Surfriding Any precaution to ride icy water??

[nightrider05]

I ride in 35 deg Water / 25 deg Air with a wetsuit. It's about having a good quality suit.
(I also wear neoprene socks, shoes, a tour coat, and helmet.

Thats all fun and games as long as everything goes as planned. Obviously things don't always go as plan...Just saying its a bit dumb to push your luck in regards to your own personal safety. Good riders have died in alot better of conditions than near freezing water. Just because you have done it, doesn't mean I will change my mind on thinking riding in near freezing water(without proper gear) is safe. Wetsuits keep you warm as long as you are moving and generating body heat...god forbid him and his buddy break down and end up in the water for any real length of time without help. That wetsuit would quickly become nearly ineffective at keeping him warm.

 

[baxt3r]

Life insurance all paid up?

 

[Matt_E]

Wetsuits keep you warm as long as you are moving and generating body heat...

That really isn't any different from a drysuit.
A drysuit is not some magical device protecting you from cold water. I've used both over the years, routinely. It isn't some novel, crazy, unsafe idea to wear a good wetsuit in cold water.
I have floated in both drysuits and wetsuits in sub 40 degree water for up to 15 minutes. I prefer the wetsuit personally.
I'll also mention that we never ride alone in those temps and never further from shore than we can swim back in 5 minutes max.

 

[nightrider05]

That really isn't any different from a drysuit.
A drysuit is not some magical device protecting you from cold water. I've used both over the years, routinely. It isn't some novel, crazy, unsafe idea to wear a good wetsuit in cold water.
I have floated in both drysuits and wetsuits in sub 40 degree water for up to 15 minutes. I prefer the wetsuit personally.
I'll also mention that we never ride alone in those temps and never further from shore than we can swim back in 5 minutes max.

Its all just my opinion.

While I do think the dude has balls(which will soon be the size of BB's), I just think its smart to ride with proper gear.

Same with motorcycles....yea, you can ride with a cheap helmet and in shorts, wifebeater and flip flops....but first time you go down you sure are going to wish you had the right gear. You will usually see me riding with all of my gear. I like to put all the odds in my favor when possible.

 

[OCD Solutions]

I'm with Matt on this one. I have a dry suit and a decent wetsuit and was on the water the day the ice came off for 7 years straight. I always wore my dry suit for that first ride as an added precaution. I got stranded one year for over half an hour and firmly believe that the dry suit saved my life that day. However, I have also worn my decent wetsuit within a week of that first ride and been just as comfortable, I did ride much closer to shore and took less risk but I was much warmer than I thought I would be.

Always have an escape plan and a way to get warm right away. I have ridden plenty of cold water just so I could say I did and I never had any issues.

 

[Tommygunz]

We have been riding up here in Wisconsin all winter and we have found that a 4 to 5 mil wetsuit is best, along with a hood,helmet,good thick wetsuit booties or shoes with neoprene socks, decent gloves and hot hands and hotfeet. We have been riding big surf in low to mid 30's temps and spending plenty of time in the water after backflips and barrel rolls with minimal cold. But always always always ride with someone!!!

 

[motozachl]

When riding at the end of 2011 I was actually wearing TWO wet suits with lots of under armor underneath them as well. Sure it took near an hour to fully gear up but all the extra layers sort of kept the water out.

 

[JetManiac]

You should see all of the wimps here that won't ride in florida winter!!

It is all about properly gearing for your conditions but the colder it gets, you need to be on your game. Be careful.

 

[Guigs]

I will give you some feedback tomorrow( and I'll have some pics too), for now I'm going to work on the jet and make sure everything is allright for tomorrow!! and don't worry, I'll ride safely. I'm not gonna risk my life!!

 

[BIGRED Z]

Im planning on going out this week end as well. Our air temp up here should hit in the 50's but the water is still around 33 to 35 deg. My ski is running dual cooling. what is the best way to restrict both lines. Or am I just better off popping the ride plate off and pulling and plugging one of them?

As far as gear I was pretty warm at the end of last season with about the same temps with a 5 mm semi dry, 6 mm boots , gloves w/ hand warmers and a helmet

 

[js/sj]

Im planning on going out this week end as well. Our air temp up here should hit in the 50's but the water is still around 33 to 35 deg. My ski is running dual cooling. what is the best way to restrict both lines. Or am I just better off popping the ride plate off and pulling and plugging one of them?

As far as gear I was pretty warm at the end of last season with about the same temps with a 5 mm semi dry, 6 mm boots , gloves w/ hand warmers and a helmet

Its 60 degrees here in Grand rapids right now

 

[FearMyWrX]

Im planning on going out this week end as well. Our air temp up here should hit in the 50's but the water is still around 33 to 35 deg. My ski is running dual cooling. what is the best way to restrict both lines. Or am I just better off popping the ride plate off and pulling and plugging one of them?

As far as gear I was pretty warm at the end of last season with about the same temps with a 5 mm semi dry, 6 mm boots , gloves w/ hand warmers and a helmet

Check out Matt_E's post three in reference to post one.

"Restrict water outlets to 2mm MAX"

 

[powerhouseperformance]

Like Tpain said we have rode every week this winter in Wisconsin...even below 32 degrees till throttles and steering froze up. The most important thing is good gear. If you have a really good cold water surf suit and boots, gloves, and hood its even enjoyable. I have an xcel 4/3 drylock and I can comfortably float next to ice chunks lol. Dont worry about restricting cooling. There's absolutely no reason to do that. I have dual cooling on everyone of my skis and friends skis and we have never had a problem. Even on my race bouy skis that get held open all the time no reduction in cooling. If anyone starts telling you about cold seizing from too cold of water, ask them if its ever happened to someone they personally know---very doubtful

 

[WILKEY]

Y'all are crazy........ My toe wouldnt never touch the water at the temps y'all talk about.......

 

[Guigs]

Seems like I'm not riding tomorrow... looks I will have to change my starter solenoid

 

[Matt_E]

Y'all are crazy........ My toe wouldnt never touch the water at the temps y'all talk about.......

That's because you're a pansy.

 

[Matt_E]

Seems like I'm not riding tomorrow... looks I will have to change my starter solenoid

That's a 30 minute job, tops.

 

[baxt3r]

I'm a pansy, too. 65 and up for me.

 

[djkorn1]

I used to ride in 30 something degree water too....(only on flat days)....I've fallen in and it is HARD TO BREATHE....make sure your suit is tight and the water can't pour down the front of it! (it sucks) If the water gets on your direct skin, it feels like shards of glass digging into it...just wrong!

Hand warmers and footwarmers are a must! (If you fall in, your suit is already wet and very warm... they will heat you right back up!)
#1 safety rule: Stay close to shore!
#2 safety rule: Stay close to your riding buddy, so he can drag you to shore if need be.

I now only ride if the air and water temp add up to 90 on flat days and 100 on wave days.

A+W=90 :loser:

 

[E_T_03]

Its not only a selonoid job, he didnt that the electric box wasnt seal right so when we open it alot of water came out from last season so everything was rusted and everything have green sh*t on it, he's going to send everything to jetskisolution to get that new jss electric box, at the same time he s goong to buy a 62t flywheel and stator to install his epic on his jet, we are going to ride in a month or so but it s for a good thing, better do it now than in the summer.