Does a 42 inch waist fit 16.5'' cockpit?

-- Last Updated: Feb-05-14 4:04 PM EST --

HI I am a 250 lbs man with a 40-42 inch waist. I am wondering if I can fit into a 16.5'' inch touring cockpit with a 14'' deck height. I put a reserve payment down on a current designs storm gt. The boat shop is 3 1/2 hours away from where i live and i haven't had the chance to sit in the boat.( i know not the best plan, but the price was right)...

http://www.cdkayak.com/products/template/product_detail.php?IID=140

3.5 hours drive?

– Last Updated: Feb-06-14 10:08 AM EST –

Holy smokes! From central NY there's a number of locations to get a kayak without killing a tank of gas, my place probably included. Factor in your time/travel into that great price and make sure it still makes sense.

I see Rochester and Binghamton on the dealer locator.


Looking at this pics of the Storm it's a different boat from when I paddled it when it originally came out. The seat looks to be wider in the pan than the cockpit opening is wide. It's a likely fit. The only thing I remember being a problem was that the older vintage Storms were quite low in the thighbraces. Maybe someone with more current experience can chime in if that is the model.



See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
hudsonriverpaddler.org

I could bring along a P&H Scorpio & Venture Islay to the CIA Pool this Sunday if you want to try 'em on for fit in less than frozen conditions.

waist size/3.1416
Although there may be more to it than that.

It depends
It depends on whether your waist is wide or deep. Women tend to balloon wide, and a woman with that size waist might not fit. But men tend to ballon north to south, ie, their bellies stick out. So if your 43 waist is mostly in front of and behind you, I bet you can fit.



Please, a thousand pardons for any sterotypes embodied in that first paragraph. It’s just booze talking, there’s no science behind any of what I wrote.



But, it depends…



~~Chip

First of all.
Never buy a boat–sight unseen. This is especially true of poly boats. Whether new, or used a polyethylene boat should be examined very closely by someone with a keen eye. You must be certain that the keel is straight and that the deck has not slumped.



Turn the boat upside down and sight down the keel line and if it doesn’t look straight from end to end–walk away. You might very well fit into the cockpit, but unless you just intend to paddle in circles…



By the way, another boat you might want to consider would be the Sirocco.

My measurements

– Last Updated: Feb-06-14 10:59 AM EST –

My waist is 36" but my hips are 41" before outerwear and they go through 14.5" wide cockpits just fine even with full winter gear on.

Inside, the distance between my hip pads on the sides of the seat are around 15" and this suits me fine with gentle contact.

Hip width for a given circumference is usually wider than the waist width fir the same circumference. You should fit in the opening, if it is 16+ inches wide. Whether it will be a comfortable fit is hard for me to tell - hopefully someone your size will comment...

What I worry about is not so much the cockpit width but the seat width. I have not tried a boat where I could not fit through the cockpit opening (except some ocean cockpits where I don't fit because my legs are too long and my knees won't bend backwards!). But I've had plenty of seats that were too narrow. Seats can be changed, but it's a hassle and hard to make it work as well as a seat that just fits you.

I laughed…
…at the simplicity of this solution.

:slight_smile:
(“I did the math, but dang - why don’t I fit?”)

Leg height also matters, for deck height
14" is pretty tall, but if you have long legs it might be tight, aside from the cockpit lateral dimensions.

Tempest in a Teapot
I’m 6’ 240lbs with size 13 feet. I had a Storm for a short time and found it to be roomy.