Immersion Research Kling-On Spray Skirt Review

I was fortunate enough to get my fingers on an Immersion Research Kling On Spray Skirt this spring. Prior to buying this skirt, I had used a few other skirts with my Jackson Villain and found issues with them imploding in big or deep holes, having the rands break or just being leaky. As dry as Jackson boats are, if you don’t get a great seal on your cockpit rim, you’re not going to stay dry inside.

After a few years of solely trusting randed skirts to my cockpit, I was a bit skeptical of going back to a bungee design. However, after putting my Klingon through the paces over the last year or so, I have been nothing but impressed by its ability to keep my dry and stay on my boat where it belongs.

The key to the dryness lies in the neoprene edge that wraps a burly and tight fitting bungee cord. The bulk of the neoprene under your cockpit rim fills the gaps that let the water in your boat. I’ve seen other designs like this that have worked fairly well in the past, but I remember them being a pain to get on the boat. The secret of the IR design is that the bungee is wrapped in the neoprene lip, which keeps the flap from getting in the way when you’re getting the skirt on.

What really impresses me about this skirt is it's sturdiness under conditions in which I would have expected to have my skirt to pop. I believe that the key lies in a tight bungee fit with a loose deck. The folks at Immersion Research must have figured that out also because it stays on and leaves me out of excuses after a swim! I’ve felt my skirt on my legs more than once now as the skirt stretches to respond to the increased pressure of the water, that’s all design folks.

The YEAHS!

The EHHHS…