Seattle Sports Paddling Half Skirt

This is the third skirt that I have tried for my kayak seeing as the other two did not fit. I tried and tried to get this to stay in place on my Equinox (from Costco) kayak and just could not get it to fit. Frustrated at not being able to find one and having no luck talking to the Equinox folks (from India I think) I decided to improvise with this one rather than return it. The only thing I needed to do was use some velcro to keep it in place where it would not fit the outside of the kayak, which what near the opening. I used velcro and attached with some rubber cement as the velcro itself would not stick to the skirt or kayak on its own. Have used it twice now on a choppy lake and am quite satisfied with what it is intended to do. As far as some other people saying they had puddles in their crotches from using this because of the modifications I made and the width of my kayak I did not have that problem. I wish there was an industry standard that says when it is and extra large, it would fit the largest of its intended product. Bottom line though is this is a good product. Like the pockets on top to keep small things in, like my pot and pipe.

First off... I bought mine a little to big for my kayak. I got the XL when i probably should have went with the medium or large... but it still works well. I'm going to buy 2 mediums for me and my girlfriends kayaks (Waterquest Aruba's 10')The netted pocket is great for keeping a water proof camera or phone visible and readily available. The larger pocket underneath covers the full with of the skirt, very nice amount of space!Keeps any extra water from your paddles out, also helps shed off water from waves if you're kayaking in choppy water. Help keep sun off your legs and some of the cockpit area. If it covers most or all of your cockpit it may create a lot of heat inside your kayak on warmer and sunnier days. I would say this is great if you're kayaking in very cool or cold weather, but in the spring/summer I would recommend using a smaller one that won't trap all that heat in.

I bought this half skirt for my Necky Looksha 14. From the looks of it, mine is the same boat in the product photo. The cockpit size for my boat is 35.5 inches L, 16.5 inches W.It's true, when you open this thing up and lay it on top of your cockpit, it looks huge. Way too wide to fit. And with a 16.5" width, my cockpit is more narrow than most recreational kayaks, and some transitional tourers.The skirt uses a heavy duty bungee cord that wraps all the way around the coaming. It specifies in the instructions that you will need to re-tie the knot in the cord at the aft end. This is how you get it to fit your kayak snugly.I initially put mine on with a loose fit, and then pulled the bungee cord tight toward the stern. I tied it off there and removed the skirt. Then, remembering where I tied it, I untied the knot and moved it forward a couple of inches (effectively making the bungee cord even smaller). This ensures a really tight fit around the coaming, and the bungee cord has more than enough stretch to maintain an easy installation and removal.Once you have done this for your kayak, you shouldn't have any fitment issues. Of course, being a one-size-fits-all item, it's not a 100% absolutely perfect fit. It has a little extra fabric around the edges, which might not appeal to some, but it's hardly noticeable once tightened down properly. Mine definitely has some of that extra "flab", considering the relatively narrow cockpit width, but it looks just like the product photo when installed. And to me, the product photo doesn't look too bad.One last note: Don't expect the pockets in this half skirt to be in any way watertight. Make sure anything you put in the pockets are sealed, because as soon as you hit the rough water, some of it will invariably end up in the pocket.Overall, I really like this half skirt. The materials are good, it seems well made, and the fit is at least as good as I expected from a one-size-fits-all style. It's a good price, too. If Necky made one that was specifically tailored to the exact dimensions of my boat, then I'd probably go that way. But they don't, and I think this is a very good alternative.

This half skirt is a little large for my cockpit, but it still works. I have it on a Chesapeake 14 wood kayak. It sags because it is too big, but it keeps the sun off of me and makes the cockpit cooler than without. It's tricky for self rescue, the cord does not attach to a person like a traditional spray skirt. So you end up with a the cord wrapped around your waist.-Keep in mind I was testing it in a capsize situation. It gets a little heavy when wet and can easily wrap around you uncomfortably when you are in the water & try to get onto your deck. And when you try sitting down with it still on post-capsize, it will be tangled and wrapped around your body making it difficult to sit in your cockpit. It's easy enough to take off while your in the water and throw onto your deck. It would be easier to make sure you stay in your boat. The grab loop works fine, it has extra loops by the waist area, but I have no idea what these are for, definitely not for attaching to your pfd or your boat. The 2 pockets are an added bonus, but they are not water tight. I think this half skirt is great, but I would not choose it for choppy waters or cold weather.

Its a good skirt and is well made. I ordered the skirt without measuring my kayak, but the cockpit of my kayak is big so I figured it would fit. Turns out that this skirt is still too small, and not wide enough. I'm partially putting the blame on my kayak manufacturer, because the curve where the rope is supposed to rest around the cockpit is very shallow and was constantly falling off. I remedied this with buying a snap fastener kit. Its a snap and grommit style rivet kit. I drilled some small holes where I measured the skirt to fit snug and fastened the male snap with some small machine head bolts. It fits nice and snug and holds well. So -2 stars for advertising "fits 51 inches and up cockpits".