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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Stretching it
Posted By: Brian Nystrom In Response To: Re: advice needed (Kent LeBoutillier)
Date: Monday, 13 November 2000, at 12:16 p.m.
: Hi Dave,
: Don't cut the gasket yet. Try streching it first. get something a little
: larger than your neck and strech the gasket over it for the night. As a
: diver I have used a tank to strech it over but you should be able to find
: something to use. Trimming should be a last resort. I thought about
: cutting the ankle gaskets on my dry pants but am glad I didn't. Thet have
: streched out from normal wear just fine.I've found that you need something that's about 3" larger in circumference (not diameter) than your neck size in order to get the gasket to stretch to a comfortable size. Plastic tubs/jugs, flower pots or in my case, an empty house paint can are some of the items likely to be of the proper size. Remember, the gasket must be somewhat snug, or it won't seal.
Also, be sure to purge the excess air out of your suit before paddling. Squat down and squeeze the suit as much as possible while holding the neck seal open. If you don't do this and you try to roll, you won't be able to get all the way around. I had this happen to me off of Rockport yesterday, despite having purged the suit onshore before embarking. It's frustrating to get so disortiented by the fact that you don't roll all the way around that you end up wet exiting from a capsize that should have been no problem.
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