Help! I am fairly new to kayaking and really loving it, but it seems that I get a ton of water in my boat while rolling. I am 5'2" in a Wavesport EZG 42... Does anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions? My skirt seems to fit nicely, but I just don't stay dry when upside-down!

I had a similar problem with my boat last weekend, then I realized there was a 120 cm long crack in it

Seriously, try seeing if all the screws in you kayak are water tight, and if your skirt realy holds water.

Also if you are swimming out of your boat after rolling that might be the reason... I stop now

hey

I have the same issue, i asked a few peoplel at my club and the general response was that ull never stay totally dry. Ive reduced the amount of water in my boat by making sure that my deck is pulled right under the rim of the cockpit before i put in the water. sounds daft but you might not always get a clean connection if you no what i mean. Im also with skirnir, get a screwdriver and check all the bolts.

matt

Tightening all the bolts/screws is definitely the thing to do. I just did this with my Slalom boat and it made a big difference. *Remember to tighten from both ends (inside and out) or you are just wasting your time. Other than your spray skirt and/or an actual crack or hole in the boat the screw fittings are the only place it could be coming in. Keep in mind that some comes in with you in your water shoes and during entry when you first get in the boat too. Also--I find that when I am going under the water I take less water into the cockpit if I am careful to have the spray skirt waste tubing unrolled and stretched up to you breast (ish). Anything like a Camelback/Hydropack tubing protruding through the deck tunnel will let lots of water in.

Just some ideas.

Don't tighten the bolts fully - some are made with silicone rings, and tightening may keep it dry for now, but will compress the silicone and it will leak more later. If you aren't wearing a drytop, water will go down the skirt tunnel. Make sure your skirt is snug as well - I have been using a Medium for a while and water would get in, so I got a small, which although tougher to get on, should be a lot drier. A skirt with a flange would work better as well. If you can, find the older Immersion Research SBD (Simple But Dry) skirt with double tunnel. It should be the driest skirt out there. If the deck is a shock cord or if it doesn't fit the rim right (I had an old NRS skirt that the shock cord was about level with the rim, and it would pop off) it will probably leak.

Thanks everyone! I will try some of these suggestions this weekend while in the river! I am wondering if my skirt is just too long for my short waist.... To be fully unrolled at the top would be half way up my boobs, and well, that isn't very water tight either I might invest in that super dry skirt. I mean, I am getting about 2 gallons or more of water in my boat after about 5 rolls (during practice.) so I am pretty sure that's not a normal amount. My boat is really difficult to roll and maneuver after that. I also have float bags to help with water displacement. If you have any more tips, keep them coming!

Anyone going to Nanty Fest coming up soon?

I had a problem with the tunnel of my skirt being too long for my waist so I invested in a shorter one and it helped when I wear a dry top, but without a drytop I still get water in my boat when I roll. It's going to happen no matter what. I stop in flat water sections and use a sponge I keep in the boat to empty out some of the water. So I agree that a different skirt may be the ticket, one with a rubber rand may be harder to put on, but it does keep more water out. Also, I have noticed that some boats seem to get more water in them than others so you may want to keep that in mind.

Contact John Weld at IR, and you might want to see if they can put a J-Lo tunnel (womens specific) on the SBD skirt. I think the J-Lo is just a basic shock cord, so the SBD would be drier. The J-Lo should be dry enough anyways though.

www.immersionresearch.com/products/sprayskirts/j-lo/
www.immersionresearch.com/products/sprayskirts/sbd/

Two other cheep solutions:

1) rub paddle wax on the underside of the cockpit rim.

2) a cheep Brooks deck with a thick rubber rand/edge that makes contact with the cockpit rim (my wife swears by this one after using a variety of decks [usually much more expensive ones] on her leaky kingpin).

When I paddled Wavesport boats I always had problems with small cracks forming around the seat bolts (easy to check and get welded). You can also really tighten or seal the drain plug.

bigboy wrote:

Two other cheep solutions:

1) rub paddle wax on the underside of the cockpit rim.

2) a cheep Brooks deck with a thick rubber rand/edge that makes contact with the cockpit rim (my wife swears by this one after using a variety of decks [usually much more expensive ones] on her leaky kingpin).

When I paddled Wavesport boats I always had problems with small cracks forming around the seat bolts (easy to check and get welded). You can also really tighten or seal the drain plug.

When I got my Flirt the drain plug was leaking because there was not enough silicone to seal it. It turned out to be a production flaw because all yellow boats of that particular shipment had the same problem. Anyway, as the dealer was not able to fix it straightaway (their handiguy was on a paddling trip) I fixed it temporarily with a piece of innertube (bicycle tire) cut to size. Worked like a charm and when I managed to drop by at the dealer to have it fixed properly it was not leaking at all.

If you want a rubber edge on the inside of the spraydeck to imprive grip, I did this on an old skirt (and it worked really well): cover the inside (outer say 2 inches?) in contact cement and let dry. Make sure it is the type that stays flexible (overhere in Holland they call it Bison Kit, availbale at all DIY shops). Suddenly this old deck had lots of grip on my Mega X-Ray surfkayak and it withstood a lot of trashing before popping (which it didn't, the slightest wave popped the skirt ).

Also, if the tunnel on your deck seems a bit wide, try a strap around your waist (just like a belt, really). And if the tunnel really is too high for you, neoprene can easily be cut to size

tighten you boyancy aid starps nice and tight onto your deck and get a tight fitting tube. if you have everything tight like a toyger then it should make it a bit better.