"Hoges in WA" wrote in message
...

"L D'Bonnie" wrote in message
m...
I sail on a large Northern lake. There are many days when all I need
is shorts and a T shirt. There are also days when that sort of dress
would be a bit inappropriate. My boat is a 21 foot weekender. I'm not
concerned with sinking, but there is always a possibility of going
into the water. I live on the shore of the lake and intend to have my
boat in the water as soon as the ice is gone. I see no reason why I
can't sail just because it's 32 degrees and raining. Not as many
water skiers and Sea-doo's to dodge on those days.

I've never owned any sort of foul weather boating gear and would
appreciate some advice on what is practical before I make any
purchases. There is a wide choice of gear available with prices to
match.

At the lower end is this paddlers jacket in the $200 range

http://www.kokatat.com/product_detail.asp?code=tta

At the other end is this jacket that's nearly $800

http://www.pineapplesails.com/musto/...1647jacket.htm

I don't mind spending money on products that are worth their value.
Is a jacket like the $200 one adequate for cold weather sailing or
is it worth considering the $800 price range?

I would expect on a really cold day I would still need additional
layers of clothing with either jacket as well as suitable gloves,
boots and pants.

Sailing is the bottom line. What do I need to get out there and
sail in reasonable comfort while the rest are hiding indoors?

LdB


I'm in a position now where I don't care what it is, I buy the best for
the job. I refuse to buy compromise stuff and "bear with it" any longer.

For sailing stuff, I now buy Musto. I'll be buying one of those jackets
in a couple of years, too (don't need it at present)

Funnily enough, even though I live in Western Australia, I've bought stuff
from Pineapple too. They were great first time around but recently when I
tried to buy something it wasn't so good.

For a middle layer, perhaps you could consider what the other posters said
about end-of-season ski clothes - since there is no snow in Western
Australia as a rule, I don't know much about that but the others seemed to
be knowledgeable on the topic.

Hoges in WA

Today raingear like Gill, Musto or many other are made with waterproof and
breathable material
In your neck of the wood you have the best merino wool.
A tightly knitted fisherman merino wool sweater over a good base layer and a
waterproof and breathable material jacket may be all you need.