Grundens gear for cold-weather sailing on Lake Superior

[DanielPerry]

Originally Posted by GordMay

On my boats, we called those a 'dodger'.

Portable dodger is now what I shall call it.

[AKA-None]

Except for bitter cold I liked cross country ski gloves.

[Captain Puget]

Check out Wiggy’s - stays warm even wet and takes a washing machine use well. I use several of their clothing items, and awesome sleeping bags too.

https://www.wiggys.com/clothing-outerwear/wiggys-alaska/

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

What's the depth limit for the Erie from Buffalo? Not sure what our OP draught is, but this might be a problem. He's also got a ketch, so carrying two masts on board will be twice as fun .

The official draft of the Erie canal is 7'. The Canadian Heritage canals are shallower, with the Trent-Severn officially at 5'6" and the Rideau officially at 4'11".


In all three cases there are people who manage to find the shallow spots and run aground drawing a foot less than that, and people who manage to make it through with a few inches more.

[Justcuz]

We saw Bruce's Shannon leave on Sunday maybe? Musta been you guys headed back toward Duluth. I haven't seen it back in his slip so you must be buying?

Great boat...we loved it, it just wasn't the right boat for us.

As far as fowl weather gear I have no thoughts .

Best of luck with that Shannon.

[El Pinguino]

Feet? Now I don't do Canadian cold but these work for me in Patagonian winters...https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com.au/p...tml?colour=124

Dubarrys? They were good but lots of bad reports recently..... maybe they have 'gone offshore'...

Sea Rover II
From that link... 'My expensive Dubarry Ultima boots. Before we left to go Cruising, I decided to invest in a good pair of sailing boots. .... So, imagine my disappointment this season to discover, that after 1 month of wear here in Chile that my boots (now worn all of 4 months total) are completely unusable. The sole has basically fallen off 1 boot and is almost cracked through on the other. I contacted the company and was told that the boots undergo a process called “hydrolysis” when they don’t get used continuously. Basically, they age even when they aren’t being used. Incredible. They offered me a 20% discount to buy a new pair of boots. Apparently our Swedish friend Ulf had the same thing happen, as did another friend from home. Clearly these boots have a major problem. They were definitely NOT worth the money and were a VERY poor investment. I would NOT recommend them to anyone sailing offshore.'

[scareygary]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yup, flexibility and comfort is essential for good sailboat weather gear">foul weather gear. My main outer gear is a Gill OS2 jacket and pants/bib. But I only resort to this when conditions demand. Mostly I'm in a lighter windbreak with appropriate layers.

Gloves are an issue. Those that keep you warm are hard to use. Those that are good to use don't keep you warm. I tried using neoprene gloves for a while but in the last few years I've used motorcycle gloves.

Where are you going on Superior? It's a big lake. The south shore is usually warmer than the north.

You mention motorcycle gloves. Some folks might find this a bit weird, but I often wear First Gear motorcycle wear on my boat in the ocean. The jacket doesn't have a hood, of course, which can be an issue, but the stuff is WARM, waterproof, windproof, and PADDED, which can really save on an old man's knees, elbows, etc. when being tossed about by confused seas. I bought my suit used on Craigslist for about $150. Works for me quite well.....

[A CheeseHead]

I sailed the Trans-Superior in July of 1971. It was cold. How cold?

With thermal longjohns, jeans, a sweater I only wear during deepest Wisconsin winter, the sort of FW gear that kept ALL water out (no Goretex, back then), sea boots & rubber gloves, one could take only an hour on deck @ night, so watches were short. Light air, so condensate froze onto the sails so 'snow' would shower down when jibing. Those below kept all hatches closed & the result was warmish.

During the day? Sunny & warm when in the sun. My advice? Over-dress for the nights. Always wear a PFD. If, by any chance, you go over the side ... the water will kill you within an hour, so practice man overboard drills!

[sailor2]

For cold weather gloves line handling, is nobody is using Atlas/Showa 451s?
They are more common for cold weather dinghy racing, but if you have few pairs, they are also good for cruising. The backs do get wet though (but still stay warm).
https://www.showagloves.com/showa-451-thermo

[Happ]

You are very hardy soul. Take everything you have! It isn’t possible to stay warm.

I sailed the Trans Superior race which started At US Sioux St Marie and finished in Duluth, Mn. The race was in August. The water is 40deg at best. At night the dew would freeze creating a layer of ice.

I would for sure go to the local hardware store and buy thick plastic gloves used for working around acid. By them big. Then but some cotton gloves that you wear under the other gloves. Your hands WILL STAY WARM! Take long underwear. Buy the best lined offshore boots from like Zwik, or others. Get a Foul Weather Jacket with built in life jacket lining. That will help insulate you from the cold. A wool cap is absolutely a must. Add sweaters or jackets under the follies. Then hope for warm weather.

The country up there is beautiful. It is for the very hardy though. Enjoy!

[searenity38]

Grunden makes a fine priduct. It is the Workman's choice for foulie's. My son got a set of them when he was on the Ninia and the Pinta tour for over a year. He still has them and plans to use them when hes off on his assignments with the Merchant Marines. We live in the outer banks of North Carolina and the lot of the working fishermen and shrimpers use grunden. They are mainly goretex. For the recreational boater there's a lot of products out there that are using newer types of water repellent material then goretex. But there's usually a premium that you pay for that. I compared the grunden that my son has with the lighter weight ones at the big blue stores and the Grunden's are heavier and will trap heat more than the newer blends

[tomtriad]

I like fisherman's gear that I buy at Nelson's or Rose Marine in Gloucester. For gloves, the Atlas 660 heavy duty rubberized gloves ($ 5) outside https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VZKHF2...tag=A1XD2PFYRI
or Frogwear $12 https://www.amazon.com/FrogWear-Insu.../dp/B0169GX7WQ Water proof, robust, and a good grip on wet lines. Get large enough to fit liners underneath (XL or XXL), and removable polypro liners ($2.50 ) inside, several pairs of inners to swap out and keep dry.

For boots, Guy Cotton Astron boots: https://www.guycottenusa.com/product/astron-boots/
with removable foam liners, about $80 the complete set. Feet warm dry and toasty, white soles that don't mark up the decks.

I've had Gill replaced 5 times under the (then) lifetime warranty, started with Key West (coastal),lasted 18 months without leaking; paid an extra $100 to upgrade to OS2,; lasted 2 years before leaking (delamination of the "breathable" layer); replaced with OS1 twice, ditto lifetime and failure mode. Now have Grunden pants ($70) and a Columbia Omnitech shell ($50) with true waterproof zipper - they both last about a year before leaking but are cheap to replace.

I use my gear a lot, sailing about 100 days a year from New England to Bahamas and back.

For winter sailing in New England, when it gets below freezing, I like a Stearns exposure suit (like the Coasties use) which I can find on sale for around $250.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by tomtriad

I like fisherman's gear that I buy at Nelson's or Rose Marine in Gloucester. For gloves, the Atlas 660 heavy duty rubberized gloves ($ 5) outside https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VZKHF2...tag=A1XD2PFYRI
or Frogwear $12 https://www.amazon.com/FrogWear-Insu.../dp/B0169GX7WQ Water proof, robust, and a good grip on wet lines. Get large enough to fit liners underneath (XL or XXL), and removable polypro liners ($2.50 ) inside, several pairs of inners to swap out and keep dry.

For boots, Guy Cotton Astron boots: https://www.guycottenusa.com/product/astron-boots/
with removable foam liners, about $80 the complete set. Feet warm dry and toasty, white soles that don't mark up the decks.

I've had Gill replaced 5 times under the (then) lifetime warranty, started with Key West (coastal),lasted 18 months without leaking; paid an extra $100 to upgrade to OS2,; lasted 2 years before leaking (delamination of the "breathable" layer); replaced with OS1 twice, ditto lifetime and failure mode. Now have Grunden pants ($70) and a Columbia Omnitech shell ($50) with true waterproof zipper - they both last about a year before leaking but are cheap to replace.

I use my gear a lot, sailing about 100 days a year from New England to Bahamas and back.

For winter sailing in New England, when it gets below freezing, I like a Stearns exposure suit (like the Coasties use) which I can find on sale for around $250.

Yep, Guy sails a lot, knows his gear, and knows it's important. I like that.

[deblen]

Link to local fishermen's comments re foul weather gear used in our all winter lobster fishery. Spruce Hill is a local retailer & is asking his commercial fishing customers their preferences. Hope this helps you decide. / Len


https://www.facebook.com/profile.php...25&__tn__=%2Cd

[thlamers]

I can sell you a near new, worn once for the Marblehead-Halifax race, cold water suit.


It is a Mustang 2700 one piece offshore model with insulation and floatation, heavy nylon shell, hood, built in harness and is USCG rated for floatation and survival. Similar to the current 2100 but warmer and added features.

Tom 937 767 9187