Can I cut the seat hangers out of my CD Solstice GTS to make room for wider hips and pads? I’m not certain they are a structural member and I’d like the extra wiggling room.
It is the best paddling boat in the world, just as it is a long way from comfortable. Can you tell I’m in a Love/Hate relationship with it? 
What do you think?
Even if they are structural members,
you can probably cut them out and replace them with side foam bulheads.
Also, I cut windows in the sides of seats to accomodate my wide-set hip joints. Might that be enough for you, or is it also a soft tissue problem?
yes soft tissue for me
I think foam could be just as snug and a lot more comfy.
seat
Seat on the glass CD’s is hung from the deck, so if you cut them out you’ll have to figure out a different seat.
Bill H.
OK, he could get a foam seat from
Onno or redfishkayak.com. They will provide good deck support.
I once considered cutting a tight seat down the middle, spreading it a bit, and glassing the gap.
Then I thought better of it.
Wide seat
– Last Updated: Jul-23-10 3:20 PM EST –
I have a Pachena, which has the CD wide-base seat - it is very comfortable and gives wiggle room. You might contact CD and see if you can get one. I believe the same wide seat pan is used in the Solstice big-boy boats (yep, the Titan is listed as having a wide base seat). Also, I think the seat back is the same for both, so you could keep your existing seat back (if you like it).
Wait a minute, is your current seat comfortable? Just the hangers hurt? If so, then my advice doesn't really help, as you'd have to move the hangers to accommodate the wide base seat.
Do it
I cut the hung seat out of my Valley boat because the seat hangers were too narrow for my hip joints.
After I anguished over it for a week, I finally just did it and it was a quick job. Put in a foam seat (like the ones that Chesapeake Light Craft sells), and it was 100% better.
cutting seat
Btw, no reason this can’t be done, just you can’t use the seat after the hangers are cut away, there will be no support for it.
I’ve done this too, cut the seat out of a friends NDK to install a foam seat from a Seaward.
I forget which ones, but some of the hung seats now days sit on a glued in foam block, so once the hangers are cut that block needs cut away to get the seat out. Sticking something like a stick under the existing seat will tell you if there is a foam block under there.
Bill H.
Did it and it is wonderful
I cut that torture seat out and put in a foam one months ago. Cutting out the hangers helped a lot too. Thanks for the advice.
By the way NDK now sells foam seats that are cloth covered so that are more durable than other similar foam seats out there.