Wetsuit woes

Hi All

Not seeking a particular advise, just want to see if anyone has the same issue.
Whenever I wear a wetsuit while paddling my V7 it has a pretty bad effect of pulling me out of posture. My back slides back to the rear deck. I have to exert tension on the upper part of my quad muscles just to keep upright. Ruins all the fun and makes me stuff so boat handling goes to heck.
Hamstrings not tight, but I am a short and somewhat stocky build. Happens with both suits I own, a 2 mm shorty and a full 3/4 suit. Both are well fitting and well broken in.
Just for that I resolve to stay away from neoorene. Either synthetic gym clothes with wind protection or a drysuit. I can stay upright and relax quads completely this way.

Surfing wetsuits are designed for surfing, not paddling. Unlikely you will be comfortable. Lot of people do it though. Saw a guy at US champs once with wetsuit on. He looked miserable as I passed him under Golden Gate Bridge. Not sure if he even finished.

Yeah. They are fine for sea kayaks, but a ski bucket is a totally different ball game.
That's fine, drysuit does a good job.

I have zero issues with my 3/2 or 4/3mm wetsuit. I prefer them to a dry suit any day until it’s around freezing out. I use an O’Neal psycho 1 with tecnobutter 2 neoprene. It’s way softer and stretcher than older neoprene or cheep neoprene.
I never notice it’s even on with the 3/2 on and I interferes in no way with paddling or sitting. This year they came out with tecnobutter 3 and it has pre stretched fabric on the neoprene, word is a 4/3 now feels like a 3/2. It sounds to me like your are using an old or cheep suit. I fry in a dry suit in all but truly cold conditions even with very little on under it.. and at that point it isn’t functional as immersion protection so what’s the point.

My 3/4 is O'Neil Epic. Not the most expensive perhaps but certainly not old.
I think it's an individual build thing more than anything. I am 5'6" but my gear size for PFDs and suits is L that tells you that I am probably not an average build (and, no, no bear gut )

I get cold easily so a drysuit works fine for me except a couple of summer months. Lake Ontario is a cold water lake like all Great Lakes so immersion clothing is required year round. Smaller lakes are usually warm enough in the summer to require nothing.

I paddle in a 4/3 when its cooler or conditions are big enough that I want an extra safety margin, and I dont have any problems with it pulling on me. I think its an O'niel mutant from a few years ago. The only problem I have with it is that it can irritate my left armpit after a while.

Do they make a similar sized suit with extra length in the torso? or maybe a different brand has a slightly different cut?

Best of luck

I posted similar concerns in the past here. Look for the thread "Wetsuits cut for paddling" or something of the like. Mocke just came out with a new wetsuit that is cut specifically for surfski paddling you can find on their website. My only concern was that theirs seemed a bit thin at 2 mm (IIRC), where as I use a 4/3 for Lake Michigan, or at least 3.0 pants and separate paddling top at 3.0.

Thank you.
Yes 2mm is extremely lightweight. It would only cover me during the hot summer months when the lake temp is maybe 17-18 C. At that temp a drysuit with just a thin base layer would work similarly. If the air temps are high, then periodic swims will be needed, but that's the case with wetsuits as well. Good as a remount practice too.

I tried paddling in my Level 6 drysuit in my Epic....didn't like it. It is fine when I am in my sea kayak, but I just didn't like the feel of it with the surfski. Going wetsuit seems better, with a splash top if its cooler and windy.

DrA5 wrote: I tried paddling in my Level 6 drysuit in my Epic....didn't like it. It is fine when I am in my sea kayak, but I just didn't like the feel of it with the surfski. Going wetsuit seems better, with a splash top if its cooler and windy.

My Stohlquist Amp works well for me. It's a very comfortable, less bulky suit. This is how I started paddling my ski. Sure I hear rustling of the fabric, but it doesn't restrict anything.

I paddling in a 3/2 O'Neil during really cold winter days. I don't really have any issue accept in the beginning when the suit is dry.

Couple of things I do:
1) right before I get in the water, I bend forward, pull the front of the suit down and the back up (yanking it up my butt). I find this gets it to fit better to the sitting position.
2) When the suit is dry, it doesn't always fit quite right. There have been times I mix warm water and a little sunscreen or lotion in a water bottle. Shake it up and squirt it on your torso before you pull the suit on. Reduces friction just enough.

Otherwise, try and NRS suit. They are cut specifically for paddling.

I wear a wetsuit all winter with no problems outside of looking like a surfer that's lost his ocean.
Have you tried applying an oil to the outside of your suit? Something like a suntan oil that won't harm you or the lake. Just thinking it might help.

I wore a Patagonia 2mm long john all winter and spring and I really like it. It provides good warmth to the core but not having sleeves doesn't restrict upper body movement at all.

Oscar Chalupusky posted a picture yesterday on his Instagram account of a surfski specific dry suit prototype he has been testing that he stated should be available in a few weeks, first of its kind. Just by looking at it, it looked to have a hybrid of neoprene and whatever dry suits are made of for the legs, with a bit more flexible top. He claims its comfortable for summer paddling, versus most dry suits that cook you.