I have been reading on the forums here for a while, thanks for all of the great information. It helped me pick out a kayak. I ended up with a used old town dirigo 140. My 16 year son has a 10ft lifetime set on top fishing kayak. It is a cheaper one from academy sports he bought on sale a few years ago. It doesn’t get used a lot since him or my wife never want to go by their self. I suggested we buy a used one that I can use, and if it is just them, she can use. I am 6’3 and about 275. I figured I needed a big kayak. I also have had a couple back surgeries so was worried if I could handle setting in a kayak. For instance setting on the floor is hard for me. I have never kayaked before but always wanted to. I found the old town kayak on fb marketplace. I got it for $300, which fit the price range I was hoping to be in. I took it out on the water for the first time yesterday. It took my a little bit to get balanced in it, I kept rocking side to side. We were out for about an hour, but had a great time. I do need to do something about the seat. My back did bother me some. Mostly i think I need I higher back. I found myself feeling like I needed to hunch forward which caused my back to knot up some. When I would lean forward and hold my leg for support, it took the strain off my back and helped. I looked online, but didn’t really see anything that looked like it would work and had any higher back then mine has. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Also I tend to always customize everything I get to make it mine. Not sure what good accessories or mods I should do. I will probably add some handles to make it easier to carry. But anything that makes it quicker and easier to load on the roof of my Yukon would be a plus. I put the j hooks on yesterday so we could haul both kayaks. Anything else I should look for? Thanks
Glad you got out, hopefully wearing a PFD.
Umm no i wasn’t, i did have one with me though, and i was in a shallow lake that I am pretty sure I can stand up in. I do plan on wearing it in the future though. 
One more question, the kayak has foot rests, and I am not sure how they adjust. One is good the other needs adjusting. Right now the kayak is loaded on the roof, and I plan on using it later. I just not sure how these adjust, so I don’t know what tools to bring with me. I don’t know if they are all pretty much the same or not. Thanks
Adjusting the footrest should not need a tool. Look inside, perhaps with a flashlight, and you will see how it adjusts.
Rocking side to side is common when you are first starting out. As you gain comfort that will probably go away. Some kayaks like to sit slightly on their side, so you may want to see if letting it sir slightly on its side helps. As you relax, the side ways rocking will probably go away.
Footrests often have a little lever to unlock the foot rests and allow you to slide them to adjust.
You may be able to adjust the seat back to lean further forward? You could try slipping a bot of foam behind your back and see if that helps. With some conditioning by paddling, you may find this goes away. Stretching may help, depending upon your back issues.
Thanks for the help. Foot rest were super easy like you said. The was a button and then it slides on a track. The back actually might be too straight. It is pretty much straight up and down. Most of my seats I have leaning back. I think what was happening is since it is short, and too straight I was leaning forward instead of leaning more against it. When I leaned back into it, I think my upper back was too far over it. However it may be a problem still as short as the back rest is. I have a feeling I am going to have to make something to fit me. Maybe I can mod a stadium bleacher seat or something.
Back issues are not uncommon when starting out, especially if you are not a young whippersnapper. Some seat time will usually help your body to adjust to the seated position. Some people find putting something under your legs just forward of your seat to elevate your legs a bit helps take pressure of of your sciatic nerve, which can cause some people problems. Padding the seat, but not raising yourself too much if the seat is not padded enough already can help too. There are some add-on seat pads. Raising yourself too much can reduce stability.
Thanks, I think a seat cushion will probably help my butt a little, but it didn’t seem to bad. Mostly I think I need the seat back to be another 12 inches or so taller. I might try clamping a board or something to the back now just to get the height right.
Your first kayak was yesterday. A start of a pleasant addiction I hope.
I know! I bought kayaks #35 and #36 yesterday. Selling them to anyone I can get hooked on the activity. One of those 2 was spoken for 2 hours I got it home. Sea kayaking in Wyoming seems like a long shot but almost 2 Dz kayakers are doing it here now.
@rstevens15 's suggestion is a good one. A rolled-up towel or a cut section of a wide pool noodle, combined with a thin gel bun pad can be a game-changer.
And if it doesn’t work out, it sounds like @szihn is prepared to sell you another boat… or two!
Only 1 now. the other is spoken for.
I sell them for what I buy them for + gas to go get them. But I am finding a few folks that are getting bit by the kayak-bug and really seem to enjoy them.
(sometimes I feel like a drug pusher)
I’m in central Idaho now and it seems like there are more kayaks on trucks & cars than I remember in years past. Mostly rec boats and some whitewater. Quite a few drift boats as well.
People do drown in shallow water, often because they have a health crisis like fainting or a heart attack. Carrying one with you and not wearing it is like thinking you are safe in a car with seat belts you don’t wear.
As to your experience with the new boat, the “rocking” is normal, and if you practice sitting in it in shallow water near shore and gradually rocking back and forth while holding your paddle in front of you and wiggling your butt back and forth while trying to keep your upper body level with the horizon, you will get a better feel for how stable it is. In fact, leaning a bit in your boat helps to turn it, like when you ride a bike. The Dirigo is wide enough that it won’t capsize easily unless you make an abrupt movement. Also practice using your paddle extended out beside you to brace it, which is handy if you have a wave or boat wake coming at you from the side.
As to seat comfort, a higher back on the seat is not necessarily going to help you. Many of us find a LOWER back band that firmly supports the lumbar area more comfortable. That also allows your torso to rotate as you paddle instead of being locked in facing forward. Using the side to side swiveling movement of your body to move the paddle through the water on each stroke, instead of windmilling your arms to paddle, is less stress on your body and shoulders. It also helps keep your back from tensing up by slightly stretching your lower back and hips with each stroke. Good paddling technique isn’t intuitive, unfortunately.
Back to your seat, try buying a cheap thin foam yoga mat and cutting it in half. Roll that up loosely so that flattened out the roll is about 7” wide. Tgen stuff it into the cockpit against the seat so it curves around your lower back against your lumbar area, like those lumbar pillows you can get for a car seat or desk chair ( those would get waterlogged in a kayak). This keeps you from slumping and makes sitting up straight more comfortable.
You can also cut the other half of the mat in half and fold that over in thirds to slide under your thighs just behind your knees. Slightly raising them will also reduce stress on your back especially if you have tight hamstrings.
In a rec-kayak your center of gravity is based around the seat being only a small amount above the floor/hull. Retrofitting anything like a stadium seat back IMO will lift you enough you will feel even tipsier. Being a larger guy you likely already have a higher CG. I know because that is where I’m at also with a bit of the back issues as well. Sitting basically on a flat surface and paddling requires your body to assume a 90 degree angle and for comfort as well as back support you want to lean back some and the support doesn’t feel high enough. A long day on the water is like doing a crunch for hours at a time. The idea of placing a 5” pool noodle under your knees is ok but it tips you back a few degrees so now you are sitting at an angle less than 90 degrees and the urge to get back support when you are bigger goes up.
I was in a similar situation as she being smaller and better flexibility really wanted a rec-kayak and I never quite felt comfortable in one after a few hours. Of course the solution for me was to get into better shape as that would benefit most of the people I know.
Like you I like to mod equipment and I ran across a 14’7” tandem canoe and I noticed the seating was higher in a canoe. I stripped it out and converted it to a center seat solo where I did just what you are thinking using a folding stadium seat modified. I found I could paddle it with a longer than normal kayak paddle. The stability is amazing. I can keep up with all our rec-kayak friends. I also have several hundred pounds of extra carrying capacity and with a fully open cockpit I haul all the coolers and stuff for the family. Best part is I can paddle in a comfortable pain free position for river floats as long as 6-8 hours in a day.
They make some canoes they call pack canoes that are kind of like an open top kayak and most are very light and your seat is almost on the bottom with a seatback. They are also very expensive. Then there are solo canoes with a higher bench seat designed for just one paddler. What I made from a short Tandem was kind of a clone of both of these. I don’t think I would want to start with any hull longer than I have now and the length isn’t any problem going anyplace my friends and family go in 10-12’ rec-kayaks. I do sit about 6” higher than they do and that knee bend along with the seat back make all the difference.
Just an idea if you decide with 3 people you need 3 boats.
thanks so much for all of the help! So much great advice. I did come up with a rough draft on a seat back mod. I took apart an old bag chair and am looking to strap it to the back that is there. it is light weight and should add a little support. if nothing else it will allow me to lean back and rest when not paddling. I will probably need to add some anchor points and straps to keep it from leaning too far back. I also am going to put a thin cushion on the seat to set on.
As far as the wobble and getting used to it, I am sure it won’t be a problem. when I first got in i was wobbling quite a bit. but now hardly any at all, and when i do it is easy to balance out. I can see it would be easy to get addicted to getting different kayaks. I might be about to purchase 2 more. someone local has 2 with a custom trailer and they want $350 for everything. while i would still put them on the roof of the suv on trips, for the lake about 2 miles from my house the trailer would make it hard to beat. that would also give my wife and other son a kayak. so we would all have one. 
“Pushing” success.
I sold the 2nd one today.
The “Wyoming Navy” is growing.
I could also you a recommendation for a decent paddling PFD and a decent but not to expensive paddle.
I am sure a LOT of recommendations are available, but “not to expensive” means different things to different people.
Can you put a high end dollar amount for both that is your ceiling?