Author Topic: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.  (Read 16604 times)

tbsurf

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #30 on: November 29, 2016, 01:04:14 PM »
Area 10, I am interested in the Gill Compressor vest.  I have a 40" chest, wear medium long wetsuit.  From their size chart, looks like I would order L.  Do you think it will fit over a wetsuit? The description indicates there is a side zip, which is not visible in the photos.  Is it easy to get on and off?  How about the Gooru - same questions?  Thanks, TB

Badger

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #31 on: November 29, 2016, 01:56:49 PM »
I think I read somewhere back when I was doing the research that the Competition Vests have about 15 pounds buoyancy. To be USCG approved, a vest has to have 35 pounds buoyancy.

I was wrong.

CG approved vests require 15.5 pounds of buoyancy.

http://www.pfdma.org/choosing/types.aspx

The Comp Vests have a bit less. Maybe 8 or 10 pounds. I'll see if I can find it.



« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 02:19:03 PM by Badger »
Kalama E3 6'1 x 23" 105L
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Sunova Flow  8'10 X 31"  119L
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PonoBill

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #32 on: November 29, 2016, 02:06:14 PM »
Yeah, 36 pounds of buoyancy would be a hell of a lot. I determined when I was fiddling with adding float to camelbacks that 4 pounds of float in the chest area lets you swim and rest with minimal effort. Ten pounds is hard to distribute in ways that don't impede activity. A pint of water is one pound, so ignoring the weight of the material, 36 pounds of floatation would be equivalent to having about four and a half gallon containers strapped to you. 16 pounds is two gallons. That's a hell of a lot too.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Badger

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #33 on: November 29, 2016, 02:25:55 PM »

You're right Bill, I was thinking of my Mustang belt PFD which I believe has 35 pounds. I think I remember the ad saying that it had twice the CG required buoyancy.

I can't find the Gooru buoyancy anywhere. I guess we can just say that it isn't much. Just enough so that you don't have to tread water to stay afloat.




« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 02:32:39 PM by Badger »
Kalama E3 6'1 x 23" 105L
Axis HPS 980 / PNG 1300
Sunova Flow  8'10 X 31"  119L
Me - 6'0" - 165lbs - 66yo

yugi

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #34 on: November 29, 2016, 03:10:40 PM »
PFD is 75 Newtons (~15 lbs)
A competition vest (called a "buoyancy aid", without a collar) allowed for racing (like sailboats, here SUP is in that category) is 50 Newtons (~11 lbs)
« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 03:14:58 PM by yugi »

PonoBill

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #35 on: November 29, 2016, 03:27:11 PM »
Those Newtons will go great with all those gallons of milk.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Beasho

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #36 on: November 29, 2016, 03:35:07 PM »
I'm not sure what the hand wringing is all about at this point.

75 Newtons, 4 Gallons of Milk, 11 lbs of thrust. . . .

If you troll Amazon you will see the price of this vest change over time often based on color.  Last year I got one for $35 even though I didn't need a second one (and mine is almost 7 years old).  I gave it to a 'kid' for Christmas that I had been surfing with who was interested in big waves.

Here it is for $95 shipped (in the US).  The extra warmth allows for thinner, cheaper wetsuits so you will save the money over time and did I mention it doesn't wear out if worn under your wetsuit. 

You will never have an appreciation for the amount of float until you try it but 11 lbs is enough beyond neutral to get you back to the surface in anything from 2 to 12 foot faces.

I remember when I cracked my ribs, through my Gooru, and was in so much pain I couldn't crawl back on my board.  I was bobbing and giggled at the thought 'Wow this sucks but at least I'm not going to drown.'  Eventually the wind and waves deposited me back on the beach. 
« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 03:53:10 PM by Beasho »

Area 10

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #37 on: November 29, 2016, 05:29:42 PM »
Area 10, I am interested in the Gill Compressor vest.  I have a 40" chest, wear medium long wetsuit.  From their size chart, looks like I would order L.  Do you think it will fit over a wetsuit? The description indicates there is a side zip, which is not visible in the photos.  Is it easy to get on and off?  How about the Gooru - same questions?  Thanks, TB
Yes, the Compressor should fit you. I am a 42" chest (actually measured rather than clothing size) and I can wear the L size over a wetsuit, and it's quite snug. It's a similar concept to the Gooru but is a step up in that it is a fully certified 50N racing buoyancy aid. It has a fairly short zip down the left hand side which helps getting it off a lot. In fact getting it off is easier than getting it on IMO. There is an adjustable belt around the waist which stops it riding up, which is a weakness of the gooru in big surf (if you wear it over your suit). The Compressor is a classy bit of kit aimed at competitive sailors. It is a bit more bulky up top than the gooru (hence the increased bouyancy) so there is bit of an Arnold Schwarzenegger effect going on when you wear it - pretty macho - but it is otherwise discrete and looks professional. It works well in the water - you can swim easily in it and still dive down if you want to, but it gives just enough buoyancy to make staying afloat pretty easy.

The Gooru is pretty easy to get in and off as well - I don't really see why there are so many Qs about this: these things are very flexible. But I guess I'm used to getting in and out of 5mm chest-zip wetsuits so compared with those anything is easy. But an average person with average mobility shouldn't have any trouble really. The Compressor is easier to get off than the Gooru: unfasten the quick release buckle waist, unzip the side zip and you can have it all off inside about 3 seconds. There is definitely a bit more struggling with the Gooru, but once you've got the technique it's nothing to worry about.

Zooport

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #38 on: November 29, 2016, 05:30:38 PM »
The price has gone up a bit somebody here is gouging, I think.   I found one at a swim outlet for $79
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Beasho

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Tom

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #40 on: November 29, 2016, 06:51:18 PM »
FYI   I normally order large for most tops, including wet suits. I ordered the X-large gooru from Amazon because it was a lot cheaper and it fits very tightly.

Area 10

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #41 on: November 29, 2016, 07:21:12 PM »
FYI   I normally order large for most tops, including wet suits. I ordered the X-large gooru from Amazon because it was a lot cheaper and it fits very tightly.
Yes, I am also normally wear a L shirt but use the XL Gooru, and also the XL O'Neill Revenge Comp impact vest, which is a good option for those who want something easy to get on and off. The O'Neill impact vest sizes seem to run a little tight. So if you are in doubt I'd go up a size.

Badger

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #42 on: November 29, 2016, 09:39:18 PM »

I've found that Amazon prices jump around a lot. They can change one minute to the next. I've seen a good price on an item, then gone back a few minutes later and it was gone.

If you see a good price, bookmark it and the price will not change. I've kept good deals on stuff for up to a week or more like that while I think it over, but if you don't bookmark it, it might disappear.



« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 10:08:09 PM by Badger »
Kalama E3 6'1 x 23" 105L
Axis HPS 980 / PNG 1300
Sunova Flow  8'10 X 31"  119L
Me - 6'0" - 165lbs - 66yo

tautologies

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #43 on: November 29, 2016, 09:58:48 PM »


I've used a few different ones, but all with zipper. I do not find that it impedes that much at all. To say it in the words of my tow-in instructor: Air trumps everything...it was after he got caught in the washing machine at Sunset.

Naish , O'neill, Dakine, Liquid force...probably a few more. I've ended up using the naish ones and o'neil the most.

yugi

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Re: Logic check: Gooru vest just in case.
« Reply #44 on: November 30, 2016, 12:19:46 AM »
The strechyness of the gooru makes it nice and warm. The ziperlessness makes it a good padding for between boards when stacking for downwinders.

The trick to take it off is to first tuck one arm into the vest, wriggle it down and out and then in lifting your arm the vest peels up and off over your head. As illustrated in the instructions.

The L is not baggy on me but I’d use an M because it is that strechy.

 


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