What dinghy sailing clothing to wear

[jontifosi]

Just bought topper topaz, wondering what my son and i ought to wear whilst sailing it? Long john Wetsuit 2 or 3mm? and some sort of jacket?
where to buy?

 

[Chriskent]

I would recommend a short wet suit and a pair of dinghy boot's and you will obviously need a buoyancy aid.

 

[Yacht Yogi]

Wet suits

I am presuming that this is your first dinghy experience or you wouldn't be asking the question. I have been sailing Laser dinghies on a lake and occasionally in coastal waters off the south coast. For this I have found a shortie wetsuit to be adequate (2mm) plus dinghy "wetsuit" boots. Over this I wear a sweatshirt or T-shirt and shorts or lycra jogging pants, depending on the temperature. In the sea I always wear more because I expect to get wetter. I wear a windproof, breathable dinghy jacket if it's cold and always if I'm on the sea. Obviously with a bouyance aid over this lot, a pair of sailing gloves and topped off with a Sealskinz wooly hat.

More serious sailors will go for a dry suit but they expect to be out on the water for longer and in all weathers. Dry suits are very expensive.

Don't be drawn into buying unnecessary expensive kit. Do make sure everybody on board is staying warm enough and be sure to come back in if somebody is getting chilled, especially if you've had a few capsizes or maybe are not very fit.

You could visit a dinghy sailing club and chat to the sailors there. Most are keen to invite new people into the sport and will be pleased to help you along.

As for where to buy, it depends where you live. On the South Coast I would suggest Andark at Swanwick who specialise in wet suits and related clothing.

I hope you get geat enjoyment from your new boat.

 

[Searush]

Bowler hat, plus fours & green wellies - oh & don't forget the armbands if you plan to fall in.



Seriously tho;
Shorts, sandals & a cag over a T-shirt will do in summer & you probably have all of them already. Bouancy aids are much better than lifejackets for dinghy sailing, but just don't get hung up about "the right clothing" - it really doeesn't matter as long as you enjoy yourselves.

Don't get a heavy wetsuit it will stop you moving fast enough to keep it upright. Aldi & Lidl do Adult lightweight shortie suits for 20 squid that are fine for summer use, but you'll probably have to wait for next spring before the next offering.

 

[Lakesailor]

Buy cheap wetsuits online. Be careful to read the sizing guide,

 

[trapezeartist]

Cheap wetsuits are awful: ill-fitting, lacking in stretch, allow loads of flush-through, lumpy seams, the list goes on. The essential point about a wetsuit is that it must be skin tight so that any water on the inside is no more than a film (you have to warm it up with body heat). It then follows that the suit must be very stretchy to let you move, and have nice flat seams that don't dig in.

I bought a 5-4-3 steamer when I first started dinghy sailing and it was brilliant. It had all the bells and whistles: superstretch arms and legs, glued and taped seams, plain rubber on the chest and back, variable thickness for max insulation and max flexibility, reflective inner lining, etc. etc. It wasn't cheap but I wore it right through the winter in England (9 months of the year, generally) and I seemed to be as warm or warmer than people in dry-suits. Mine wasn't one of the big names. It begins with A but I forget the name at the moment. 100% recommended. I then have a mid-range convertible for what we laughingly refer to as summer.

 

[Lakesailor]

Rather a sweeping statement. I bought an Osprey. It fits perfectly and for the minimal use it gets why would I pay £100 or so?
If you find you are using it every week, splash out and replace it with a quality item, but for experimenting they are fine.

 

[William_H]

Dinghy sailing

I find it amazing that people propose expensive wet suits or even dry suits for dinghy sailing. The damage to wet suits is terrible. At least you must wear trousers over the wet suit to try to minimise cuts and wear of the wet suit. dinghies are inevitably carnivorous and if the wet suit gets in the way they eat that too. olewill

 

[Iain C]

Here's what I'd wear...as you can see its totally dependant on the conditions.

Sub zero to very cold, or reasonably cold in a bit of a drifter when you won't work hard: Musto MPX drysuit, wicking base layer, wooly bear, winter gloves and hat.

Cold (winter months) 5mm Gill steamer, hat, gloves. Also good for very cold days if you are working hard.

Fresh...3mm Magic Marine Energy. Detachable sleeves attached, Musto MPX spray top.

Warmish...as above, lose the sleeves and spray top as it warms up

Very warm...Gill speedskin

Hot...Gul 1.5mm shorty

Decide when you are most likely to be sailing and buy accordingly...the above kit has been collected over years of dingy racing. However the most useful thing will be a 3mm back zip wetsuit with detachable arms that will be fine for most UK sailing.

(probably a bad time to say...today I was sailing in a pair of boardies and that's it. Dodging flying fish and turtles on a hobie cat in the Caribbean )

 

[Iain C]

I find it amazing that people propose expensive wet suits or even dry suits for dinghy sailing. The damage to wet suits is terrible. At least you must wear trousers over the wet suit to try to minimise cuts and wear of the wet suit. dinghies are inevitably carnivorous and if the wet suit gets in the way they eat that too. olewill

...or spend some time sorting out the rough bits, taping up fittings, etc. If wetsuits get eaten, so will skin. I hate sailing any dinghy that threatens to take chunks out of me!

That said the hi build on the wings of my 49er is totally over the top, however as you're usually only stood on it, it's less of an issue.

 

[Searush]

Jeez, guys! They've just bought a Topper to play with - why would they want to spend gazillions on Olympic class gear?

Plastic sandals, cut down jeans & an old cag over a t-shirt plus Bouancy Aid will do while they play about & see if they like it. Perhaps an elastic band over the cuffs of the cag might help. Use what you already have until you KNOW how you are going to use the boat & then decide what you want to wear.

Doesn't ANYONE have any basic commonsense these days? Why is it always "You must buy the very best kit, like I do" willy waving on here?
You'd think we all had to drive BMW4x4's to listen to some on here!

 

[claymore]

Tend to agree on that - enough for starters would be some wetsuit type of shoes, a decent bouyancy aid a windproof top and perhaps wetsuit shorts or even a sleeveless one piece with short legs with some nylon or cotton shorts on top to prevent wear. Thin and able to allow you to move around the boat.
If you find you are entering icebreaker events etc then gear up accordingly.

 

[lw395]

Having spent money on a boat, you will get much better value from it with some sensible clothing.
For typical 'summer' I would suggest a back zip wetsuit of about 3mm, a windproof smock or 'spraytop' and a buoyancy aid.
I tend to wear a rash vest and trunks under a wetsuit, but a tee shirt will do.
I think the Topaz is quite low to the water, so on any but the flattest inland water, there will be spray and you can get quite cold even in summer.
There is a big difference between a 20 minute try-out and being on the water for two hours or more.
October to March I tend to wear a drysuit, but I sail on the sea/ harbour.
So far this year, most of my 'bare arms' dinghy sailing was in March! You have to adapt to the weather as you find it.

I bought a CSR wetsuit from Andark in Burseldon for £40, it was fine but only lasted me a year. But that is about 80 races. A £100 O'Neill one should do me three seasons of fairly active boats.

Google 'Rooster Sailing' for good advice, obviously they are trying to sell their own stuff, but you can read between the lines.

 

[Wunja]

My experience of Topaz sailing, is that whenever you get in, you will drag sand and gravel aboard which then endeavours to embed itself into your knees for the duration of the trip. You might find you want some knee pads. Not a lot to catch on a wetsuit, but I would still wear some shorts to protect the derier.

All that said, they are good fun.

 

[Lakesailor]

So, back to the Osprey site then and get some cheap shorty suits for about £20. If they only last a year and the enthusiasm wears out before the suit, then it's job done.
If the enthusiasm lasts longer, then you can can spend more on a better suit.
Like Searush says, why does everything have to be so OTT?

 

[lw395]

So, back to the Opsrey site then and get some cheap shorty suits for about £20. If they only last a year and the enthusiasm wears out before the suit, then it's job done.
If the enthusiasm lasts longer, then you can can spend more on a better suit.


Like Searush says, why does everything have to be so OTT?

I don't see spending 5 or 10% of the price of the boat on clothing as OTT.
Wetsuits have revolutionised dinghy sailing. Before wetsuits, it was largely a game of staying dry(ish) played in the summer. When I started dinghy sailing, a wetsuit cost as much as my first boat, so I sailed inland without one. We used to wear waterproof overalls, and if you capsized it usually meant game over, returning home with a bag of jumpers mixed with river water.
Now we can sail and carry on after a capsize without getting cold, for the price of a few pulleys or bits of string. We go home, rinse out the wetsuit, it dries ready for tomorrow.
As a result, boats have got wetter. People are learning on boats with low freeboard rather than things like Enterprises and Wayfarers of the 70's.
A Topaz is a fairly wet boat I think.

I would not advise anyone to risk getting hypothermia. I've done it, it's not nice.
Even getting moderately seriously cold transforms sailing from fun to unpleasant very quickly, and in a dinghy it can be 20 minutes or more between realising you are getting cold and doing anything about it.

Dinghy sailors are not stupid, they wear the kit they do for good reason. They also tend not to be ever so fashion conscious and would rather spend money on sails or boats than clothing.

If you are only going out for short periods on sunny days, you don't need much kit.
If you are more active in a fast boat, you may need less kit. Conversely, crews just sat there will get colder without good kit. One worry I do not need is my crew getting cold. As we sought to sail all year, drysuits were a good investment on that score. I can now be confident that even if we capsize and break something and are in the water a while, we won't get too cold. 2x£250 drysuits that lasted 4 years = double length sailing season!

I think telling inexperienced people they don't need a sensible level of kit for the conditions is downright irresponsible. I've carried really cold, stupid people to the showers at the club, it scares me.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

. 2x£250 drysuits that lasted 4 years = double length sailing season!

I think telling inexperienced people they don't need a sensible level of kit for the conditions is downright irresponsible. I've carried really cold, stupid people to the showers at the club, it scares me.

Common, what you are implying is just silly for entry level dinghy sailing. A couple of wetsuits, 3 mm, long john, with tops, about £30 quid each form any number of places, is a good low cost entry level solution.

jontifossi, I bought my son the above style, plus wet suit boots, about £50 quid total as the wetsuit boats are pricy, around £20. So far it has lasted last season and this season well. He doesn't wear shorts or anything else, just the buoyancy aid, over the top. He asked this year if he could get a wetsuit vest, which is 2 mm I think. He is skinny and feels the cold. So he now has the 5 mm over his chest, plus whatever the top thickness is.

 

[Lakesailor]

I think telling inexperienced people they don't need a sensible level of kit for the conditions is downright irresponsible.

Wind your neck in.

I and many others are telling them to get a wet suit.

We just don't think spending more than £30/40 is worth it. The cheap suits will do all you ask, but maybe not for as long.
When you've decided you want to spend a couple of days a week splashing about then consider buying a more durable suit.

 

[lw395]

Wind your neck in.

I and many others are telling them to get a wet suit.

We just don't think spending more than £30/40 is worth it. The cheap suits will do all you ask, but maybe not for as long.
When you've decided you want to spend a couple of days a week splashing about then consider buying a more durable suit.

That's not the impression you gave in your reply to Searush's rather silly post.

In my original post I suggested a cheap wetsuit was a good start.
I'm not saying rush out and buy a drysuit for starters, just that it's good value for money if it enables you to sail more.
Dinghy sailing has fixed costs for me of a few hundred a year in depreciation, insurance, storage etc. Spending on a drysuit spreads that cost over a much longer season. And being able to sail on a nice day in winter is just brilliant. Maybe I should have made it plainer that that is something one might want to progress to.

 

[Lakesailor]

So, back to the Osprey site then and get some cheap shorty suits for about £20. If they only last a year and the enthusiasm wears out before the suit, then it's job done.
If the enthusiasm lasts longer, then you can can spend more on a better suit.
Like Searush says, why does everything have to be so OTT?

Doesn't seem to be ambiguous in any way.