Emerson suits

[Drunkonwatch]

I don’t see much chatter on here about survival suits I never get in a boat with out them personally but who carries them outside of the PNW/AK I never see them on Craigslist or in boat inventories from other locations. Thanks

[wholybee]

I don't consider them necessary outside of higher latitudes.

[Drunkonwatch]

I can see it reason I ask is coastal cruising I would feel confident with go bags and fully decked suit is why I ask especially over older raft in my budget I have to ask these questions seriously. Thanks for the response

Ps they are easily inspectable, compact and relatively cheap.

[hpeer]

Immersion suits as in “dry suit” or “cold weather work suit-PFD” or “Gumby suit”?

I have a gumby suite on my Caribbean boat, I should have 2.

On my boat in Newfoundland I have 1 gumby, 1 dry type suit, 2 cold weather PFD work suits.

The cold weather work suits do not attempt to keep you dry, the arms, legs and neck are open. But they will keep you afloat and give you some more time. I find them great for cold, wet sailing to keep me warm and comfortable, they really block the wind from getting in and chilling you.

A couple of years ago I found myself moving our boat on the East Coast, inshore, during the winter. i was frozen. As a stop gap I bought a pair of duck hunters insulated, waterproof overalls. Worked a treat.

[SomeGuyInaShirt]

I had a drysuit when I first started sailing and it was great, no restricted mobility and I could swim in it in the dead of winter and you can't beat it for rough weather sailing. Never tried a survival suit but they look like they would restrict mobility a lot so probably only for emergencies. I was actually too warm when I swam with the drysuit on. A nice benefit of a drysuit is you can use it instead of a dinghy if you're in an area where you'd rather not leave a dinghy ashore and it's funny seeing people freak out when they see you swimming in February ��

[thinwater]

An immersion suit (gumby suit) is a one-trick pony to save your bacon if the boat sinks and there is no raft.


A dry suit provides nearly the same protection, can be worn to very good effect in cold bad weather as rain gear (race crews swear by them), and you might actually have it on if you go MOB. Handy for winter kayaking and open water dinghy rides, perhaps the only truly safe way. An immersion suit is a little better floating in the water, but a dry suit is better in a raft situation.



I think they make far more sense on recreational sailboats. But they are an expense and they must fit the person.

[hpeer]

My dry suitbis a royal PITA to put on, almoat impossible alone.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by hpeer

My dry suitbis a royal PITA to put on, almoat impossible alone.

This might be better as a solution:

http://www.unsponsored.co.uk/press/k...iece-dry-suit/

https://kokatat.com/mens/dry-suits/

Hefty price tag though. Musto used to have also a two part dry-suit which had a roll up seal at the waist. That was cheaper.

Here is a cheaper one (nearly 100% waterproof they say, so surely better than standart oil skins, but perhaps not quite as good as the one mentioned above) There is also a YouTube video showing how it seals:

https://supinflatables.co.uk/yak-apo...d-drysuit.html


I do know nothing about the quality of either one though.

[Panope]

Originally Posted by thinwater

An immersion suit (gumby suit) is a one-trick pony to save your bacon if the boat sinks and there is no raft.


A dry suit provides nearly the same protection, can be worn to very good effect in cold bad weather as rain gear (race crews swear by them), and you might actually have it on if you go MOB. Handy for winter kayaking and open water dinghy rides, perhaps the only truly safe way. An immersion suit is a little better floating in the water, but a dry suit is better in a raft situation.



I think they make far more sense on recreational sailboats. But they are an expense and they must fit the person.

I am not sure what I have. "Mustang Survival" is printed on the chest. The shell is a thin, rubbery layer. Insulation is provided by a separate, quilted liner. The "feet" have a sole with tread. Gloves are separate/optional (sleeve cuffs are waterproof). Suit is "one size fits all".

I have used this suit to perform in-water boat maintenance (I can JUST reach the propeller zincs without submerging the face opening. Spent about a 1/2 hour in about 48 degree (F) water and was completely comfortable.

I also wear this suit on longer, exposed motorboat rides in winter for both safety and comfort.

For the other 2 crew members, I have normal "Gumby suits".

All three were bought on craigslist (unused, of course) for not a lot of money

Steve

[kayakerChuck]

I'm on the Great Lakes.

We carry Kokotat Gore-Tex drysuits when the water is cold.

We're kayakers, so the drysuit was not an additional purchase.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by hpeer

My dry suitbis a royal PITA to put on, almoat impossible alone.

Depends on the suit. I can easily don mine within the USCG immersion suit time requirement (2 minutes) without help. The zippers are not hard to reach. You will also be wearing it, not putting it on in a rush. (Ocean Rodeo). Some dive-style suits are quite tough to put on.


http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/search?q=dry+suit


I consider them vital for sailing in cold water. The water is 50F, you wrapped a rope around the prop, what are you going to do? With a dry suit you can pull it on over street clothes, take care of business, and come out dry as James Bond (no joke). Done it many times.