"jughead" wrote in
ups.com:

Last weekend me and a couple of buddys did a 22 mile paddle along the
American River here in Northern California.
I never had that much fun in my life. Got the kayak less than a month
ago.
Came very close to tipping the kayak in some rapids. Got alot of water
in the boat but my reactions kicked in and was able
to use my body to keep upright. Through out the trip I got more water
in the boat but no big deal. Just sponge it out.
My boat is a Tsunami 145. I'm thinking spray skirts are important and
should get one. Especially since I plan
on using it in the ocean too. Any suggestions would be awesome!

Questions:

How do I know which size skirt to get? (ha ha spray skirt)

You can often get the best recommendation for a spray skirt by contacting
the vendor of your boat (Wilderness Systems). They make spray skirts as
well as boats. Most spray skirt makers can make recommendations as well
given the cockpit dimensions. You actually need to consider two
measurements; the size of the cockpit, and the size of your torso. The
Snapdragon site suggests an X/L sprayskirt.

Another response suggested avoiding a nylon skirt if you wanted to learn to
roll. As a matter of clarification the material a spray skirt is made of
will have absolutely no influence whatsoever in ones ability to learn how to
roll. A nylon skirt will take on more water (usually over the tunnel) than
a neoprene skirt but they're also not as warm. There are several vendors
which make combination nylon/neoprene skirt.

It would be cool if it had a zipper so I can get into the cockpit
without removing the skirt.

There are only a few models that have a zipper built in and they're fairly
expensive (Brooks makes one)

I'm probably looking to get something that is not for too cold of
weather. But should hold up to waves.

Unfortunately, those attributes are somewhat mutually exclusive. Nylon
skirts are nice in hot weather but don't hold to the cockpit rim as tightly
as a neoprene (warmer) skirt.


Does the skirt suspenders go inside the PDF or outside the pfd?

First, not all skirts have suspenders. In fact, most neoprene skirts don't
have them. If you get a skirt which does have suspenders, put the skirt on
before you put on your PFD.

The other response mentioned learning to roll, and you'll certainly want a
sprayskirt for that, but even more important is that you know how to exit
the kayak while wearing a spray skirt. It's simple to do but the time to
learn is under controlled conditions rather than the first time you capsize
unexpectedly.


This is my pfd
http://www.stearnsinc.com/Recreation...selection=&Cat
egoryID=7844435


In the market for a spray skirt under a hundred.