Recently bought an older dagger rpm which I love except the thigh braces hit me at the knee causing pain when I roll. I know the best thing to do would be not flip but as that isn’t an option what else can I do. Any suggestions for cutting and reattaching in a better position? Has anyone done this? Definitely don’t want to compromise the integrity of the boat.
How tall are you? The thigh braces should be hitting a bit above the knee, as named, and you should be into them as you start the roll so you are not whacking anything.
Could you be a tinier person than that boat is intended for? Which is an average sized guy.
As to flipping or not, the RPM is a whitewater boat. Is that where you are using it hence a proclivity to capsize?
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You might possibly be able to move the seat pan forward a little. On some of the old Dagger whitewater kayaks the holes in the top of the seat pan sidewalls were slotted allowing for a slight degree of fore and aft movement.
But even if they are, adjusting the position of the seat pan can be a real PITA. You have to loosen and re-tighten the nuts holding the pan in place working through the small holes in the side walls which usually requires becoming quite creative with tools that you might not have. And if you ever completely loosen one of those nuts and have it drop off you will have a dickens of a time getting in back on.
Moving the seat pan forward will affect the trim of the boat some, but the RPM has so much more volume in the bow than in the stern it might not be a bad thing. It can also make it a trifle harder to exit the cockpit since the cockpit openings on those older boats were considerably smaller than today’s whitewater kayaks.
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Thanks. Did that yesterday and gained about an inch. Yes it is a pain so I hope it doesn’t negatively affect the trim because I don’t want to have to move it back, lol.
One possibility would be to add a foam pad under the thigh brace for comfort. Walmart closed cell camping pads and contact cement. If it doesn’t work you are out $20.
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