Back rest for Victory Blast

I need a backrest for my old Victory Blast. Got any ideas on what to replace it with?

Two possible options. First, there are
backpad kits offered for whitewater, rec, or touring kayaks. These include a pad and adjustable strap connections. Based on the pictures I found of your Blast, I think you could drill mounting holes through the boat’s deck, a little outside of the cockpit rim and rim well. The kits may include substantial screws, nuts, and washers. I have mounted a backpad that way. One additional consideration is that these pads are usually held at the proper height by a third connection to a rear wall, the rear deck, or something in the back of the cockpit. That might mean you would want to drill and install a third screw. You would buy a machine screw similar to the others, a lock nut and washers, all stainless, and possibly also a fastener to which you can attach the third backpad strap with a stainless clip. That way if you have to stuff gear into the back, you can unclip the pad so it drops out of the way. It might be good to use thin bungee cord for the 3rd connection of the backpad. That means you won’t have to fiddle to get the right tension.



This kind of kayak backpad, if set up right, is every bit as comfortable and supportive as the factory backrest.



The other option I see is to get a mess of Minicell foam, probably in 3" thickness, and cut and carve some kind of backrest. I would be inclined to make a supportive pyramid, attached to the bottom of the boat with some kind of glue. But this isn’t cheap, and it involves some improvising.



Another option is to get a bunch of 1" Minicell foam and glue three layers together, using contact cement, in a curved form like the original backrest. Then you can carve it similarly to the original backrest and poke or glue some solid things in the bottom edge so that it attaches to the seat assembly somewhat like the original. This will involve less Minicell expense, and will avoid the issue of glueing to the bottom of the boat. HOWEVER this minicell seat back may not be stiff enough unless you add some support from behind. One approach would be to get some 3/8" to 1/2" Nylon or polyester strap and mount a support strap behind the minicell seat back. You will need stainless screws, lockwashers, and sealing washers. You can buy some Seamgrip to treat the ends of the strap so that they can be punched to accept the screws. Or you can buy, from places like REI, plastic adjustable strap hardware for the strap. Note that Nylon straps relax some when wet, polyester less so.



My feeling, after typing all this and thinking about it, is that you should shop for a good backpad kit. Maybe others will have suggestions.

Immersion Research
their Lounge Band is pretty awesome



http://www.immersionresearch.com/products/accessories/

Thanks, sapien. I haven’t shopped for
a backband for a dozen years, and I didn’t want to suggest what I hadn’t at least handled in a store.

Thanks for the suggestions
I’m going to try the backrest idea. I’ve looked at some different manufacturers, but to no avail. This kayak is my backup that everybody else uses and I have to keep it ready. Thanks again!