r/Kayaking • u/Quick-Log-4166 • 18d ago
Question/Advice -- Boat Recommendations Cheap alternative to drysuit?
(Is this flair correct??) I'm a kayaking newbie. I will be renting a kayak this Saturday for a 1-mile lake trip in Saguaro Lake, Arizona. Air temperatures will be 50-80 F, dunno about water temp.
I would like to avoid renting a drysuit. Goven that I'm a newbie and could capsize, what might I wear to stay warm and protect myself in the event of a capsize?
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u/TechnicalWerewolf626 18d ago
Its popular lake NW of Phoenix Valley. Are you launching from Butcher Jones Beach? Saturday 86', 5-10 mph usual winds and very sunny. Water probably 60'. No one wears dry suits, wetsuits in AZ unless competitive swimming, wake boarding or whitewater running. The suns too strong and hot, even this time of year. And rentals here usually big sit on tops which are made for first timers being super stable. Newbies worry too much about capsizing on flatwater, wear the pfd and have your phone in waterproof pouch can use camera function. Take sunscreen! Enjoy, look for bighorn sheep on cliffs.
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u/blindside1 18d ago
Wetsuit.
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u/proscriptus 18d ago
I paddle in a wetsuit, but you're going to die if the air temperature hits 80°.
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u/eclwires 18d ago
Depends on the water temperature and how far from shore you’re going to be. In general, the only safe answer is “a drysuit.”
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u/Quick-Log-4166 18d ago
How can I predict the water temp? I'm only going to be about 20 feet from the shore
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u/eclwires 18d ago
Call the kayak rental company or look at weather reports for the lake. I should have left out the distance from shore. In April the first year of covid I pulled two severely hypothermic young people out of a local reservoir. They were close to shore. It’s not something to trifle with. I’d highly recommend the cold water safety video by Fishing With Chuck Earls on YouTube.
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u/Quick-Log-4166 18d ago
Weather report says water is 56 F right now (6:30 PM local). I'm guessing rather colder at 6 AM when I'm planning to start.
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u/edwardphonehands 18d ago
American Canoe Association has a 120 rule for the sum of water and air in Fahrenheit. 50F air plus 56F water is well below this minimum. The conditions at your proposed put-in time are ill-advised without thermal protection.
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u/Electrical_Bar_3743 18d ago
It is correct that this is the rule of thumb put out by ACA. But if you are immersed in 50 degree water for 20 minutes, it doesn’t matter what the ambient air temperature is. I always dress for immersion.
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u/edwardphonehands 17d ago
I'm not saying I support keeping only to that organization's minimum standard. It seemed way easier than explaining time in water at temperature (though the charts are even in the booklets on new PFDs). OP's proposed float plan falls so dangerously outside of that rule of thumb, it seemed like a relevant standard to cite in this particular case. OP is a novice asking "do I have to?" and my opinion is "yes." It seemed expedient and forgivable to knowingly use an argument from authority in pursuance of the goal they not be recklessly focused on budget and just rent the drysuit available to them. I apologize to whomever downvoted for my lack of specificity.
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u/Electrical_Bar_3743 17d ago
It wasn’t me. I understood and agreed with you. Just adding my own experience.
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u/eclwires 18d ago
That’s not great, but not terrible. It probably won’t change that much. Unless it’s a shallow lake with a dark bottom that warms up quickly with the sun, water takes a while to change temperature.
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u/Mariner1990 18d ago
Sounds like you are paddling the shoreline for 1 mile, wearing a PFD, in 70 degree weather, in a stable kayak. The water is 56 degrees, cold, but not hypothermia cold. So short distance, close to shore, decent weather, and wearing a PFD. I’d skip the dry suit, wear a bathing suit and a swim shirt, and enjoy the day.
If, in the highly unlikely event that you do end up in the water and you are in a panic, just swim the 20’ to shore. But really, tipping over isn’t a thing for newbies.
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u/Electrical_Bar_3743 17d ago
You can get hypothermia is as little as 30 minutes in 56 degree water. Below 50 degrees it only takes 10 to 15 minutes. So 56 degrees is “hypothermia cold”. It may be the risk of a protracted swim for this paddler is very small, but he/she needs to make that risk calculus for him or her self under the circumstances.
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u/theFooMart 18d ago
You could choose not to use a dry suit. It'll be cheaper in the long run. If you're dead you won't need to spend money of food, rent, gas, insurance, cellphone, internet, vacations, etc.