It has now been pointed out to me by my Viper that it wants a new skirt . Those at the NB armada witnessed the first "episode" of skirt-poppings , and last night on the Sacandaga it happened again...much to the detriment of my shoulder I'm afraid .
So, for those out there with skirts that will fit a Dagger Atom, what IS your favorite? I need one what will hold up to abuse, and either a thin rand or bungee (no thick ones a la Harmony LC1 as the rim on the Viper is too small ).
Hey Adam, I'm using the Hydroponics by Jag Mfg. that I got with my Viper. It's a bungee type. It popped for the 1st time today while rolling. I think I had it a little high on my torso. After a short swim to the bank I lowered my skirt & had no more problems. This skirt is dry if you keep the boat flat. If you do a bunch of squirts it lets a little water in.
I know that neoprene is not completely water proof. Is there something that can be done to make it more water resistant?
Will a skirt from an Atom/Cascade fit the Viper? If so, you want a Mountain Surf. I'm pretty sure the rand is too think to fit under the Viper rim though. It's worth a call to Mountain Surf to see what they can do. They will do custom stuff, but may need a sketch of the cockpit & measurements for where you want the barrell.
I have a very old Mountain Surf for my Cascade. I have a new custom Mountain Surf with Kevlar for my Big EZ. I originally bought a Bomber Gear for the Big EZ, I'm much happier with the Mountain Surf.
There are at least two Vipers out there that John Frachella had that were modified so he could use his Cascade / Atom skirt on his Viper-the cockpits are a bit bigger . I have one, and I believe Brettal has the other. I REALLY like the bigger opening, but my skirt that I use on the atom isn't quite wide enough (the bungee is fine, the neoprene itself isn't wide enough...at least with my legs .
I'll definitely check into Mountain Surf-I usually go with Snap Dragon, but I've heard really good things about them, too.
A larger opening would be nice. It took a little effort to get out yesterday & that was in flatwater. I think I'm going to loose the shoes .
I've also heard good things about SnapDragon. I like the MS grab-loop. They put a piece of tubing around the webbing which maintains a loop. That makes it easier to find for me, but that may just be mental.
I am having a ball in the Viper. I can flatwater stern-squirt it now . I can't seem to make the transition from the stern station to the bow station. There seems to be too much bouancy in the bow. I guess I just need to drink more beer to overcome the bouancy