Sheepskins on board ?

[sarabande]

A long-time friend reminded me recently that on her father's boat they used Antartex sheepskin rugs on the berths as thermal insulation.

Now I have a number of possible sheepskins walking around the fields at present, and wondered if anyone has experience of sheepskins becoming damp and chilly. Or are they the best thing since the dog's bit, knees of the bee, etc ?

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Some years ago I was given an overcoat made entirely out of sheepskin (except for the thread and the buttons). The fleece is short and relatively straight and is on the inside while the outside of the coat is the 'suede' side. I have been in the rain and in the snow - not in Malta, of course - and I was dry and comfortable. Similar overcoats are/were part of the winter wear for officers in the Army of the then Soviet Union so I imagine that the material can stand up well to damp
I am not sure about the breed of sheep but I vaguely remember that it was some short-haired breed from New Zealand. Here we are in Birmingham, December 2009.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h174/wallytacyano/Veryprouddad.jpg

 

[lw395]

I imagine your boat might get burned by French farmers if you go to Cherbourg with such things aboard?

 

[savageseadog]

In Welsh boats the sheepskins have sheep in them

 

[Mike k]

A long-time friend reminded me recently that on her father's boat they used Antartex sheepskin rugs on the berths as thermal insulation.

Now I have a number of possible sheepskins walking around the fields at present, and wondered if anyone has experience of sheepskins becoming damp and chilly. Or are they the best thing since the dog's bit, knees of the bee, etc ?

Don't think its worth using your own fleeces,I stored clips over 5 years in the hope that I could use the fleeces for insulation or even make some garments or even wait for a price rise- truth is the costs of washing/treatments etc make using your own not really feasible.Just my opinion.

 

[Solent sailer]

I dont know about rugs or coats but we used to use sheep skin gloves when land yachting in the winter as they stayed warm and comfortable even when absolutely soaking wet, they also grip the ropes better when wet!

 

[Kelpie]

Don't think its worth using your own fleeces,I stored clips over 5 years in the hope that I could use the fleeces for insulation or even make some garments or even wait for a price rise- truth is the costs of washing/treatments etc make using your own not really feasible.Just my opinion.

OP was talking about skins, rather than fleeces.
Fleeces aren't worth the cost of shearing (less than £1/fleece) but skins can be worth a lot of money- unfortunately you only get one per sheep!

 

[duncan99210]

My wife uses a sheepskin to sit on whilst gig rowing to minimise the problem known as gigass.... The sheepskin itself seems to stand up very well to being used like this, occasionally needing to be dried out but otherwise in excellent condition after two years of regular use.

 

[zoidberg]

You could build yourself a pen on the fordeck, just like the Ancient Mariners in Classic Boats, and keep several of your walking sheepskins fresh and almost ready for use. No need to get an old one to the dry cleaners; you could use the offcuts as 'baggywrinkle' and the dried sheeps droppings as fuel for your stove.....

 

[[70521]]

There are far more efficient man made materials.

 

[Prasutigus]

You could build yourself a pen on the fordeck, just like the Ancient Mariners in Classic Boats, and keep several of your walking sheepskins fresh and almost ready for use. No need to get an old one to the dry cleaners; you could use the offcuts as 'baggywrinkle' and the dried sheeps droppings as fuel for your stove.....

A Harlech harem

 

[dimdav]

There are far more efficient man made materials.

Indeed. I have a couple of fake sheepskins that are great for keeping me warm and which dry quickly to boot.

 

[Graham_Wright]

I read somewhere that sheeps' wool is exothermic.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...zAF#v=onepage&q=sheep wool exothermic&f=false

 

[Neeves]

OP was talking about skins, rather than fleeces.
Fleeces aren't worth the cost of shearing (less than £1/fleece) but skins can be worth a lot of money- unfortunately you only get one per sheep!

Fleece, good ones at least, are at their highest prices for decades. The cost of your marino wool garments may rise once the costs filter through.

I vaguely recall Antartex used to advertise, in the 70's, their being suppliers to the British Antarctic Survey

 

[DownWest]

On the Brendan Voyage, they reconned that the natural fibres, esp oiled wool, were better than the artificial, if one was constantly wet. Still, that was a while back and fibres have come on a bit.
Friend of mine flew his biplane from UK to Oz and had a choice of carrying a life raft or a sheepskin jacket & trews. Opted for the warm clothing as more useful.. Used his own sheep too.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Fleece, good ones at least, are at their highest prices for decades. The cost of your marino wool garments may rise once the costs filter through.

I vaguely recall Antartex used to advertise, in the 70's, their being suppliers to the British Antarctic Survey

Before my time, I'm afraid! The gear I knew was mostly artificial, except for some woolen socks. They MAY have been in use underneath sleeping bags, but I'm not sure; I never spent time camping beyond a mandatory one-night training session.

 

[Kelpie]

Fleece, good ones at least, are at their highest prices for decades. The cost of your marino wool garments may rise once the costs filter through.

I vaguely recall Antartex used to advertise, in the 70's, their being suppliers to the British Antarctic Survey

Depends on what breed of sheep you're talking about.
Up here it's all blackface and cheviot, and the wool is carpet grade rather than the lively soft fine stuff you get from a merino.