cant fit in yak with boots on and other winter yak ?s

[fishboy73]

I have a wavesport EZG. Ive used it the last two springs and summers wearing just swimsuit. Its always been a tight fit. I recently purchased drysuit and boots to try some winter floating but cant fit my feet in the boat with the boots on. I obviously need to wear something on my feet to protect the latex footies. How have others handled this problem? Is the boat too small for me? I have thought about using sealskin, but will that keep my feet warm enough? thanks.

Also, what do most people wear under their drysuit. I put on wavelite polartec shirt, pants, drysuit, boots on last night just to try it on (thats when I found I no longer fit in my boat). Its was awfully warm and I wasnt doing any real work at the time. How many layers do I need under drysuit for when I eventually do go swimming. It seems like a toss up if the air is warm (50-60's) but the water is cold (high 30's to low 40's) How much of a shock is it when you hit the water. I suppose the best thing to do would be just to put everything on and take a quick dip in Lake Dardanelle, but any advice in advance would be appreciated. Thanks. Also if this has already been discussed in forum please direct me that way. I tried to search forum but couldnt find info.

[nproctor]

NRS makes a few different Wetshoe for low profile boating. NRS Desperado Wetshoe On Sale: $38.50 but its whatever you fill good in and want to spin. heres a link ,and also there is other brand out there too!!

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1169" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hope this helps

Nathan

[T Yamashita]

I use a set of slip on booties that are pretty thin. It's not great for walking but ok. There are a few things you can do:

Take shorter trips so you won't have to suffer long. Also, you can paddle easier water soyou are not as likely to swim. getting to a pool and doing roll practice is also good so youwon't have to swim.

Get a bigger, winter boat. You're going to get wetter in a smaller boat and you'll get colder faster.

I'd definitely get in the water with yur gear on and see what you think. Even if you've got good gear on, the cold water can sap your heat pretty fast.

Stuff a thermos with a hot drink so if you swim, you'll have something hot to warm you back up.

Good luck, ty

[Cowper]

Get some NRS rodeo socks, they're great. They are thin enough to fit in a playboat, but will have some traction on the soles and give your drysuit booties the much needed protection. I also wear them even in the summer, just to avoid blisters and so that if I have to come out of the boat, I won't be barefoot.

Like someone said, in really cold weather I just switch to a bigger boat and wear full booties, but not everyone has multiple boats or wants to do that.

The layers that feel too warm on land will be about right once you get splashed a couple of times. Unless you're so warm that you are getting that "sweating already - about to get heat stroke before I can get in my boat" feeling, it will probably be OK. Don't worry too much about the "shock" of hitting the cold water. With the drysuit, even the thinnest layers take the edge off any shock, you just don't get a cold water shock when you hit the water unless you have no layers under the drysuit at all. So choose your layers based more on expected air temperatures for the day, with maybe a little extra thickness to account for the splashing keeping your suit wet, plus some extra if you know it is going to be windy, cloudy, raining, or something like that. If you fall in the water, you won't be shocked, but, you should always get back out of the water at your first opportunity. This all assumes we're talking about "typical Arkansas float streams" where you should be able to swim quickly to shore; if you were going paddling on a large lake or the ocean and might be immersed for hours, then the rules change.

Just to give you an idea, if the daytime high is 50 or higher, all I wear is a single layer of what used to be called the "expedition" weight polypro or capilene underwear. If it is going into the thirties, I add a single thin layer up top; the bottom doesn't change because that is all enclosed in the kayak. A "storm hood" makes up the difference; two days ago, with a daytime temps in the mid 30's, predicted to fall during the day, and wind chills in the 20's, I wore two layers up top, one on the bottom, and added the storm hood to reduce heat loss from the head and neck area. One day ago, same creek, same water temperature, but with a predicted high in the mid 40's, I wore exactly the same layers, but just a helmet, no storm hood. (Google "Mystery Storm Hood"). A lot of folks wear helmet liners that cover just the ears; they are good but nowhere near as warm as the full storm hood. The trade-off is of course some loss of flexibility.

Other big factors in choosing your layers are how long is the run and how much do you intend to play? For longer runs, go thicker, energy lost is cumulative. If you play a lot, go thinner. I just pay attention; if I feel myself beginning to sweat in the suit, I back it off a notch for a few minutes until I cool back down.

Oh, one final "plug" for the storm hood: if there is any doubt about what the day may bring, I don't throw extra layers in a dry bag any more. Just the storm hood. You can hand that to someone who is getting cold, or put it on yourself. No matter what layers you are wearing, the extra coverage on your head and neck will add a degree of warmth that is at least as good as adding another layer, it takes up less space in the dry bag, and it doesn't matter if it got wet or damp, it is a thin neoprene so it is still going to add that warmth.

[fishboy73]

Thanks for response guys! Very good advice. Made a go of it today on mulberry. Actually got hot and had to change to a thinner base layer. Swam twice and did fine, although I don't think I'd want to stay in more than 10-15m. Dead on about shorter trips. More work paddling with extra clothing and got run down quicker. I think I'd like a bigger boat though. Kept getting leg cramps. I think I am more of a river runner than a play boater. Used neo socks. All I could get on short notice. Will definitely order storm hood and probably rodeo socks. Thanks again.

[perspective7]

You might take out your thigh hooks. I had to take them out of my EZ to fit in it and added some 1/4" foam in the knee area for some padding...I'm not sure if the EZG is set up the same way and I couldn't tell from the pix I found online.

[Jim Krueger]

Having size 14 feet, I have had to deal with the cramped feet issues in most every kayak I have, and mine are older & longer model yaks. I too couldn't tell from the images of the EZG exactly how it was set-up, but in my old Perception boat, I noted where my heels were along the bottom of the foam bulkhead, then cut out a 'half-moon' shaped area to allow more space for my heels, and thus more room for my toes. I don't advocate any alterations to a boats outfitting that might compromise safety but this seemed fairly minor and has made all the difference in comfort and room for my tootsies.

Best Regards
Jim

[Mark or Hayden]

If you have a microfoam bulkhead make a smaller one and switch out as needed

[Jim Krueger]

My friend Mark , and others, are so much more experienced with white water paddling, and certainly much more familiar with the shorter WW kayak designs than me, I could never fit in one..., and I was glad for his suggestion. However, in my older boat, the 'lateral minicell foam bulkhead' is 3 to 4 inches wide, and that takes up a lot of the floor- width space in the end of my kayak. I'm satisfied it's there for a reason, and offers a lot more protection, and escape-time in the event I repeat one of the 'pinion-pins' I managed to get myself into years ago in my unsupported homemade kayak. I did need a little more room for my feet in the Overflow X, but I knew I only wanted to cut out some 'cups-of sorts' in the bottom of the bulkhead to give my heels room to come together. And toes to be free

Best Regards
Jim