and hoping in. It'll be interesting to see how they handle sand compared to what I'd been using!
 

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