What to wear when the cold gets here

[makobob]

Sorry to butt in on this, but this is why I love to fish the SEA of Cortez, water was 88 degrees this week.

[Ro12]

Makobob I've been reading your threads
I can only dream of goin out there with you
I know it's an open invite
But the stars would have to line up perfectly for me to enjoy one of those trips

Those pants look doable mahigear
Saw something similar that was a set on kayakfishingsupplies.com
Also just got done reading their article on what to wear on the water
Lots of good info
But would still like some more first hand experience opinions from everyone

Looks like wetsuits are out for me
So I'm lookin into the waders and layers
Thanks for all the help guys
Maybe see you guys out there one day

[Harry Hill]

some waders are warm, others are just a dry layer between you and the water but are still warmer than nothing but pants. I have breathable waders I use with my belly boat and they will keep me warm in really cold water while fishing. If it's really warm out I don't wear them, they get to hot. Always wear a belt tightly around the outside of the waders so if you go in they don't fill up with water. They are really hard to get out of when you are trying to stay afloat.Find out what the pro bass fishermen are wearing, those guys don't like being uncomfortable.

[Goose1993]

Boardshorts year round. Just keep your shirt on and put a windbreaker on if you need it. This is San Diego. We don't know cold...

[Ro12]

Haha

[straightrod]

Thanks to the OP. I am glad this thread surfaced. I Tandem Island fish with my wife out of Dana Landing to La Jolla most weekends - we are in our 60's. It is roughly 10 -12 miles from the fishing grounds back to Dana Landing.

Three weeks ago we took on at least 70 gallons of water on a leak that does not come from the bottom. The stern and back seat were underwater when we hit the ramp.

Wife not to happy. I explained she could not pay an amusement park to have this much excitement.

I have been thinking of proper clothing for at least two hours of submersion.

[Ro12]

Wow
Now that doesn't sound any fun at all
Is your ride done
Repairable
How far were you when you noticed you were takin on water

[straightrod]

Originally Posted by Ro12

Wow
Now that doesn't sound any fun at all
Is your ride done
Repairable
How far were you when you noticed you were takin on water

We have the tandem at the dealers for the second time looking for the leak. First time they trimmed the forward hatch and installed a new seal. I was not convinced that this much water could come in from the front hatch.

We were heading in making the turn toward the entrance channel at about 180' when it was apparent that we were sinking.

Going to have a hose attached from the back hatch that leads to the lowest furthest spot at the stern. I can bilge pump from the hose for any water that collects furthers back.

[Mahigeer]

May I suggest a kind of backward test?

Put the kayak on a sort of a stand.

Fill the hull of the kayak with water, until you see a leak. Where ever the water is coming in, will now allow the water to leak out.

There maybe a hairline crack that only shows up when there is weight in the kayak. In this case the weight of the water may cause the crack to open.


That could also eliminate the hatch/s.

Curious to see the cause of the leak. Pleas let us know when you solved the problem.

[Harry Hill]

check your scuppers to make sure one hasn't separated where they sandwich together.

[jruiz]

Rudder/steering lines

[DanaPT]

Originally Posted by Mahigeer

May I suggest a kind of backward test?

Put the kayak on a sort of a stand.

Fill the hull of the kayak with water, until you see a leak. Where ever the water is coming in, will now allow the water to leak out.

There maybe a hairline crack that only shows up when there is weight in the kayak. In this case the weight of the water may cause the crack to open.


That could also eliminate the hatch/s.

Curious to see the cause of the leak. Pleas let us know when you solved the problem.

Genius.

[straightrod]

Originally Posted by Mahigeer

May I suggest a kind of backward test?

Put the kayak on a sort of a stand.

Fill the hull of the kayak with water, until you see a leak. Where ever the water is coming in, will now allow the water to leak out.

There maybe a hairline crack that only shows up when there is weight in the kayak. In this case the weight of the water may cause the crack to open.


That could also eliminate the hatch/s.

Curious to see the cause of the leak. Pleas let us know when you solved the problem.

I did test it before sending it back to the dealer. First hooked wet vac exhaust and soaped it all down. Typical small leak bubbles emanating from hatches, rudder lines etc but nothing that would let in 35 gallons. On this leak my bait tank did slide forward causing a wet seal and flooding the entire hatch area. I then supported the kayak in four places and filled the inside with 35-40 gallons - not a drop leaked out. So i figured I caused it with the leaking bait tank somehow.

Next time out heavy sailing and realized heavy water intake of approx 70 gallons. Pulled it to level ground and no leaks, drips - nothing for 20 minutes.

Sent it to dealer he resealed forward bow hatch. Tested out of Dana Landing and 2.5 gallons in 30-40 minutes sailing back in. Took it dealer who had Hobie test - no real big leaks.

I will continue to investigate further. Dealer thinks weight in back under sail is causing rudder lines to draw water in.

When I get it back I will test further. I was thinking all along it was seeping in through the scupper holes in the back when a swell would wash over, but Hobie sent pics of scuppers being tested.

[ronbo613]

In SoCal, the most cold water wear I ever used was a farmer john wetsuit, booties, polypro shirt and light jacket. The water rarely gets below 50°, a drysuit is total overkill.

Now I fish in a much colder place where it rains all the time. When the water temperature is in the low 40's, same as the air temp and it's raining, a drysuit would be good, but most of the time I wear waterproof pants with shorts underneath(polypro long johns if it's cold), polypro shirt, sweatshirt and waterproof shell. Since I know how to get back on my kayak if I get dumped, I don't plan on swimming around for an hour or two figuring out what to do. The hardest thing to keep warm are my hands. Not many gloves that keep your hands warm and are flexible enough for fishing. If you are fishing in any type of marginal conditions, better be wearing that PFD.

We stop fishing when the rod guides ice up, so we do a fair bit of dressing for the conditions.