Sea sock

Here is what I know of sea socks... all from a non-sock user.

• They are difficult to find... not impossible, but they take some searching
• The main purpose is to keep water out of the kayak
• Most people seem to prefer float bags in SOFs and water tight bulkheads in strippers and S&Gs.
• There is some concern about doing a reenter and roll with a sock in.
• There is some concern about getting caught in the sock, especially if there is a hole in the hull.
• In the one story I read about a sock being used during a failed roll/swim, the sock came loose from the cockpit and the kayak flooded anyway.

That is an opening gambit on the topic. I hope some users of socks now pop out of the woodwork to defend and better explain.

John from PygmyBoats likes sea socks. He stuffs a foam bulkead in the foot of the sock to keep in in and off his legs.

Thomas has a feathercraft folding boat (who manufacture and sell sea socks) and wouldn't go out without it on. Works in conjunction with additional flotation to prevent boat from swamping. On a downside, it takes me a bit of fiddling to get comfy and have had a foot get stuck when getting sucked out of the boat by surf. Socks with neopprene rims grip tighter than the all nylon kind.

SOME INFO ON USE IN HARD SHELL KAYAKS

Sea socks come as standard equipment with some folding kayaks. Some people may think that this is only because folding kayaks, by the nature of their construction, do not have [Bulkhead]s. But sea socks can also increase safety in hard shell kayaks that have bulkheads. Because kayak manufacturers like to have each of their models fit as many people as possible, they often built their boats with the bulkheads very far towards the front and back of the kayak. This can leave a large cockpit area to fill with water if the paddler has to [wet exit].

A large flooded cockpit can make a {Rescue]much more difficult, whether is it is an assisted rescue or a self-rescue. Many kayakers practise their self-rescues in conditions that are unrealistic in two important ways: The water is calm and their boat is unloaded. It makes sense to begin learning rescues in such easy conditions. But the actual conditions in which you are likely to capsize may be much more difficult. The water is likely to be rough. And your kayak may be loaded if you are touring (kayak camping).

The rough water can slosh any water in the cockpit from side to side (since unpaddled kayaks tend to quickly turn parallel to the waves). This sloshing makes the boat very unstable and likely to capsize again. It takes only an inch or two of water to have a very unbalancing effect, even in waves only a foot or two high. The sea sock can help with this, not only by reducing the amount of water in the cockpit, but also by limiting the room that the water has to slosh back and forth.

Kayaks loaded for touring will float much lower in the water after capsize and righting than the same boat unloaded will. This leaves the cockpit opening much nearer the surface of the sea and more vulnerable to constant refilling by waves as you try to pump it out. (This can be a particular problem in double sea kayaks, which tend to have very large volume cockpits.) By reducing the amount of water in the cockpit, a sea sock helps with these problems in two ways: the righted boat will float higher, and it will be faster to pump out.