The members
of THOD are proud to announce a new partnership with SEALS, providing us with the sprayskirts for this season.
We always
thought that in Rough Waters a sprayskirt is not only a complement, it is a
safety element since a imploted sprayskirt when a wave breaks is the thin line
that separates a moment of fun from a nasty and dangerous situation.
So last
months we were looking for a skirt with a secure and perfect fit to support the
blows from the sea, with a strong construction capable of resisting another
kayak going over our cockpit and the friction hitting on rocks and barnacles,
totally waterproof even in long days of rolling and surf, and with a shape that
allows a full range of movement when we are maneuvering, edging, rolling, etc …
After testing
several sprayskirts, we decided to use the Seals “Surf “ size 1.2 during a wide
period of time to verify its endurance, testing it in all kinds of scenarios
and climatological conditions.
This model specs
are:
-
High
performance 4mm neoprene.
-
3/8
" stitched bungee attachment to the rim.
-
Form
fitting anatomical tunnel.
-
Glued,
stitched and sealed seams.
In addition, we got the custom option of four small attachment loops to be able to secure in it a nautical chart, GPS, deck bags, etc...
In moderate surf and choppy waters with waves washing
the deck, the “Surf 1.2”
maintain completely the water out of the cockpit.
In rolling sessions, rought waters and good
surf the water that leaks in the kayak is almost non-existent, less than a glass.
Even in harder conditions, the amount of water
that goes into the cockpit is not significant to compromise the kayak stability
or to complicate the boat handling, it would be less than the water you get
onboard after a T-rescue.
During that
test period, paddling in surf the sprayskirt imploded twice in the impact zone,
and once the kayaker and skirt were violently blowed off in a hard breaker… believe me when I say that this numbers are good
stats…..
Today the skirts
looks like the first day, it does not present signs of wear or abrasion of
regular use, but they all suffered some lacerations and minor cuts; some
against the rocks and the majority against other dragon keels in surf and in rescue
practices ( it is not very good for the skirts to launch or to land a kayak over the
cockpit rim of another one but … .it is so funny….) but all damages were easily repaired with a bit of neoprene glue.
After this test
period, we are going to use the model “PRO SHOCKER”, similar specs that the “SURF”
but in addition:
 |
| PRO SHOCKER VS SHOCKER |
Rim
grip/safety underpants technology.
And we decide to custom the neoprene color in some of them.
The small
lacks for our needs that we apreciate in the “SURF” will be solved in this
reinforced model. This kind of skirts
are a little hard to put on and to pull off, but it will have a better fit to support more powerfull breakers.
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| GOLTZIANA MARLIN FORCE AND KITIWEC // SEALS PRO SHOCKER AND SURF |