Best kit/ clothes for dinghy sailing
- Thread starter ageddes
- Start date
ageddes
New member
I don't think I'll get a drysuit right now, a long john wetsuit and spray top will be ok.
For gloves do you think I have to get gloves specifically designed for sailing? The main thing is the tight fit and the grip. The cheaper alternative (that sometimes works better) is 'grip gloves' used by builders or gardeners. They're basically the same thing as ones for sailing apart from keeping out the cold. If I get tight fitting grip gloves for £1 on ebay then I have good grip, I can cut the fingers off if I want and it's only £1.
I've found some old wetsuit boots that are a bit tight but will do for now.
I don't think I need to buy my own trapeze right now because I think this might be supplied by the club, however I'll need to check that.
trapezeartist
New member
You can buy a cheap wetsuit from somewhere like Decathlon for next to no money, but it won't be nearly as good as a good one that costs quite a lot of money. I had an Alder steamer that was absolutely brilliant. I sailed right through the winter in England with it, just adding a spray top in the winter. There are a lot of features to look for, which all add up to a warm and comfy wetsuit: 5mm thickness on the torso, superstretchy neoprene on the arms and legs, totally sealed seams, heat reflective inner layer, no nylon covering on the chest and back. The wetsuit needs to be skintight but stretchy enough to move easily.
In summer, gardening gloves are the best. They grip a 3mm spinny halyard better than any sailing gloves. Probably more expensive in the long run though: I could get two days sailing out of gardening gloves but one or two seasons out of proper sailing gloves. In winter, you need neoprene sailing gloves.
In summer, gardening gloves are the best. They grip a 3mm spinny halyard better than any sailing gloves. Probably more expensive in the long run though: I could get two days sailing out of gardening gloves but one or two seasons out of proper sailing gloves. In winter, you need neoprene sailing gloves.
Neil_Y
Well-known member
Work gloves are definitely the best option, I buy them from Arco. You may have a local store you can try them as they need to be a good fit, the cheaper ones do loose the rubber coating quite quickly though so paying £1.50 - 2.00 may be better.
http://www.arco.co.uk/products/1235300/299119/Arco+Gripz+Lycra®+Black+Glove
http://www.arco.co.uk/products/1235300/299119/Arco+Gripz+Lycra®+Black+Glove
Iain C
Active member
You've not said exactly what boat you intend on sailing and what sailing you are doing...and from the mention of trapeze harnesses are you intending to crew? This is important and I will wear different gear depending on what I'm sailing and how I'm sailing it and for how long.
IMHO a convertible (detachable arms) wetsuit is much better than a long John and will be much more versatile. Long Johns tend to work well if you are sailing something very physical, hiking a Laser hard or crewing a 49er.
I have lost count of the amount of dinghy gloves I have gone through over the years, and I agree, for Summer sailing the builders grip gloves do work well. However, ONLY buy the proper Showa ones, they last for ages, where the cheap imitation ones start peeling the grip after one race.
If you do cut the ends off, (and I wouldn't bother) cut the very minimum off the finger and thumb only (and I mean just the very fingernail, the minimum to be able to undo a shackle) otherwise you will effectively render the gloves useless as its a very localised area on each finger that they actually protect.
Enjoy!
IMHO a convertible (detachable arms) wetsuit is much better than a long John and will be much more versatile. Long Johns tend to work well if you are sailing something very physical, hiking a Laser hard or crewing a 49er.
I have lost count of the amount of dinghy gloves I have gone through over the years, and I agree, for Summer sailing the builders grip gloves do work well. However, ONLY buy the proper Showa ones, they last for ages, where the cheap imitation ones start peeling the grip after one race.
If you do cut the ends off, (and I wouldn't bother) cut the very minimum off the finger and thumb only (and I mean just the very fingernail, the minimum to be able to undo a shackle) otherwise you will effectively render the gloves useless as its a very localised area on each finger that they actually protect.
Enjoy!
Iain C
Active member
I'm off to Torbay Week in the 49er and thought it might be wise to invest in a new wetsuit. My much loved Magic Marine Energy is pretty knackered now, and I risk both an embarrassing split somewhere, and the fact that it is probably getting to the point of beng quite an advanced life form in its own right and starting to argue with me on the tactics.
I've just bought one off these off eBay...Gul 3/2 convertible. Ordered yesterday, arrived today, and I have to say its outstanding value at £49.99. For people who wince at dinghy sailing kit prices, there's clearly no need to try and resurrect some hard, thin, dodgy dayglo 1980s thing...a decent suit really does make you both far more mobile, and far more comfortable. Wear it in the summer arm-less, or add a neoprene rash vest and a spraytop and it should take you most of the way into the winter.
No connection, just very pleased.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260980938...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I've just bought one off these off eBay...Gul 3/2 convertible. Ordered yesterday, arrived today, and I have to say its outstanding value at £49.99. For people who wince at dinghy sailing kit prices, there's clearly no need to try and resurrect some hard, thin, dodgy dayglo 1980s thing...a decent suit really does make you both far more mobile, and far more comfortable. Wear it in the summer arm-less, or add a neoprene rash vest and a spraytop and it should take you most of the way into the winter.
No connection, just very pleased.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260980938...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
ageddes
New member
Is it any better than a long john? The other reason I'm thinking of getting a long john is for kayaking and I can't afford to buy two suits, although that's unrelated to sailing. I would have thought that a long john has the most arm movement.
snowleopard
Active member
The whole discussion amuses me as when I started dinghy sailing in 1958 sailing was a way of getting a bit more wear out of clothing no longer fit for use. Footwear was generally canvas shoes and foul weather gear was foul smelling (nothing different there with dry suits!).
As several have said, it depends on the boat and the location. A Wayfarer on the Thames and a 49er at sea are totally different situations.
I found a shorty wetsuit best for the summer in a wet dinghy and long johns with a bolero for colder days served the purpose, along with neoprene boots. If wearing a wetsuit, hiking shorts or ordinary loose shorts of tough material will stop you ripping holes in the arse of your expensive wetsuit. I've not tried a drysuit but I had a lot of trouble with tight cuffs on a wetsuit while windsurfing as they made my forearm muscles ache when hanging on to the boom.
As several have said, it depends on the boat and the location. A Wayfarer on the Thames and a 49er at sea are totally different situations.
I found a shorty wetsuit best for the summer in a wet dinghy and long johns with a bolero for colder days served the purpose, along with neoprene boots. If wearing a wetsuit, hiking shorts or ordinary loose shorts of tough material will stop you ripping holes in the arse of your expensive wetsuit. I've not tried a drysuit but I had a lot of trouble with tight cuffs on a wetsuit while windsurfing as they made my forearm muscles ache when hanging on to the boom.
Iain C
Active member
Yes, a long John will give you more arm movement. My crew prefers one of those, but he's busy with the mainsheet, kite halyard, and kite sheets, oh, and the kicker and cunno, so he moves about and gets a bit warmer than I lording it at the back dangling from a string with the which-way-stick. But TBH the arm movement is a negligible detail in a dinghy...but I guess very important for paddling.
WRT to shorts over a wetsuit, you are curing symptoms, not root causes. If theres stuff on your boat that snags wetsuits, then it will snag spinnakers and faces and wants sanding smooth or taping up.
WRT to shorts over a wetsuit, you are curing symptoms, not root causes. If theres stuff on your boat that snags wetsuits, then it will snag spinnakers and faces and wants sanding smooth or taping up.
lw395
Well-known member
£100 is about my yearly spend on kit.
Wetsuit, I wear a detachable arms type which I find perfectly comfortable unless it's over 30degC and light winds.
current on was about £70 O'Neill, previous £40 one only lasted a season, but that's over 100 races.
I normally wear a rash vest under it
Boots, currently Rooster ones with Velcro, no zip.
Spray top, breathable is good, got mine on eBay.
Buoyancy aid, look for one with no excess straps to catch on things, but it must do up securely so you won't fall out of it.
Gloves, I only wear them either crewing boats with thin lines and big sails, or in winter.
In winter I wear a Drysuit, mine is Typhoon, would buy the same again, but go for fit rather than brand. I paid a bit under £300.
Beginners can often borrow buoyancy aids or trap harnesses.
People vary a lot in how much stuff they need. If you are waiting around on the water in the drizzle it can get cold, while the fit active racers often wear less kit.
I have a thin wetsuit vest which I use as an extra layer sometimes. I'd rather get too hot than at all cold.
I race on tidal waters in a boat where I expect to get wet.
In fact we get wet launching.
Sailing a Wayfarer on sheltered water, I might go for a buoyancy aid and something windproof.
some sort of hat is good in everything except summer.
merthikjackson
New member
As far as my experience and knowledge is concern you should try for shorts, T-shirts, short boots etc and regarding suits then try out a dry suit that would really do
Hope this works!!
http://camilla.com.au/shop/kaftans-2/long.html
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