Scubash 0 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 OK so I am getting really serious into all this sailing and racing and I need the proper gear! Currently I have BR1 MUSTO pants, Helley Hansen Jacket, Dive booties, MUSTO gloves with no finger tips, thermals and water repellent socks. I love bow, I love multis and soon I will be getting into small boats (not sure what yet), thus I get wet a lot!!! My current gear does not keep me dry, especially on days like last saturday for the last squadron winter series and yesterday doing the gold cup on a trimaran.... The neck is sooo big that any rain or spray, it all goes down the front and sometimes the back of my jacket if hood is not on. Then it always goes up my legs as well, even if I have the straps on tight. So basically, I am wet inside and out and freezing my arse off, on those awesome days! But I still have the biggest out there! I have also been using my dive booties, would actually be nice to have good footwear that actually keep my feet dry. I have never used the gum boots, but I just have a feeling I may be tripping over them, rather than being quick on my feet and keeping my balance when need be. Or are they actually quite fitted to feel good to manoeuvre in? I love runing around in my dive boots, but they are my dive boots and they are starting to fall apart just after this one year of sailing...as are my gloves... On another note, my current jacket got chewed up by my flatmates dog. It was chewed on the rubber seal at the cuff. Is there a way to fix this? If so, does someone know where? Approx. how much? Also, are there any gloves that have padding of some sort in them?? I ask as when wrapping sheets around my hand to get a good grip to pull strong, after a full day racing your hand does get a bit sore, swollen and bruised.. or maybe I just need to harden up! Another piece of gear I would like to get is a life vest. Been contemplating this one for almost a year now. Can't decided if to use auto or manual. If I buy auto I am afraid that it will constantly go off on me being on the bow or on a trimaran. Wouldn't be able to use it in a dinghy either... But then manual my fear is what if I get knocked out and fall over board? Then what? This is all very costly, so I want to make sure I make the right purchase the next time around. Boat show is coming up and I will check it out (won free tickets ), but would be good to know a bit more before going to the show, so I can ask the right questions and look for the right gear! Thanks ahead of time for all the advice! Happy Sailing! Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Slam. My top kept me dry on a wet ride on Timberwoolf a while back. The rubber & velcro neck stops any water coming down. Link to post Share on other sites
madyottie 82 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 For dinghy stuff it's hard to go past Gul, good quality at a good price. Their stuff was our top seller when I was in the industry in Europe, haven't tried buying it here though. And for dinghy boots, Magic Marine TX5 were my personal favourite. Link to post Share on other sites
Grinna 2 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Scubash, try checking out the NZ Sailing website. http://www.nzsailing.net/xurl/PageID/25 ... thing.html They have quite a good range of clothing that might be quite appropriate for bow work and multis where there's more water chucked about. Their prices look reasonably good. I would suggest looking at one of the Rooster or GUL brand dry tops with the close fitting necks. Not sure about the footwear option though .... maybe go with sneaker type deck shoes and put up with having wet feet (wet is OK as long as they stay warm). The seaboots will keep your feet dry, but they're not necessarily that conducive to agility and fancy footwork. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Boat wet gear outfits are talking the piss. My bike gear is dryer even at 120kph than boat gear at 10kph, more comfortable, will last longer, has way more pockets, some cool padding, is made way better and it's near top end on the flash spectrum so at the more costly end of it's type, yet it's less than 1/2 the cost of name boat gear. I brought a pile of use, bash and crash gear from Kaiwaka, the one north of Walkworth, and it was cheap as chips. Might knot win any Squaddy fashion parade but it works and works damn well, certainly no worse and I'd say better than any of my more dedicated boat gear. No way will I ever buy that name dedicated boat gear again, I just can't see any benefit in doing so. Knot being a fashionista sure helps If you want good shite don't buy the stuff sold by fashion models or promoted by dudes who only day race. Buy shite used by people who are serious about staying dry at sea, commercial users. Link to post Share on other sites
Clipper 346 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Stay away for musto. Overpriced rubbish. Awesome for a season, Good for another, than delaminating sh*te that makes you wonder why you dropped $2k on gear made from tissue paper. Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 My experience is a few years old but Henri Lloyd could be a bit porous too. Link to post Share on other sites
Mothership 6 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Stay away for musto. Overpriced rubbish. Awesome for a season, Good for another, than delaminating sh*te that makes you wonder why you dropped $2k on gear made from tissue paper. Couldn't agree more. Had HPX offshore gear replaced twice, and once more, they're not that waterproof. Followed their instructions for care, and others, and still not waterproof. Very glad I didn't pay retail (or anywhere near) for them. Link to post Share on other sites
rigger 47 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Stay away for musto. Overpriced rubbish. Awesome for a season, Good for another, than delaminating sh*te that makes you wonder why you dropped $2k on gear made from tissue paper. Couldn't agree more. Had HPX offshore gear replaced twice, and once more, they're not that waterproof. Followed their instructions for care, and others, and still not waterproof. Very glad I didn't pay retail (or anywhere near) for them. Had a set of offshore gear (not HPX - before that stuff 1996) that lasted for years - the first 2 years I was working on a square rigger where working aloft you would expect damage, the next few years not used so much, then a period of working wear again - so based on that Musto did well by me - even repairing the jacket for free in its 7th or 8th year of use. It was retired last year when the seams started leaking. Sadly all I have heard people say about the current Musto gear is bad. The Kaiwaka gear some guys I work with say it is good. Though a bit heavy. Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 So what do/did the Volvo boys wear? Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Depends who sponsored them Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 To the OP , we have two advertisers for you to check out - Helly Hansen and Rooster, both to your right. Rooster is cheaper, HH targets higher end. Link to post Share on other sites
white tornado 1 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 re Gloves: when I was racing tornados seriously, we would go through most normal brands of gloves in a weekend. The answer we found was walrus gloves, but not sure that these are still made. The secret is to have good padding, i.e wetsuit material, or similar, on the back of the hand, allied with thick leather on the fingers. Re lifejackets, safest is to use small boat type foam one, rather than inflatable. If inflatable, steer clear of automatics. Nothing more exciting than when it goes off when you get a good wetting. You will find that inflated life jacket can act as a great strangling mechanism, guaranteed to be at a moment when you have a bit on. Link to post Share on other sites
Optional Extra 0 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I have Gill gear sold by Burnsco Marine and its awesome. Link to post Share on other sites
203 0 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I have Gill gear sold by Burnsco Marine and its awesome. Take it you have a BIG wallet then Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Budget makes a difference. Having 2 sets of gear helps them last 5 times longer. Currently I run Aigle Jacket x 2 ( 2 spec) and Gill inshore Bib and HPX (older) offshore. Gill fingerless and finger gloves. I'd suggest you get a good smock rather than jacket. Re PFDs. Come onto Safety at Sea and we can run you through the $ per difference equation between Baltic, Kru and Spinlock. Same applies for tethers too. And if you come this week you should even be able to squeeze a boat show special! Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Depends who sponsored them Well I can't seriously imagine they sailed RTW wearing Puma kit? Actually, there should be some good deals around the boatshow if scubash can narrow down her selection? Link to post Share on other sites
splashprincess 17 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 A dinghy smock is far better than any wet weather jacket for keeping the water out when sailing on fast wet boats, especially good at stopping water from running down the neck. For trousers I have found that womens styles are a better fit than mens, and ones with drop seats are very handy if doing offshores or longer races that may require toilet stops... Helly Hansen ones are good if you can find the womens ones. I suggest not buying the top of the line stuff (buy the coastal stuff not the offshore weight) and then you can replace it every few years for the same cost. No matter how expensive the gear is, it doesn't seem to last much longer than the average gear. Link to post Share on other sites
cep32 4 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 If you're really serious about staying dry and don't mind spending for better gear, look for some Palm whitewater kayaking and rafting gear. Designed to be easy to move about in and be bashed and scraped on rocks. They do a really nice set that has dry trousers and drytop with an overlapping neoprene waist. They also do some cheaper stuff that has smooth neoprene seals rather than the latex ones that is a bit more durable but isn't supposed to be as waterproof. I use this stuff in the Javelin and the only time I get wet under it is if we take a swim. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Have you considered a dry suit. The prices on them have come down a lot and the quality gone up a lot. I'd think they are now a highly viable proposition. Link to post Share on other sites
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