Spray Skirt Fit

As the information is different, you should read both sections below even if mostly interested on one type of kayak.

Skirt Fit on composite kayaks: The fit of the skirt is a bit personal. More experienced paddlers want a skirt that is as water tight as possible, while newer paddlers want a skirt that comes off the boat without too much force. No skirt will keep all the water out when the cockpit is underwater when rolling or even edging.

The cockpit of the boat has a lot to do with the dryness of the skirt. Long straight sections on a keyhole cockpit leak water. This is still one of the advantages of the Ocean cockpit. If you want the driest skirt, make sure you buy the correct size skirt.

Many of our staff and clients who paddle keyhole cockpit kayaks buy a large deck, even when Snap Dragon calls for a medium deck to allow easy on/easy off. Skirts will loosen up a bit as they age making them easier to put on and take off. A medium skirt on keyhole boats like most Valley Kayaks are hard to get on and will not come off the boat unless you pull the grab loop properly.

Skirts with adjustable bungee has the bungee cord run through a nylon tube. The nylon is not as watertight as bungee against the cockpit. The type of bungee is also different in both types of skirts. The non-adjustable (Extreme) bungee is a low stretch bungee, which the Supertax is stitched directly too.

These comments are not specific to Snap Dragon, but to all neoprene decked skirts that don't have adjustable bungee cords. It is best to come in and demo a few different skirts to see what you like best for your kayak.

Skirt Fit on plastic kayaks: Because of the shape of the cockpit on plastic kayaks, skirts don't stay on as well and leak more water. If you want to have as dry of a kayak as possible make sure you get a skirt with non-adjustable bungee. The roundness of the cockpit on plastic kayaks allow for getting the skirt off easier than on a composite kayak. The Glacier or Ocean Trek are great skirts for 3 star and above kayakers in plastic kayaks. Most newer paddlers should start off with a skirt that comes off the cockpit easier. Thiey have adjustable bungee, which can be made a bit lose to get started and tightened up as your gain wet exiting experienice.