Reed's own in house developed,made in the UK material, Aquatherm, has some fantastic properties for sea kayaking clothing and equipment. As well as being PFC free (see Forever Chemicals in Sea Kayaking) it's waterproof, lightweight and stretchy attributes make it particularly well suited for making spraydecks and cockpit covers. These are some of the small British manufacturing companies best selling products. Reed Aquatherm offers something different to traditional neoprene and is well worth considering if you are looking for a spraydeck or cockpit cover for your sea kayak.
Aquatherm is less than a millimetre thick and yet remains waterproof when fully flexed. We found it to be about 75% lighter and thinner than an equivalent neoprene deck and the combination of it's 360 degree stretch and the many different deck shapes and sizes, as well as custom fitting, offered by Reed make it easier than neoprene to fit onto a cockpit rim. This can be a real benifit if you find it physically hard to fit a standard neoprean deck.
The combination of twin shockcords and the stretch in the material give it a strong and positive fit to fiberglass cockpit rims, making it suitable for use in rough water. Plastic cockpit rims don't provide quite as positive a fit though and if you are planning on paddling plastic in heavy seas, such as surf and tide races, we would recommend using a neoprene spraydeck, which Reed also provide.
Around your waist, with either a custom fitted or adjustable draw cord waist tube, the matarial offers less bulk and weight and more freedom of movement than neoprene. For paddling without a cag, the Vest Deck makes for a relatively dry, lightweight and warm setup. A great option for those that like to paddle their sea kayak's against the clock, or just generally value freedom of movement.
The decks also come with options like 'Map Loops' and 'Bale Holes'. The former being to attach a map case to the deck and the latter being to help pump a flooded cockpit out using a hand pump, while preventing waves from refilling the cockpit. With a fiberglass cockpit rim we find the side of the spraydeck can be lifted off enough to fit a pump while still mostly covering the cockpit so you don't necessarily need this feature, but it's in intresting option that no other manufacturers offer.
While being tough enough for the everyday wear and tear of sea kayaking, Reed recommend not using these decks for practicing rescues as the material is liable to be damaged when another boat is dragged across the cockpit coaming. We found that if we don't drag the boat over the cockpit coaming and lift it instead then its fine, but if the boat you are rescuing is too heavy for you to lift properly this is an issue to consider.
As well as many 'off the peg' options Reed specialise in custom fitting the deck to both you and your boat. If they don't have an outline of your cockpits shape you can send a tracing in to them as well as your waist measurement.
The Reed Aquatherm Spraydeck with Adjustable Waist are available from:
By Philip Clegg
With over two decades of working in the sea kayaking industry, Phil can be found on a daily basis coaching on the sea around Anglesey. That's when he's not researching and writing on all things sea kayaking.