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**Dinghy Sailing Gear**
Published 2023-06-11; Updated 2023-07-15This article recommends categories of gear (technical clothing) for dinghy sailing. In modern sailing terminology, a "dinghy" is a small sailboat. They typically have a centerboard or daggerboard instead of a fixed keel, have a crew of 1-3 people, and are daysailed and drysailed.
Dinghies are also often high performance and used for racing, easily moving twice as fast as many keelboats due to their light weight and planing abilities. The small size, athletic nature of the sailing, and frequent interaction with the water call for different gear than for larger keelboats.
See also the comparison guide for one-design single-handed and double-handed racing dinghies.
The basic dinghy performance sailing outfit is:
- PFD, with the pockets containing:
- Marine whistle
- Small bit of strong line for on-the-water repairs
- Optional Clif bar or other flat, waterproof snack
- Optional ziplock bag with emergency medication if you or your crew are subject to unpredictable attacks (e.g., asthma, heart conditions, migraines)
- Wetsuit, or swim trunks or tights and a rashguard top
- Dinghy boots (aka hiking boots)
- Polarized sunglasses with a retaining strap
- Hat: winter skullcap, summer wide brim hat, summer baseball cap, or watersports helmet
- Sailing gloves
- Harness if sailing with a trapeze
- Optional spandex pinnie (aka racing vest)
- Plastic or metal water bottle with a retaining loop
- Neck gaiter (aka scarf)
- Optional spray top or fleece pullover
- Watch with countdown timer and optional GPS
In suitable conditions, this might scale down to wearing only a PFD, swim trunks, and sunglasses on a Sunfish for a short lake jaunt. It might also scale up to a full drysuit for frostbiting in the winter.
Technical clothing isn't required to get started with dinghy sailing and shouldn't get in the way of exploring the sport. As long as you don't mind getting wet, street clothes and a borrowed PFD are fine for a beginner.
Don't discount comfort and the impact on performance of gear, however. If you are well protected from sun, cold water, and chafe, and have good traction and gear that fits well then you will sail more and find that sailing more successful. When treading cold water in jeans and sneakers, a wetsuit and dinghy boots suddenly seem like a good investment instead of a luxury.
Any PFD that suits your weight and fits well is a good start. You will
be most comfortable if you can afford to buy a sailing-specific, Type
III, vest-style PFD.
Kayaking- and fishing-style Type III PFDs sit high on the chest and have a lot of pockets. They're designed to clear seat backs and for a more upright or hunched forward seating position. For sailing, there is no seat back and it is better to have long, thin foam panels with no pockets instead of thick ones with lots of things to catch lines on.
Inflatable (Type V) PFDs are not good for dinghies. Those are for offshore sailing in keelboats. In a dinghy, you're going to be in the water a lot and can't use a single-charge autoinflating PFD.
Type I PFDs are uncomfortable for dinghies and generally more than you
need. Those are designed to support the head in the water and to be
worn on large boats in emergency situations. In a dinghy, you are
likely to be conscious when capsized, so don't need the extra
support. You need more freedom of movement while sailing as provided
by a slimmer Type III. Small children are a special case. For them,
Type I head support is important, as are a crotch strap and a handle
on the back so that you can pull them out of the water easily.
A PFD only helps if you are wearing it. Always wear your PFD in a small boat. Ensure that it is in good condition, rated for your activity and weight, and zipped or buckled and fits snugly, so that it won't ride up when you're in the water.
![Mountain Warehouse
full wetsuit.](full.jpg width=240 attriburl="https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/ca/mens-full-wetsuit-p11458.aspx/Charcoal/")
Wetsuits are neoprene body suits designed to prevent hypothermia.
They do not prevent water ingress. Instead, they allow water in but
minimize the flow of water, so that the body can heat up the water
adjacent to the skin. You will not be warm when first immersed, but
will be safe if wearing a suitably thick wetsuit.
When racing, I prefer a wetsuit to swim trunks even in the summer. It avoids the need for sunscreen on my arms and legs and protects against minor bumps and rope burns. It adds a bit of buoyancy; in a thick wetsuit I need almost no effort to float even without a PFD, although I of course always wear a PFD in a small boat. A wetsuit makes my whole body smooth, reducing the chance of clothing catching in a block or on a fitting (as well as being a bit visually slimming!) and adds a bit of comfort when sitting on the gunnel for hours.
I don't personally sail dinghies any more when the water is below 10 degrees C (50 degrees F), but down to that temperature I still prefer a wetsuit to a drysuit. Drysuits are much more comfortable, but also bulky in a small boat, and if they tear then their thermal protection is completely compromised. A wetsuit with a tear is almost as effective as a perfect wetsuit. When I used to sail in colder water, below 10 degrees C was definitely drysuit weather.
Sailing and kayak wetsuits are reinforced in the seat and knees in ways that increases longetivity. Surfing and diving wetsuits can be worn when sailing but may wear out sooner.
To operate correctly, a wetsuit must be tight, especially at the holes for hands, feet, and head. Neoprene expands a little when wet, so a properly fitting wetsuit is almost uncomfortably tight when first tried on dry in a shop.
The neck gasket and arm gaskets are sometimes rubber and do not expand when wet, so if it feels like you are choking when you put it on, that tightness is not going to go away. However, you might find that once you get out on the water you do not notice it very much.
(Tip: I also wear my sailing wetsuit when swimming or canoeing in cold water. The Great Lakes and Pacific ocean are usually too cold for my particular comfort level in a swimsuit but feel nice in a wetsuit!)
Wetsuits are specified in millimeters of neoprene. The primary role of the wetsuit is to protect the wearer from cold water, so thicker wetsuits are better in colder water. A summer wetsuit may be as thin as 0.5 mm. A winter one may be as thick as 6 mm. Some have additional materials such as thin fleece on the inside that can increase comfort and thermal protection.
![GUL skiff suit.](farmer-john.jpg width=240 attriburl="https://www.gul.com/watersports-wetsuits/gul/code-zero-3mm-blind-stitched-longjane-bkbk/1186147") The air temperature also matters. Early in the spring, the air may be warm but the water will still be cold. You might be hot while sailing, but still need a relatively thick wetsuit for when you capsize. One solution is to choose based on the water temperature--and then go for a swim when you get too hot! Seriously, in high air temperatures, pay attention to your body heat when wearing a wetsuit if you are out of the water. Your sweat can't evaporate, so you have to intentionally get wet (and drink a lot of fluids, and avoid direct sun when possible) to stay cool. In a summer heat wave, I'll often jump in and float beside my boat between races to stay cool and out of the sun instead of just sitting there waiting for the next sequence.
General wetsuit temperature guides are not particularly useful for dinghy sailors. Unlike a diver or surfer, you are going to be out of the water most of the time. Unlike a paddler, your legs will be moving a lot more, so you're getting good circulation and also not sitting in a puddle. The thickness of wetsuit that you need will also vary with the air temperature, amount of wind, your metabolism and body fat percentage, what you're wearing on your head, hands, and feet, and what temperature range you can tolerate.
For your first wetsuit, you might start at 3 mm and then add more suits to your collection that are thicker, thinner, or have different pieces as you get more experience wearing it throughout the year.
Wetsuits pieces come in different cuts:
Full Suit : The default full body suit, great for cold weather (and swimming), and with good sun coverage.
Skiff Suit (aka Farmer John, Long John, Long Jane) : Like overalls: full leg and chest coverage, but armless and often with a deep neck cutout. Good for keeping cool on hot days because the underarms and neck are more exposed, and relatively comfortable because only the ankles are restricted by gaskets. This can be paired with a neoprene top, rashguard, or spray top. Not useful for long periods of immersion or swimming because water will flow in the top fairly quickly.
![Jobe shorty wetsuit.](shorty.jpg width=240 attriburl="https://www.surfdock.com/products/jobe-perth-shorty-3-2-mens-wetsuit") Shorty (aka Springsuit) : Short arms and legs, with uninterrupted torso coverage. These are a good alternative to a skiff suit for warm days when swimming or full immersion is expected. They don't provide knee protection when kneeling in light wind. The gaskets keep cold water from getting in.
Tights : For really warm days, thin neoprene tights keep the lower body warm when immersed and can be paired with a rashguard or other top. They tend to slip down in the back due to the constant sitting and hiking motions, so look for a pair with a strong or high waistband and tuck your top into them to avoid getting lower back sunburn.
Top : A tight neoprene shirt goes well over a skiff suit, or could be worn with swim trunks. Keeping the chest warm is probably more important than the lower body and the upper body also has more risk of sun exposure. I personally always wear mine with a Farmer John, though. I don't like my lower body being cold, and that's the part in the water when launching a dinghy!
Socks : Neoprene socks go well under dinghy boots. They help with fit, make it easier to get the boots off when wet, and keep feet much warmer. The downside is that the socks will ensure that your feet are always wet, since they prevent water from running out as well as in and remain damp. I just dry my feet very well afterwards and sometimes moisturize them to replace the skin oil lost.
Avoid using fingernails to pull on a wetsuit, as it can tear, and be careful with strong forces on the seams. Try to slide your limbs into partly rolled bits of the suit instead of stretching it.
Do not pull the zipper under tension. For a back zipper, scrunch your shoulders together and have someone else pull the zipper up if possible. For a front zipper, bring your shoulders in and hunch forward while zipping.
Most sailors wear nothing under their wetsuit. One could wear a form-fitting swimsuit or underwear, but it would likely be uncomfortable and probably print obvious lines through the suit. However, under thin wetsuit tights and a rashguard, a bikini/bikini brief style swimsuit can provide more support for those who need it.
Store wetsuits clean and dry, out of direct sunlight, and hanging. Folded wetsuits can crack or become weak at the folds.
Helmets made specifically for water sports can be worn for sailing as head protection. Unlike land helmets, these have closed-cell foam to remain watertight, are relatively thin and sleek, and may have a sun visor. These may be marketed as surf, waterskiing, or whitewater kayaking, as well as sailing helmets. Gath, Forward, Predator and Zhik are four major manufacturers.
The research and policy on sailing helmets for small boats is currently inconclusive and inconsistent. There is no question that helmets protect the head. Head injuries including concussions are a significant risk in sailing from the boom's movement during a tack or gybe, standing up under the boom, and being struck by another vessel when in the water. There's also a possibility of being struck by another boat's boom, a capsizing mast, or a falling or carried mast when rigging, but these have low chances relative to the other cases.
Although helmets prevent injuries on contact, it is also the case that a sailing helmet reduces your situational awareness and increases the clearance required under the boom. This means that you might be more likely to strike your head when wearing a helmet, although less likely to sustain injury.
They also can be warm in the summer and not warm enough in the winter, and the straps may pull uncomfortably on beards and earings.
I sailed for most of my life without a helmet. In 25 years of racing dinghies, I've fortunately never been hit by another boat and only been seriously struck by a boom twice. After the second bad injury, I changed my practice with about helmets.
For the past several years I've always worn a helmet when sailing a high performance dinghy. This includes on hot, light wind days when only training (not activly racing). No small amount of comfort is worth any increased risk of any head injury to me. This is because I'd give anything to go back in time and not have had those two head injuries and the concussions and long-term health problems they led to.
I have also lightly tapped the top or back of my head on a boom many times. This might happen when racing in an unfamiliar boat with low clearance when clearing lines, tacking, or recovering from a capsize. A case that has happened several times is tapping my head when suddenly jumping to the rail mid-gybe at a mark when hit with a badly timed gust or wave. I'm not talking about being hit in the side of the head in a gybe (concussion territory) in this case, but just standing up under it. Before wearing a helmet, those "taps" guaranteed a headache for the rest of the day and sometimes a lump for a week. Now they are just a mildly embarrassing rebuke for not keeping my head lower.
I favor PFD, hat, and helmet colors that are easily visible in the water, especially yellow and white. Red, blue, and black might be hard to see in waves or rain on an overcast day. Generally, nobody is coming to "rescue" you in a dinghy capsize as with a crew-overboard sitation on a keelboat.
In a dinghy what I am most concerned about with color is alerting other nearby boats that I'm in the water. There's a risk of being struck by a powerboat or jetski coming to "help" when they see a capsized dinghy, or by another sailboat during a race.
There are no sailing gloves that will keep your hands warm and prevent chafe while also giving you good control over lines and the ability to tie knots. You have to choose for the given conditions and goals what is more important.
The material choice is neoprene (warmer) versus leather (more chafe resistant) versus various kinds of cloth (more flexible for gripping and more comfortable). On larger boats, I also wear fleece and wool mittens in the winter, which are warm, but on a dinghy this isn't practical.
 You'll want your thumb and index finger free for feeling the lines and tiller, and for tying and untying knots when rigging or repairing on the water. The other fingers may be full fingered or also cut off. I find that the most wear on the glove when single-handing occurs on my pinkie from the mainsheet. So, I prefer a glove that has a high or full pinkie finger.
For sailing with a spinnaker, I like good palm coverage with leather. Halyard and sheets for the spinnaker will run through the hand much more than jibsheets and mainsheets and are more likely to cause rope burn.
RS 800 champion Tom Morris wears tight work gloves with the sprayed on rubber palms, and cuts the index and thumb off. He says this gives him a good compromise of protection and flexibility.
Hiking pants are wetsuits with integrated fiberglass battens in the thighs. These distribute the single point of contact with the gunnel when hiking hard. They are designed to be more comfortable and sometimes easier to hike in than a regular wetsuit. There are also detachable versions, similar to kneepads for the back of your thighs.
This sounds like a great piece of gear, but when I tried them, I found them really uncomfortable when not hiking. For example when sitting in the boat while going upwind or while rigging and launching, the batten digs into the back of your leg and knee. I also found the non-removable ones really hard to get on and off. When sliding legs in and out, the stiff batten gets caught behind the knee. Consider trying to put any pair of pants on with your legs stuck out straight and you'll see the problem.
Some dinghy sailors prefer to go barefoot. In a Sunfish or Laser on a warm day and clean sand beach this is definitely an option. Others will simply wear an old pair of leather tennis shoes. Despite seeming to be naive or poor preparations, both cases ironically might mark a serious keelboat sailor enjoying themselves in a dinghy for the afternoon; barefoot and old sneakers are practical and affordable choices when cruising.
![Zhik ankle boot.](ankle.jpg width=240 attriburl="https://www.zhik.com/low-cut-ankle-boot.html") In other situations, a technical boot with some specifically-designed sole traction and ankle protection is advisable. Some boats have cluttered decks with plenty of things to cut feet and stub toes on. When hiking all day, a wet strap can chafe feet pretty badly (especially at the beginning of the season when they aren't tough). If launching from a rocky beach or in a place where there might be lost fishing tackle or debris on the bottom, a solid sole is desirable.
![Gill dinghy boot.](boot.jpg width=240 attriburl="https://gb.gillmarine.com/aero-boot/") The common dinghy boot (aka hiking boot) is a high-angle rubber boot that provides good sole and toe protection, some thermal insulation, a bit of ankle support, and good protection for the top of the foot when hiking. Unfortunately, they tend to harden up after a year or two and have to be replaced. The problem is that they'll become very slippery with the hard sole, or crack and let too much water and sand in.
![O'Neill split toe shoe.](split-toe.jpg width=240 attriburl="https://us.oneill.com/products/4124-002-sprfrk-trpcl-st-bt") On a trapeze, hiking is not needed and more ankle and toe flexibility is. Thin, low-ankle sailing boots or common reef/windsurfing shoes are better in this case than full boots. O'Neill makes several, including the popular Superfreak with separated big toe for balance.
Quick-drain, quick-dry sailing sneakers are popular on keelboats, and some dinghy sailors will wear these as well. They are best on trapeze or in boats such as Wayfarers where full hiking isn't required, since the top of these sneakers aren't reinforced for a strap.
Offshore deck boots are not appropriate for dinghies. They're just too big. In a relatively dry dinghy (again, such as a Wayfarer), topsiders or canvas sneakers might be ok. However, keep in mind that they are still likely to get wet while launching. They may be uncomfortable to have all day in that condition, especially if worn without socks.
There are no instruments on a dinghy, so any information that you need
is going to come from something that you bring with you. A wristwatch
is very helpful for ensuring that you aren't late for dinner, and is
essential for knowing when previously-researched tides and currents or
expected weather systems will change.
A watch with a countdown timer is essential for racing. Keep it set to five minutes and tap when the start sequence begins.
A GPS watch can give you current speed over ground and a recorded track for later study and logging. This is very helpful for self coaching. On the other hand, with an simpler and inexpensive waterproof watch you don't have to worry about impact damage, or theft from a lockeroom.
Dedicated
Velocitek Speedpuck or
Raymarine Tacktick Compass
will perform this function as well, and are temporarily attached to
the boat itself. They also include a compass for training on tack
angles and notification when lifted or headed in a puff. I use these, but wish I'd bought a GPS watch
instead. The watch is easier to see when wearing sunglasses, doesn't
require a mount on each boat you get in, and can be used on land as
well.
Fitness watches that monitor heart rate and other properties can help for overall training and condition when sailing.
![49er sailors on the wire.](49er.jpg attriburl="https://49er.org/" attrib="49er Class Association")
Trapezing is one of the most fun parts of performance dinghy sailing. It feels like flying, adds another level to the technical challenge, and allows access to more conditions and higher speeds.
The sailors wear special trapeze harnesses that connect to trapeze wires run to the top of the mast. They stand out on the side of the hull, centimeters above the rushing water. This this significant leverage applied to body weight balast allows them to to handle massive forces on the sail for large area and high wind sailing.
The harness contains a spreader bar or spreader plate in the front. This connects to the wire and spreads the attachment point across the front of the waist. Straps then pull the force back onto the hips and up to the shoulders.
Correct trapezing style has the sailor nearly horizontal over the water (not standing at an angle), with their shoulders pressed back into the harness straps and all of their weight taken up by the waist at the lower back and hips.
There should not be much pressure on the groin or legs from the harness. If there's pain in the crotch while trapezing then the sailor probably is not getting close enough to the water and stretching their legs enough. This is not because of a bad harness style or fit.
When not actively on the trapeze, harnesses are unpleasant to wear. That's just part of performance sailing and we have to put up with it if we want to go fast. Harnesses are bulky, restrictive, hot, and a bit heavy when wet. The spreader bar digs into the pelvis while seated. The crotch and shoulder straps make standing and hunching uncomfortable. Nobody notices any of this when they're out on the wire gloriously flying along at 15 kts, but it is all very apparent when suddenly becalmed on a 30 degree C day and sitting on the cockpit sole.
There are a few styles of harness. The most common is the nappy (diaper) style, which has a full seat and back. It is uncomfortable when not on the wire due to all of the stiff and constricting material, but very comfortable and supportive while trapezing.
Leg strap harnesses may be more comfortable when off the wire and sitting in the boat.
Bottom-only harnesses for helms who do not expect to trapeze much may be more comfortable when hiking but not trapezing, as the shoulder straps make it hard to push one's shoulders out without using hooking up.
The standard harness has a hook on the front, which is what attaches to a loop at the end of the wire. It is easy to attach and detach with one hand on the wire and a thrusting motion of the hips to temporarily take the weight off of the hook.
The hook raises safety concerns. It is hard to reboard the boat after a capsize with the hook at the waist because you can't slide on your belly over the gunnel or transom. There is also small chance in a capsize of the hook catching on a line and pulling the sailor underwater. This tragically has resulted in fatilities by drowning, and probably many more scary moments that were not reported widely.
There are three solutions for addressing this risk of the hook catching:
Quick-release spreader bar : The bar with the hook can be released by pulling a pin. The hook and pin will then sink and the sailor can float free. This does not help with reboarding a capsized boat and may be difficult to operate in an emergency. I'd practice the motion ahead of time and with each arm.
Quick-release harness : The harness has velcro leg straps and quick-release tabs, so that it can be quickly removed underwater. I currently use these harnesses but am skeptical of their value for a quick release. There are two problems. First, the harness is worn under the PFD. It doesn't provide enough support if on top of the PFD. But while under the PFD, it cannot be released because the shoulders and chest will still be held on. Second, the shoulder buckle must still be released to remove the helmet, and that is impossible to access under a PFD and hard to operate with a single hand when not wearing a PFD. Underwater while holding my breath, I was not able to reliably remove both the harness and the PFD to swim free when I tested this.
Keyball system : This replaces the hook on the harness with a small socket and the loop on the wire with a handle ending in a ball. The movement is almost identical for hooking up and releasing as with a traditional harness--but there is no hook attached to the harness. This solves the reboarding problem as well as removing the risk of the hook catching a line during a capsize. It requires a one-time professional conversion of the harness (or buying a different harness outright) and a ten minute procedure for each boat to change the loops to balls. I've used this system for a few years and strongly prefer it to the hooks.
A spandex pinnie (aka race vest; a special tight shirt) on top of the PFD reduces the chance of the many straps, buckles, and parts of the PFD and harness catching on any lines while moving around with all of this equipment on. Some have a trapeze hook hole and pull down below the waist to avoid riding up.
It also makes you look cool as part of a team in matching uniforms. Or, at least as cool as you're going to look in a wetsuit, harness, and PFD with a thick coat of sunscreen on your nose.
Slipping while on trapeze, or the entire boat capsizing by pitch poling can throw the sailors into the rigging or hull. The crew is usually more vulnerable than the helm. At high speed this can result in injury (as well as tearing a sail if you hit one). Likewise, foiling dinghies travel at high speeds and can throw their sailors hard when capsizing.
Part of the skill of trapezing and foiling is anticipating these failures and shifting weight, dropping off the wire, or at least getting a foot on the shroud or spar to avoid a bad hit.
To help protect against unavoidable hits, consider a harness with spine protection, knee pads and relatively thick material for the groin, a full body wetsuit, and a sailing helmet. Zhik previously made full body sailing impact suits for foiling and skiff sailing, but I can't find a currently active vendor.
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