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Gloves/Mittens/Wetsuits/Drysuits for winter sailing
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent report, boardsurfr! I particularly liked this part: "The fear of falling, which had been pretty noticeable in previous winter sessions, was mostly gone, since I knew that I would be able to warm up my hands easily when back on the board." The last few times I tested my hands in cold water (low 40s) and decent air temps, they were fine until after the first time I fell in. Then they just kept getting colder, and colder, and colder, because the air temps of 50 or so just couldn't reheat them. Being able to reheat them is a breakthrough (staying warm after a shoreline reheat has always been a myth for me). Tip for folks for whom that works: fill a few-gallon plastic bag with hot tap water and put it in a cooler when you leave home. Holy COW but that feels good on chilly (NOT truly COLD) hands!

Mike \m/
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wsurfer



Joined: 17 Aug 2000
Posts: 1634

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gotta have the hood, mitts(for me) and boots. I am 6'4" and nothing fits me off the rack. I bought a custom 5/4 wetsuit/steamer from Body Glove. It only cost $40 more and was custom fitted. I rarely sail when air and water combined are below 100F unless the wind is really cranking. If there is any ice on the bay I am out. I have found mittens to be better than gloves for circulation and fit (big hands). When your fingers are closer together they warm each other and the warm water (that's what a wetsuit is all about, you need to get wet first) in the mitt helps your wrists relax a bit.
I remember one time it so so F'in windy and cold I needed to take a break so went to a little spit of sand and between the cold and the hood over my ears I was not completely aware of surroundings. Just then the clew f'n blew from the beach in a gust and nearly knocked me out.
I went back to my launch site and was bleeding heavily from above my eye. When I took the hood off the cold air stopped the bleeding right away.
Not looking to repeat that one.
GLTA.



Laughing
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bobcunningham



Joined: 06 Jun 2000
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:40 pm    Post subject: Ianovated winter suit Reply with quote

I bought an Ianovated drysuit after seeing an ad in BOARDS magazine and being intrigued by the idea. Too soon to issue an unqualified gungho recommendation, but my experience so far mirrors boardsurfr's.
Last Saturday I sailed in Essex Bay at the tip of Cranes Beach in flat water 5.2 sail/85 ltr board 37F/ 3C degree air. I wore, as always in cold weather, the Dakine mitts (as others have reported, neoprene except the palms which are a synthetic grippy non-insulated material). I sailed comfortably for 70 minutes nonstop. Easy conditions so I did no swimming. I used the breathing into the tubes feature periodically, especially later in the session when the temperature was lower. My buddy with the same mitts and a Bare PolarDry suit stopped to warm his hands a couple times, but he did swim a bit which means 47 degree water may have seeped into his gloves. He has a sturdy build and sails without a hood on days I wouldn't dream of skipping the hood.
I happen to have a build like Ghandi. I'm 5'9" or 5' 10" and weigh a mere 120lb/55 kg. For the last 15-20 years I have worn a Bare PolarDry from Sept to June and am almost never too hot sailing. Virtually all my windsurfing and kiting friends find the PolarDry way too hot to wear on days when I'm glad to have it on. I always wear a hood in cool conditions. My beanpole build and lack of natural insulation means I have to wear layers under my suit and not chat it up too long on the beach when I'm wet and its cold. The Ianovated suit I have is a size medium (I wear a small PolarDry) so it does not fit like a wetsuit in the legs or trunk areas. I wore a lined rash guard and a fleece underneath the top part of the suit. I'm getting insulated shorts to wear underneath as my thighs, though not especially cold, felt a bit clammy.
Last year I figured anything below 43F degrees would probably be too cold, (especially in early spring when the water temperature is about 10 degrees colder) for my hands even with the Dakine mitts. I was quite pleased to be comfortable in this suit at 37F. Although on a calm and not especially cold day I tried swimming in the suit and had no problems with major water leaking in or in blowing the water out of the mitts via the tubes, I need to try the suit in waves or other situations when I'm in and out of the water.

I also do some SUP, usually in flat water light air conditions, where one would only fall in if something weird happened. I have worn the Ianovated suit while paddling and been warm and comfortable, but so far I haven't been out when cold enough to need the hand warming feature. Tomorrow's high is predicted to be about 33F degrees and little wind so I may give it go.

In summary, I'm excited about the prospect of more days on the water sailing and SUPing. For me cold hands has always been the biggest negative for winter sailing, but Iain Smith has taken the risk of bringing something new to the market. Those of us lunatic fringe northerners who can't often get to Maui or the Caribbean look to benefit from his efforts.
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boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great to see the suit lets you sail more in the winter, Bob. We went out yesterday in 34 degrees and 25 mph winds, and the suit worked well again for me. My wife tried the extra Ianovated wetsuit I have for testing yesterday, and liked it a lot. She used open palm mitts, and needed the tubes only at the beginning of the session. She used the nylon double-lined version, I have the smooth skin version.

However, I would not call the Ianovated suit a dry suit. On the Ianovated web site, they call the suit a "wetsuit", not a drysuit. It has a dry suit zipper which eliminates water entry at the back, but water can get into the suit at various spots, including the hand and neck seals, which are made to be comfortable, not dry. The legs are tight enough to stay dry, so if you never fall, the suit stays dry. I usually fall, and some water gets in. It's similar to my 5/4 semidry (except that the back stays dryer). But the water that gets in warms up very quickly and is not a problem whatsoever. It's a great suit that makes cold weather windsurfing much more enjoyable.
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dinger4



Joined: 08 May 2009
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I sail year round here in CT and have tried a few different types of gloves. My hands always cramped so I would just take them off and sail as long as I could. A friend suggested I try simple dish gloves. They work perfectly. Just tuck them under wet/dry suit. No cramping, stay mostly dry and are cheap. Hands do start to get cold if you are hanging out waiting for wind but once out and sailing they work great!!
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dcharlton



Joined: 24 Apr 2002
Posts: 414

PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Got out today at MTK in 38-40 degree weather. Tried dishwashing/paint stripping gloves over thin surgical gloves and used rubber bands to keep them from sliding up. Worked great.

I find I always need to come in after the first run and warm my hands in the car. Then I get acclimated and am ok for the remainder of the session. Great to get out there!!! Very Happy
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ISmith



Joined: 02 Dec 2012
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 10:30 am    Post subject: A test of the Ianovated Suit in -3°C and falling snow Reply with quote

A test of the Ianovated Suit in -3°C and falling snow
http://youtu.be/kGNPHHI-NCw
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ISmith



Joined: 02 Dec 2012
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 4:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Being happy to crash when the water is just above freezing is progress
http://youtu.be/vo8ZmnfQSUI
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

...until we need our hands to fix or adjust something, at which point things could get really dicey. I had to throw away an entire rig just 50-100 feet from shore in a lake in that situation. Be careful out there; cold water leaves very little margin for error.
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boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 1:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I sailed the Ianovated suit a few days ago in 33 F water with open palm mittens. When I had to swim after my gear, my hands did indeed get cold very quickly and hurt. But they were fine again after a couple of minutes on the board, blowing through the tubes to warm up the mittens and hands. I found it very amazing that I was able to sail in open palm mittens in water that cold. It definitely helped that the suit is very warm otherwise.

My session did end after a swim and schlog back to shore, but not because of cold hands. Rather, the wind had turned a bit so that sailing along the shore was no longer possible, and with a visibility of perhaps 300 feet in dense fog, things got a bit too interesting for my taste. Besides that, the wind had dropped, so it was time to save energy for the next day. Full report on my blog.

boardsurfr.blogspot.com
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