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Staying Warm and Dry at Sea

17K views 63 replies 26 participants last post by  sailingdog 
#1 ·
In my first extended offshore experience, delivering a J-120 from Charleston to Key West with Captain Dan, we hit cold and windy conditions and the forecast indicated it wouldn't get any better. This was the first true test of my foul weather gear. I was wearing coastal jacket and trousers with layers beneath, and I can tell you that I didn't stay dry or warm for long, even with the help of the dodger.

I'd like to hear your suggestions, experiences and tips on managing the elements.
 
#2 ·
I have worn an old fashioned yellow rain suit over everything else I had on. It kept me dry. Think Gloucester fisherman......
 
#17 ·
The trouble with the traditional yellow suits is that they are coated and not breathable. If you are reasonably active for a bit, working on the deck, for example, the perspiration you generate will end up soaking the inner layers of clothing, which will guarantee that you get cold.

The breathable stuff is expensive (perhaps $700 for a full suit) but worth every penny IMHO.
 
#3 · (Edited)
First, layering is important, but you have to have the right layers.

The base layer should be synthetic, and something designed to wick perspiration and water away from your body. Most of the synthetic sports underwear out now will do this.

The next layer depends on how cold it is. On a nice day it might be pants and a shirt. On a colder day, it might be long underwear with pants and shirt over them. I'll often be wearing an REI t-shirt and set of Mountain Hardwear pants for my second layer, since they're synthetic, dry really quickly, and are tough as nails. BTW, the MH pants are fairly light, and can be converted into shorts... but, they're relatively warm compared to a lot of other pants I've seen.

The third layer is the real place you get the insulation. Polarfleece and related materials are excellent for this layer. Fleece provides a fair amount of warmth, even when wet, but is relatively light weight and doesn't restrict your movement much. When it is really cold, a set of heavy polarfleece sweats work wonders.

The outer layer should be either a good bib with a foul weather jacket or a drysuit, depending on how cold it is. A dry suit is better in colder, wetter conditions IMHO, but it is harder to regulate your temperature in a dry suit.

Special considerations:

Head and neck: Wear a fleece hat... 60% of your body heat is lost through your head. In really wet conditions, wearing a microfiber towel around your neck will help prevent water from going down the back of you foulies and soaking your clothes. Remember to wring the towel dry once in a while. :) The high collar of off-shore foul weather gear is worth its weight in gold in really wet conditions.

Feet: Don't forget good socks... and boots that you can cinch the legs of your foulies around. Wet feet are no fun...and lead to blisters, and other problems.

Hands: The gloves have to be waterproof. I like 3mm Neoprene gloves. Ideally, they'll have a gauntlet type cuff that you can tighten your double cuff foul weather gear sleeves around-with one cuff inside and on outside of the glove.

BTW, insulating your torso is far more important than your legs most of the time. If you can keep your feet, hands, and body core warm, the rest of it doesn't really seem to matter all that much.

Face: A set of ski goggles does wonders when it is blowing like stink and driving rain/spray in to your face.

Foul weather gear: The good stuff is worth the extra money you pay for it. It has to be waterproof... and the breathable gear is better than non-breathable gear. A high collar, adjustable length hood, neoprene, latex or PVC inner cuffs on the wrists, with an outer cuff on the sleeves, double flaps for the front zipper, drawstring for the waist and bottom of the jacket, velcro adjustable straps on the leg cuffs are all important.

Things to avoid: Cotton... worst material you can have for clothing... it soaks up a lot of water and doesn't stay warm when wet. Wool or synthetics are much better choices for materials. Coastal foul weather gear seem to be water repellent, and in a really good storm, leave you soaked as badly as not wearing anything at all.

Shivering is always a bad sign... it means you're losing too much heat, and that your body is trying to generate more by shivering. If you're shivering and then stop and get sleepy... hypothermia is setting in... and that's really not good.

Keep well hydrated and fed. Your body needs fuel on crappy days. Avoid alcohol and caffeine since both tend to dehydrate you and cause you to loose more body heat more quickly. Alcohol is worse than caffeine, so if you need one or the other, go for the caffeine.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I agree with everything that SD said in the previous post, but would like to add a detail --

I have been using a Henri Lloyd suit for the last 6 years and it is fantastic.
The fabric was called TP2000 (it may have evolved into a newer product) and the trousers are salopettes -- this model has a top like a wet suit that goes over the shoulders. It is much more comfortable than bib-with-suspenders, which end up binding on your shoulders. If you can find this style of trousers you should go for it.

You should also count on buying your foul weather gear in a bricks-and-mortar store (not online). I went to the store looking for a different brand that got good ratings in a sailing magazine, but they didn't fit me well, whereas the HL did. It is important that they fit comfortably allowing for a heavy layer underneath.

I sat in the cockpit one whole night waiting for wind during a pouring rain and remained warm and dry, wearing my HL's.
 
#5 ·
One last point.... get your foulies a bit oversized, so that you can wear layers underneath them. :) Salopettes are better than bibs, but not as common and harder to find. In any case, you want something with a fairly high top, so splashes and spray don't get down your pants from the top.
 
#6 ·
I agree with Dog that head is important, only IIRC 40% of body heat is lost through your head, not 60%.
Since head is perhaps about 10% of surface it really does not matter if you loose temperature 4 time faster or 6 times faster - it i important to remember to protect hour head.
Dog, As I am not sure in my number - could you provide your source - I do not have the book here, but I think 40% is from a diving school and was consistent with my previous knowledge from scouts and climbing.
 
#52 · (Edited)
I haven't posted in a while... just lurking around, but I thought my First Aid background could help here. You're pretty much both right... heat loss to the head is 50%. I quote:

"Blood flow to the head comprises about 20% of the body's total cardiac output and cannot be restricted significantly by vasoconstrictive responses. This means that the heat loss from the uncovered head can account for as much as 50% of the body's total heat production at 4oC. Mother was right, if your hands are cold, put on your hat! Conversely, if your skin is hot, shade your head."

This is from "Regulation of Heat Gain and Loss" a 1994 study by Dr. Charles Stewart, MD, FACEP

The entire study can be viewed here:
http://www.storysmith.net/Articles/Thermal regulation.pdf
 
#10 · (Edited)
I've been thinking about heated clothing too, like the kind bike riders use when they ride motorcycles in very cold weather. It's low voltage so you don't have to worry about electrocuting yourself I don't think :p But I would make sure before I tried it on a boat.

I'm concerned about hypothermia too of course. Right now when I get really cold I go in the house and take a warm shower and that warms me right up, but that probably wouldn't be possible on a boat. The next best thing might be warm drinks and sitting near the heat, or some kind of an electric blanket, but I don't know how much electricity that would use.

I've heard (read ?) that there are emergency suits that some people carry in extreme environments to respond to hypothermia, I assume they are electric. I'm not talking about the survival suits for life raft deployment, I'm talking about an emergency suit you use to bring people out of hypothermia. I remember at least one boater who claimed to have one on their boat.

If it's really cold I sometimes use the little chemical packets that heat up when you open them up. They are not a long term solution, but it's amazing how good warming your hands up can feel when you are really cold, especially if you need to work on something with your hands.

Edit ..

I almost forgot one of my favorite things - a warm water bottle. Yes, straight out of the 1930's, a plain old rubber water bottle that you put warm water in and then keep it with you. Best used for camping when you are going to sleep, but might be useful in the cockpit of a boat too. :)
 
#19 ·
I've been thinking about heated clothing too, like the kind bike riders use when they ride motorcycles in very cold weather. It's low voltage so you don't have to worry about electrocuting yourself I don't think :p But I would make sure before I tried it on a boat.

:)
I use an electric vest on the bike and on the boat. It's is just like getting inside a toaster. I have had it soaked in rain water and it worked fine. It is 12 volt and you need a thermostat controller or you will be turning it on and off.
The vest it self is made with thinsulate and is warm by itself.
I wear pollypropolene long underwear next to my skin, vest, light wool sweater and my leathers.
On the boat if I get a chill I just put it on and in just a jiffy I am warm. I am not sure what salt water will do.:confused:
 
#11 ·
Some of the newer ski gloves have little vents that you can breathe into to warm the interior of the glove up. From what I've been told they work fairly well...but I don't own a set... stopped skiing years ago....
 
#12 ·
My take..

I'm a sailor, winter alpine climber, tele-skier, ice climber etc.. After spending nearly $600.00 on a Henri LLoyd jacket for an offshore trip I was sure glad I had my mountain climbing shell with me!

I had a Patagonia Gore-Tex mountaineering jacket with me that I paid $229.00 for that blew away my $600.00 Henri Lloyd.

Climbing jackets are designed to move freely. Your arms can move easily and the hood is articulated as well as the arms. They also tend to have better venting and are lighter in weight.

Wearing my Henri Lloyd was like wearing a firemans suit. Totally uncomfortable! It also did not breath worth a darn, and the fleece lined collar just collected salt spray and irritated my neck. The collar was so stiff it chaffed my ears until they bled. This was the point where I actually dug our my Patagonia. Granted it was a windy and wet trip but this is what the Lloyd stuff is supposed to be designed for. The hood on my Lloyd was designed like it was an afterthought. "Oh crap we forgot to put a hood on this jacket quick send a drawing to the guys in China before they go into production..." ????!!!

Since that experience I truly feel bad for people wearing "marine foulies". The design of the high altitude gear sold at Patagonia, The North Face, EMS, REI, Backcountry.com etc. etc. is meant to withstand winds of 80+mph snow, ice and freezing rain while remaining easy to move in and waterproof + breathable. Buy yourself a nice 3 layer Gore-tex shell from North Face, Patagonia, EMS, Mountain Hardwear, Arc'teryx, Cloudveil, Marmot or one of the other quality names and you'll be fine, most likely pay less and be far more comfortable and able to move.

The one thing you will miss on many alpine jackets is a waterproof drip cuff but honestly it's never been an issue for me. The key is fit, fit, fit! make sure you can fit your chin in the collar when the jacket is zipped all the way up and it's not strangling you. make sure you get a hood with good "cinching" and that seals well around your face. If it's real nasty weather a pair of ski goggles is a very nice supplement to your foul weather gear..
 
#13 ·
Halekai-

Your chandler must rip you off... I got my top-of-line Musto MPX jacket for about the same price as you got your Patagonia... and never had a problem with it—other than the sleeves being a bit long.
 
#14 ·
Halekai-

Your chandler must rip you off... I got my top-of-line Musto MPX jacket for about the same price as you got your Patagonia... and never had a problem with it-other than the sleeves being a bit long.
Sorry that price was for jacket and bibs my mistake. If I racall the jacket was the major portion of that $600.00 though.

By the way the Musto gear is actually better fitting and has at least some articulation when compared to the Lloyd "astronaut suit" and that's not a bad price for a Musto. I still prefer my alpine gear though for it's fit, breathability and freedom of movement..
 
#15 ·
The Henri Lloyd gear must use mannikins to do the design... can't move in it at all... That's one reason I went with the musto gear. BTW, the Musto I got is off-shore quality, which is a lot more durable and heavy duty compared to the coastal stuff. The coastal gear is crap compared to most of the winter ski gear I've used or the offshore foulies.
 
#18 ·
That was the point I was making about trying it on. Everyone's body shape is different, and any brand of clothing is not going to fit everyone equally well.
So don't try to save a few bucks by buying it online -- go to a store or stores where you can actually try it for size and flexibility of movement.
 
#16 ·
I have very little use for Gore tex. Sooner or later (usually sooner rather than later) it weeps water the wrong direction, especially in harsh conditions. Yeah, I have a fancy offshore modern gear I wear when conditions are semi-tough, but when staying dry is really important I put on my godawful-neon-pink totally impermeable oilskins, bought in Nova Scotia at a fisherman's store. Fisherman's gear kept me dry through three Transatlantic races and a dozen Bermudas etc and I wouldn't go offshore without them
 
#21 ·
timebandit said:
I use an electric vest on the bike and on the boat. It's is just like getting inside a toaster. I have had it soaked in rain water and it worked fine. It is 12 volt and you need a thermostat controller or you will be turning it on and off.
The vest it self is made with thinsulate and is warm by itself.
I wear pollypropolene long underwear next to my skin, vest, light wool sweater and my leathers.
On the boat if I get a chill I just put it on and in just a jiffy I am warm. I am not sure what salt water will do.
I've heard that about the heated clothing, that it is incredibly warm. I know on my old bike that I got caught out a few times in cold weather without the right clothing and I wished I had some of that heated stuff to wear.

As far as salt water is concerned, one vendor site I read said that water didn't hurt the clothing because it was some kind of special plastic covered wire, I don't know, probably just marketing hype, but they did mention it in reference to sailing. Probably the hardest part would be bringing a 12vdc plug out to the cockpit to plug into and not getting it tangled up in lines.



I think I am going to order some heated clothing and see if it'll work for me. Can't hurt to try, doesn't even cost that much really. Maybe I'll start with just a pair of socks or something, I can wear those while reading a book anyway. :)

Maybe I can sit and read sailnet with some warm feet. :)
 
#22 ·
I had a heated vest (from a company called Eclipse IIRC) when I was riding year round. It was great under winter motorcycle gear or a snowmobile suit. The vest was plenty to keep my whole body warm. The only downsides on a boat are unplugging and plugging when you have to leave the cockpit and the power drain.

I sailed the Skagerak in April and crossed the Atlantic in May/June wearing Gill Atlantic foulies -- they have an inner jumpsuit in addition to bibs and jacket. I've been very pleased with the system.

For the innermost layer I'm a huge fan of Damart products. I was first pointed to them by a Chicago motorcycle police officer who said all his buddies wore them riding straight through Chicago winters. I carried #3 (medium) and #5 (super warm) level stuff sailing the Skagerak and then on the crossing. I never needed the #5 but I felt better knowing I had it. Damart has a very light presence in the US these days -- the last time I ordered anything it actually shipped from the UK. It is absolutely worth the hassle. No question.

Since I got back to the US and in the much more benign winters of the Chesapeake I discovered that Zippo (the lighter people) still make old fashioned fuel-powered hand warmers. I got one at a outdoor store and I'm sold. The next time I get the chance I'm getting more. On a full load of lighter fluid (3 oz?) it runs for 24 hours with a pleasant warmth. There is no open flame; it uses some kind of glassy catalyst material. Outstanding!

I also carry a box of the chemical handwarmers for guests who underestimate how cold their hands may get.
 
#23 ·
I had a heated vest (from a company called Eclipse IIRC) when I was riding year round. It was great under winter motorcycle gear or a snowmobile suit. The vest was plenty to keep my whole body warm. The only downsides on a boat are unplugging and plugging when you have to leave the cockpit and the power drain.
I read up on the power drain because that is a concern of mine too, and it is certainly not non-existent. Using Gerbing as an example, they say that the socks use about 1.8 - 2.1 amps (at 12vdc'ish), pants 3.6 - 4 amps, and a vest liner uses 4.5 - 4.6. That's about 11 amps for the whole outfit, or 130 watts continuous. That's enough to be concerned about if all you had were solar panels, though it probably wouldn't be a concern at all with a wind generator in winter.

I ordered something earlier today to try it out and see how well they work.
 
#24 ·
I'd second what 'Dog' to say and add that in addition to leaving room in sizing the foulies, the same applies for boots. I have two pair -- cheapo West Marine rubber boots for summer sized to fit my bare feet as I don't need them often, and a pair of Dubarry sailing boots (not cheap) sized to fit my feet with two pair of socks for cold weather sailing. I use a thin poly-prop sock under a heavy wool sock. On my first trip north of the Arctic Circle, I had only the cheapo rubber boots and tried to keep warm with heavy socks. It didn't work for two reasons: solid rubber is a very poor thermal insulator and the tight fit caused by the heavy socks cut the circulation in my feet.

Goretex and other 'breathable' materials are definitely worth the money in both foulies and boots. I've found that if you wear 'wickable' material under non-breathing foulies you can end up getting 'wet' from the inside as the moisture wicked off the skin can't get through the waterproof layers of the the outer garmets.

If you want to stay warm and dry at sea, buy the best foulies and best boots you can afford. In my experience, it's hard to beat Henri Lloyd and Dubarry gear.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Synthetic or wool stocking cap and socks, layers of clothing and good fowl weather gear. Keep your head and feet warm, head because it's where most heat is lost and feet because that's where it seems to hurt the most when they are cold and wet. Get stuff big so things can breath, it's air that does the insulating. I wear my life vest under the fowl weather gear, BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST, that's best. I use wool socks and big pullover boots, use the drawstring on your hood to keep the water and breeze out. Make sure your foul weather gear is big enough to fit over your high top boots. Good waterproof gloves, again with plenty of air in them, keep your hands dry when needed, if you have to tie a knot the gloves come off, but as long as the rest of the body is warm it's OK. The old kids mitten trick with the string through the sleeves to connect them together might be good, I do add a lanyard with a loop so I can "tie" them or hook them someplace. Never went so far as to string my sleeves though. The loop, a slip knot fits around the cuff before you put them on. A woodstove in the cabin is real nice too, burning coal or wood (preferred) or even diesel. I keep a couple milk crates of kindling full from trips ashore. It doesn't take much to take the chill off a sailboat and it sure is nice to have a place to warm your hands and keep a kettle of water warm for hot chocolate.
 
#26 ·
Dry suit

I am an avid climber, skier, cyclist, etc. that likes to go out in all types of weather. Gore-Tex stuff is the best for a variety of reasons including, lifetime guarantee, waterproof and breathability. The problem with a lot of the lightweight Gore-tex stuff use in climbing or biking stuff is that it doesn't often do well with abrasion; which can be nemisis if you are sliding/rubbing against a deck surface on a boat. My Henri Llyod stuff is almost like pack cloth, so it is bombproof, but very heavy.

If you are going to be on-deck in nasty stuff all day, I recommend a good drysuit; specifically one designed for sea kayaking. The are very maneuverable, and waterproof. The newer models have very comfortable and waterproof punch through necks instead of latex seals and you'll have no water down the sleeve problems because of wrist seals. Almost all now come with integral WP socks. A layer or two underneath and you'll stay dry and comfy in water as low as 35 deg F.

The cost anywhere from 400 to $900, depending on gore-tex or not.

Check out NRS for models. I have one and use it all the time for both spring/fall and winter kayaking in the NOrtheast and the days where it gets crummy during an early spring or late fall sail.

Doc
 
#28 ·
The only problem with drysuits is that they're more harder to get in and out of and make adjusting layers much more difficult.
 
#29 ·
I've had all kinds of gore-tex shells over the years and eventually, out in the driving rain all day, they definitely get water-logged. PVC, even though it doesn't breathe and you soak yourself from within, is the only truly waterproof clothing I've encountered. It also drip dries in a moist environment whereas my gore-tex shells never seem to.

DrB- be careful kayaking around in a drysuit. I lost a good friend who drown in a rapid in Oregon during a swim because his drysuit's neck gasket let water in. His suit filled with water and pulled him down before anyone could lend a helping hand. After that incident everyone of us got rid of our drysuits. I don't think this would be an issue on a sailboat, though.
 
#30 ·
His drysuit's neck gasket either wasn't fitted properly or was damaged if that happened.
I've had all kinds of gore-tex shells over the years and eventually, out in the driving rain all day, they definitely get water-logged. PVC, even though it doesn't breathe and you soak yourself from within, is the only truly waterproof clothing I've encountered. It also drip dries in a moist environment whereas my gore-tex shells never seem to.

DrB- be careful kayaking around in a drysuit. I lost a good friend who drown in a rapid in Oregon during a swim because his drysuit's neck gasket let water in. His suit filled with water and pulled him down before anyone could lend a helping hand. After that incident everyone of us got rid of our drysuits. I don't think this would be an issue on a sailboat, though.
 
#31 ·
My experience in heavy rain while hiking and camping is that it's hard to beat a poncho. On a boat I think a poncho and high boots would be good though I don't have enough experience to say for certain. A poncho over anything would be better than anything by itself, and if you have a poncho over most clothing and jackets it still breaths because the air can circulate under it. I think poncho's are highly under rated, even by hikers.
 
#32 ·
Yes, his neck gasket was damaged, as was just about everybody's drysuit somehow or other. It showed us a scenario we never thought would happen could, and does. After that we dressed for warmth but not for water impermeability.
 
#33 ·
Salopetes: In YnGlish we call those "farmer johns".

Divers' neoprene booties, available in different thicknesses with soft or hard soles, also make great foul wx boots as long as your pants are long enough to overlap. Whatever water gets in, gets warm, and they are way lighter than conventional boots. Cheaper, too.

I used to wear a wool watch cap, but got tired of trying to duck the sun when looking aloft. One night I'm watching "MASH" and I see Radar is wearing a watch cap with a short bill on it--so I dug them up. They are called "Jeep Caps" and five years ago you had to search the surplus stores to find them, one size fits all in khaki or black. Now, they are a FASHION ITEM available in all sorts of fibers and colors. Plenty still to be found for $5-10.
 
#34 · (Edited)
my two cents

Namaste!

Been a while since I've posted (been busy with all kinds of things).

I'd like to add my two cents to the discussion.

I've "sailed" (OK, we motored as sailing wasn't an option) from Portsmouth, RI, to Annapolis, MD, in May of last year. It was very, very cold, very, very windy, and a bit wet (we were blessed not to get rained on).

Here's what I wore:

Undershirt. Can be anything, cotton, whatever. In this case it's the layer you want to add the air pocket you need.

Silk undershirt. Longsleeve. A MUST.

Silk longjohns. A MUST.

Thermal skiing tights. I have a pair from my cross-country days (not too many of them unfortunately). I skiied once when the windchill brought temps down to -20. I had no idea it was that cold (wasn't cold and didn't feel it, but the wind was definitely ripping). 'Twas up in Minnesota.

Heavy jeans. Helps keep the wind out actually.

Turtleneck. Heavy weight is better. The neck helps to retain body heat.

Fisherman's oiled wool sweater. Really heavy, stretchy, with good loft. Mine is an old Land's End sweater (maybe about 15 years old?). I can usually wear just that over a turtleneck, silk undershirt, t-shirt and be quite toasty - no jacket needed. Although on the water I DID need the jacket.

Synthetic skull/watch cap. EMS had a nice spandexy thing that really kept my head warm.

Fleece cap. Wore that over the watch cap. No problems with heat loss at all.

SLAM foul weather bib overall. Breathable PVC. Worked GREAT! A little tough to get out of with layers on, but, with practice it got easier.

SLAM jacket to match. Not great for heat retention, but did add a layer. 'sides, it matched. :D

NorthFace Summit Series Mountain Parka/Climbing Jacket. That jacket is awesome! Warm, dry, waterproof, windproof, and lightweight. Great hood too! Held up under salt water spray pretty darn well to boot.

SmartWool socks. Can't beat 'em.

Waterproof, insulated, hiking boots. Perhpas a no-no as far as deck cleaning goes, BUT, in cold/wet, you can't beat 'em! Mine didn't leave any marks and I was glad I took them! EMS top o the line brand too.

Eddie Bauer thinsulate gloves. I used these as a liner.

West Marine cold-weather sailing gloves. Windproof and waterproof, with cuffs. Light on the insulation (hence the use of the other gloves above). Once lined the combination kept my hands from freezing.

One thing to bear in mind on a boat is that you do more sitting than moving in most cases. So, you have to dress a little heavier than if you were constantly moving. By varying the layers you can accomodate much by way of temps/conditions.

Also, go with wool or silk as either will still keep you warm when wet. Cotton won't do squat for you that way (although as an undershirt coupled with the silk it works out just fine). Fleece also keeps you warm when wet. Though fleece can easily cause you to become overheated. Watch the artificials as they may not function as advertised - such has been my experience as an outdoorsman of sorts.

The best advice is to dress such that you either don't sweat or keep that to a minimum. Lots of sweat is your enemy as that will eventually chill you.

Having used both breatheable PVC and GoreTex, I can recommend both. I like my SLAM gear - it isn't the offshore rig they sell, but it worked really well on top of the proper layers. I appreciated greatly my NorthFace jacket. I've bought NorthFace most of my adult life and don't intend to switch (despite their seemingly really high prices) as the garments hold up really well under the harsh treatments I give 'em.

In cold winds, wrap something around your neck such as a scarf - you'll appreciate that!

Well, that's enough - my 3 year old's behind needs to be changed (he refuses to train up at this point).

Peace, Love, and Light,

/s/ Jon C. Munson II

P.S. I don't know if these are made any more, but there used to be a two-layer "longjohn" system of cotton on the underside and wool on the outer. I used that when installing security alarms and that stuff kept me quite toasty! So I'd recommend that as well.
 
#35 ·
staying warm and dry at sea

in my experiance sailing the west coast ,I find that the hood on your foul weather jacket is very important. If it does not fit tight around your face then it is not vey good. If the neck part of the jacket go all the way up to your knose then it won't keep your face warm and dry. If the hood acts like a air scoop and blow air and water on your face, especialy your check then it is no good. I have West Marine offshore and it works great.
As to the low voltage suit: when you are soaked in salt water 12v will shock you. I was working on a tweve volt running light taking green water over me and I was getting shocked by the tweve volts on my hands from the bare wires. If you could stay dry I think it would be ok. It is better than getting hypthermia.
Don
 
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