"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 sail in the SF bayarea... in the bay and less frequently offshore.
Certainly, the water temp or even the wind temp doesn't approach 32 degrees,
but it can easily get below 50 plus wind-chill. Hypothermia is always an
issue even on summer days in the more protected areas where shorts and tees
are possible.

As you said, layers is going to be the answer, mostly. It's not unusual to
have 4 or 5 layers at our disposal, along with a variety of
hat/glove/footwear combinations.

I've used a fairly low-end foul weather jacket/pants set up for most of the
years (~25) sailing here. It was purchased at WM... something similar to
this, but not breathable (it's old): http://preview.tinyurl.com/3y6tbd. My
recollection is that it was about $200 then. If I had it to do over, I would
get breathable, but you can still do this at a very reasonable cost.

Now certainly, the musto is a great jacket. I'm not sure it's worth the
extra $600.

I think you'd probably do fine with either hi-tech layering or wool
layering, both of which will add value should you go in the water. Of
course, at the temps you describe, nothing short of a drysuit will keep you
for very long... also true out here, btw.

I'd say save the money on the high end stuff and invest in a good
layering/hat/glove/footwear combination.

You could also give Pineapple a call and describe the situation. They're
good people.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com