# Do you insist on yellow foul weather gear?



## merlin2375 (Jul 12, 2007)

I see a lot of manufacturers making foul weather gear in colors other than yellow (red, white, black, blue, etc).

I was wondering if you guys insist on yellow (or any other color) for your foulies. 

Color for the jacket?
Color for the pants?


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

We have three sets of foulies, yellow, blue & white, and red. However, if I was to depend upon just one color being seen by a SAR chopper, or rescue boat - it would be yellow.


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## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

No...........


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## DrB (Mar 29, 2007)

*Yellow Hat/Hood Only...*

I think the most important part of the clothing (for consideration) is that the hood is bright yellow, since that is really the only part of your body that is normally above the water.

My four inflatable life jackets (two mustang hydrostatic and two west marine automatics) are either red or yellow, but the bladder part that inflates is yellow, so even if I had a yellow jacket, the yellow life vest would cover it up.

DrB


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## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

I personaly would only buy Yellow or Red. I have friend that has Green and it looks like it would be a perfect match to many bodies of water.


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## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

DrB said:


> I think the most important part of the clothing (for consideration) is that the hood is bright yellow, since that is really the only part of your body that is normally above the water.
> 
> My four inflatable life jackets (two mustang hydrostatic and two west marine automatics) are either red or yellow, but the bladder part that inflates is yellow, so even if I had a yellow jacket, the yellow life vest would cover it up.
> 
> DrB


Assuming you have the pfd on and your hood up.


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## DrB (Mar 29, 2007)

*PFD and Foulies*



> Assuming you have the pfd on and your hood up.


I am usually wearing a PFD when I sail, even if it's 90 deg out. ANY time I have foulies on, me and my crew are all wearing them. If I am wearing foulies, it's raining, so my hood is up.

A few weeks ago, I brought my boat from Newburyport, MA to Marblehead, MA around Cape Anne (Rockport/Gloucester). Water temp was 40 deg F, it was raining and about 50 deg F out. Everyone wore foulies and everyone wore an autoinflatable PFD. No one complained about my demand to wear a PFD and everyone had 10+ years of sailing experience.

DrB


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## bruceyp (Aug 4, 2006)

Speaking of foul weather gear, where can I find a set that won't set me back the price of a self tailing winch? I know, they say you get what you pay for but....
Bruceyp


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

The Admiral wears Yellow, I wear Red mainly because I wear my Gill jacket as a normal everyday jacket. Anything else that's not immediately visible is silly. I don't wear foulies as a fashion statement, I wear them because the weather sucks.


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## DrB (Mar 29, 2007)

*My wife just got a set of West Marine .....*

Reef System III Jacket and bibs for like $200 for the set. They maybe on sale this week. It's not super heavyweight, but it has all the critical features (pockets, abrasion areas, stowable yellow hood, water cuffs, etc.). She likes it because it isn't super heavy or bulk and she can move easily in it.

I would rate it as a coastal cruiser foulie package.

DrB


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I own WM Red Foulies - it seems to me that the yellow would attract too much dirt... The hood is Lime Yellow with a SOLAS reflective strip. 

Inflatable PFD is red too - I guess trhat I'm a slave to fashon... Until it inflates, then it's bright yellow.

Ed


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## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

bruceyp said:


> Speaking of foul weather gear, where can I find a set that won't set me back the price of a self tailing winch? I know, they say you get what you pay for but....
> Bruceyp


I have the WM Explorer Off-shore jacket&bibs. I find that in my area if I need foulies, it is cold enough to wear the heavier ones. When it is warm, I don't care so much about getting wet and a light general purpose Goretex jacket will work. WM has had the Explorer stuff on sale a lot lately trying to clear out last years stock.


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## SEMIJim (Jun 9, 2007)

I wanted red bibs, but yellow was all they had at the killer price I was getting, so I took yellow. I don't have a true "foul weather gear" jacket atm, instead I'm using a hooded Gore Tex jacket I already had. It's light blue. If I ever do get a true foul weather jacket, I suppose it'll be yellow.

Jim


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## Joel73 (Apr 23, 2007)

*WM Red Foulies *


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

Since we're warm weather sailors, our Gill Coastal Lite sets are what my wife and I use mostly. Designed for coastal use, and very breathable, we don't roast during those early morning foggy/rainy summer trips to the southern New England islands.

They're also reasonably priced and have a lifetime guarantee from Gill. Jackets in yellow cost $185 and the pants are navy blue for $66 from Team One Newport.


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## Driver (Mar 19, 2007)

*Now that you mention it...*

I have noticed that many of the women's foul jackets are the color of whitecaps...or the frothing sea...


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## Joel73 (Apr 23, 2007)

Driver said:


> I have noticed that many of the women's foul jackets are the color of whitecaps...or the frothing sea...


That's what my wife went for. We thought of that but decided that our ocean sailing will be minimal and we always wear our PFD's which are yellow.


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

Driver said:


> I have noticed that many of the women's foul jackets are the color of whitecaps...or the frothing sea...


Matches my wife's personality when sailing in those conditions.


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## GeorgeB (Dec 30, 2004)

Despite it being "sunny" <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com







California</ST1</st1:State>, I wear my foulies a lot while sailing here in SF Bay/Nor Cal, to the extent that I actually wear them out over time. A couple of observations: Yellow (or white) gets dirty quickly and the grime never seems to wash out. I wear blue or grey bibs as well as jackets with darker sleeves. I know, yellow sleeves would be better for hand signaling, and I probably shouldn't rely on the reflective wrist tape on the sleeves for signaling. The crews on the hot shot race boats out here tend to wear red. If you wear your foulies a lot, quality pays off. They fit better, breathe better and they wear better. Try to find bibs with a zip fly (for obvious reasons). Salt will not only stain the fabric (more noticeable on the blues and grays, not so much on the yellows) but it will also weaken the water proofing properties. You will need to rinse them out before the salt sets in (I often do it at the dock when we're putting the boat away.<O</O


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## JiffyLube (Jan 25, 2008)

T34C said:


> I have the WM Explorer Off-shore jacket&bibs. I find that in my area if I need foulies, it is cold enough to wear the heavier ones. When it is warm, I don't care so much about getting wet and a light general purpose Goretex jacket will work. WM has had the Explorer stuff on sale a lot lately trying to clear out last years stock.


I read on another forum from a man that works for one of the WM stores, that WM is slowly eliminating some of its stock in clothing, and beefing up its stock in parts. According to this person, it's part of the new CEO's plan in reinventing WM.


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## PalmettoSailor (Mar 7, 2006)

Driver said:


> I have noticed that many of the women's foul jackets are the color of whitecaps...or the frothing sea...


Yeah, my wife noticed that too and surmised that many women would rather drown than wear something that made them look like a school bus. The further assumption was the "water camoflage" would give their husbands plausable deniablity when they said they heroically searched for their spouse after she went overboard but just couldn't see them, Shame really. ;-)

At any rate, since I wanted to be able to find my wife if she left the boat, both my wife and I ended up with mix-n-match foulies because A) I insisted on a high vis color, B) We're cheap and C) my wife is petite and I'm pretty much the opposite of that.

So we both ended up with Red GUL jackets w/ blue trim at a great deal during the Annapolis boat show. The jackets have yellow hoods and SOLAS tape on the arms chest and hood. Her bibs are Helly Hansens in gray, again due to fit considerations.

I got red WM bibs because they were the only ones that made a size big enough to fit my sevelte form, yet not swallow me whole and even then they were snug. I spent some time on the tread mill over the winter and now they fit great. So in the end our foulies are somewhat color coordinated and do have high vis colors above the waterline.


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## PTsailing (Apr 17, 2008)

We went for good deal over fashion statement. The local sailing club has a leftover boat show deal on Gil coastal jackets, $99. My only choice was yellow, my husband liked the red, even though they had black and navy in the mens sizes. They also gave me a discount on the bibs with the drop seat in a dark gray, doesn't match the gray in the jacket but who cares? I would have prefered a darker jacket color to keep it looking cleaner, the yellow is going to get grimey fast, but for that price I couldn't pass it up. Fits great too, nice jacket. My pfd is lavender, once again not my choice for colors but it was the only vest with a nice soft neck collar, very comfortable to wear. I'm going to look like an easter egg when I wear the two together.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Yellow or orange are the best colors, since red is almost invisible at night. Retro-reflective patches really help...


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## craigtoo (Aug 17, 2007)

*Foulies....Fashion*

Well.. Here goes.... I bought my foulies for 3 reasons...in this order...

1) Protection (dry and warm)
2) Lookin' GOOooood
3) Safety

Probably the wrong order for many of you.... But looks are important to me. I want to be dry, warm - look good and be and safe. So I have the "High Res Hoodie"... reflector tape and all....










Now..all that being said.... I do have Red Pants! You'll see me if I'm floating A$$ up!










Well...you can see who's the foredeck guy..... Harness, life-jacket, and sexy glasses... How 'bout that hat!?! ....COLD day...

I love my HL's

craig


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Craigtoo-

Of course, if you fall in without a PFD on... except for the hood, you're going to disappear against the water. Bad idea.


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## craigtoo (Aug 17, 2007)

SD

I know....I know...

I totally remember your posts in the "Staying Warm and Dry at Sea" thread..

I do! Really!

But.. damn.. that Charcoal looks good... Please feel free to use me as a bad example. Love LOVE my foulies...!! Toasty.. Dry.... 

Ashamed in Tuscaloosa,
Craig

EDIT: Oh.. My poor brother.. .he's a dead man... wearing a black jacket! No neon hoodie.. nuttin' going on but the rent! But what can you REALLY tell an older brother? I mean.. He's at the helm ON MY BOAT??!!!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Craigtoo-

I hope you at least make sure your brother's Life Insurance is paid up when you heave him overboard.


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## craigtoo (Aug 17, 2007)

Bahahhah! 

 

Lord knows there's been times when I wanted to toss him... problem is.. He married my bestfriend from HS.. .She'd kill me...


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## Melbournian (May 8, 2008)

I get so jealous when I hear about the great deals you guys get in the US of A!!! Over here in Ozland, we pay real big bucks for anything marine and we don't get the range! 
The Captain has a Gill, blue , mine is Henri Lloyd pink with yellow hood. Blue bibs for both of us. Its hard to get my size as I am only 5'2. But we love it as we are heading towards winter now and so far its done a great job!
And yeah we got it from US when we go home for summer holidays.

Cheerio
Amy


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

That's why I said make sure his life insurance is paid up...  If it isn't, she'll definitely kill you... if it is... she might hesitate or think better of it. 


craigtoo said:


> Bahahhah!
> 
> 
> 
> Lord knows there's been times when I wanted to toss him... problem is.. He married my bestfriend from HS.. .She'd kill me...


Here's a photo showing why I like SOLAS-grade retro-reflective patches...


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## Idiens (Jan 9, 2007)

*Fashion statement*

Interesting how different sports breed different habits. Cycling loves Lycra, the brighter the better. Now why has that not caught on in sailing? Don't we work hard enough over the winches, need to reduce crews' drag from wind (and wave) resistance, attract attention to ourselves (well, in emergencies anyway). Of course, professional competitive sailing tends to determine the available advertising space on crew clothing, not quite up to Formula 1 standards, yet. Do a preference for dark blues and blacks imply a desire to hide or to conform to some unwritten code about not standing out. Or is it camouflage?

Me? - I wear red oilies, and apart from a red pullover and cap (for hard-hat diving) the're about the only red things I own. That must be a fashion statement.


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## T34C (Sep 14, 2006)

Craig- Just an observation, but if I were wearing foulies the color of the water, I might make sure that horseshoe throwable wasn't tied to the stern rail quite so well.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I haven't been too much of a buzz killer over dark colored foulies onboard. My theory is the crew person should also me wearing an inflatable PFD/harness which has all the yellow/SOLAS tape needed. The only wardrobe restriction I have is NO JEANS and NO 100% COTTON. Duck cloth allowed as long as it is waxed or waterproofed. Up here in Alaska that is one of the first things taught in the safety/survival courses. Cotton kills.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Yes, cotton is a bad idea... wicks heat away from the body and takes a long time to dry.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Yellow for safety was obsoleted by chartreuse, or dayglo green, whatever you want to call it, 20 years ago. (My big box of crayons had lemon yellow and lime green, but "lime yellow" totally confuses me, I don't know what that it supposed to be.)

For safety, hi-vis, yes. But I'm not religious about it, I'll take comfort and performance and wear what best suits the wx, since my PFD is going to be worn over it and that's hi-vis (red and orange).

If someone wants to wear colors that can't be seen...Just make sure they've paid up their craps debts before you let them on deck. "Man Overboard! Does he owe you any money? Oh, nevermind."

Yes, that is one reason sailors gamble, to give their mates incentive to keep them alive till payday.


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## craigtoo (Aug 17, 2007)

T34C said:


> Craig- Just an observation, but if I were wearing foulies the color of the water, I might make sure that horseshoe throwable wasn't tied to the stern rail quite so well.


Yeah...! Thanks..

It was blowing stink the night before and we secured it. Shoulda caught that in the pre-flight checklist.

Fair Play to Ya T34C!

 
craig


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## chandlerman (Apr 26, 2008)

@Craigtoo, 

You said you're in Tuscaloosa? I would have sworn the background from that first picture was the Calumet River in Indiana coming out from Crowley's toward Lake Michigan.


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## craigtoo (Aug 17, 2007)

Hey chandlerman.

Nah.. that pic was taken in Norfolk just before the Navy Shipyard.

I was in Tuscaloosa, now I'm in SC...and on Monday I'll be in Nova Scotia. My boat's in MD though...


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## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

craigtoo - nice jacket . . . once I scroll right a few inches to actually see it (VBG).

2560 x 1920 pixels is just _a bit_ _big _for most people's monitors.


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## chandlerman (Apr 26, 2008)

Amazing. The Calumet river looks just like that, even has the drawbridge with the salt/gravel conveyers right on the bend. I was going to include a google maps link which shows it pretty well on the satellite image, but my post count is too low.

I'm in Chicago, myself. Right now, the boats' in Racine, WI, but I'll be fixing that problem on Tuesday.


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## craigtoo (Aug 17, 2007)

TrueBlue said:


> craigtoo - nice jacket . . . once I scroll right a few inches to actually see it (VBG).
> 
> 2560 x 1920 pixels is just _a bit_ _big _for most people's monitors.


If you're on a PC hit "CTRL - "... many times...

heh...


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## XTR (Feb 28, 2007)

Mine are mismatched set. I got a HL jacket and WM bibs for the fit. Hood is yellow.


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