Conference vicki::boats

    
    Mike,
         I'm no help for your questions but am looking for a dry suit
    myself. Seems like a great price. Where did you buy yours?
                                           Thanks,
                                                     Bill

    Mike...
    
    That's certainly a *great* price for a drysuit.  I've heard of the BARE
    line of water sportswear but didn't know they made drysuits.  It's my
    understanding that the zippers are "supposed" to be water tight, so
    these flaps you're talking about should exist to cover the zipper so
    that it won't snag on anything (like the water, your skin, or another
    part of the suit).  They also help prevent zipper "blow-out" when you
    fall.  I would think that you'd want to fold these flaps so that water
    could drain while you're standing (e.g. as you described with the
    bottom flap over the zipper then the top flap over the bottom flap). 
    Then just use the nylon tie down like a belt to keep everything from
    opening up in the wind.
    
    Rest assured that a drysuit is not "guaranteed" to keep you dry,
    especially when you start doing crazy things like barefooting.  When I
    was at Barefoot International, the early morning crazies would come
    back soaking wet even though they all wore drysuits.  The reason: when
    you do a deepwater backward barefoot start, water rushes into the suit
    no matter how tight you tie the cinch straps.  I guess you'd have to
    wrap yourself in a trash bag to be completely dry.  :-)
    
    ...Roger...

    re .1
    
    I got the suit at the Nashua Ski Mart near Daniel Webster HW
    (exit 1 off rt.3).  I was in there looking at ski boots and on the
    way out the door saw the dry suit hanging with a bunch of wet suits.
    There was no tags or price on it.  and it was the only one that 
    they had left on the rack.  I asked the manager(who had just
    spent about an hour with me on ski boots) the price.  He looked
    at it and said, "I don't know, it been here a while how about
    $100."  I said "Where is your dressing room."  It was a medium,
    slightly big for me but I think it will work.  I plan on testing
    it tonight or tomorrow.
    
    Re .2  
    
    Roger,
    
    The zipper did not look real water proof, but I never saw one before.
    A roll here and a tuck there and it should be OK.
    
    I do not think I will be doing any backward deep water barefoot
    starts soon,  but when I do I will keep it in mind that I may get
    a little wet doing it.  :-)
    Speaking of backward deep water barefoot starts, a guy (Paul Tee)
    that sometimes skis with the club I'm in was downing the backward
    deep water barefoot starts.  Pretty impressive.
    
    Mike
    
    
    
    

    Yeah Mike, the back deepwater start is pretty nice.  Just hold your
    nose for a while!  Great way for the driver to get back at you for
    anything you may have done.  He just takes you up extra slow and you
    end up breathing the lake!  It's tough to say "Faster!" when you're
    under water!  :-)
    
    The fact that the suit is slightly large is good.  You may want to wear
    another wetsuit underneath.  My Barefoot International catalog lists a
    "Thermotec Undergarment" made especially for use under a drysuit.  It's
    kind of a long underwear thingy that looks pretty warm for those cold
    days.  Cost is $59.95...not cheap.  I'd probably go with a full wetsuit
    under the drysuit.
    
    ...Roger...