Hi, I bought a used 17" Necky Tesla about 9 days ago. I’ve been out I think 7 times for 1 1/2 - 3 hours a piece and I’m finding it hard to sit that long. My only other experience is with an otter 9’6" rec kayak that I kinda lounged back in, and frequently shifted positions.
This one I’m sure needs some customization, but the way your legs are spread and bent makes my feet go tingly from lack of circulation after a while. Is this normal? They also want to just slide down because I’ve been going barefoot and the bottom is kinda wet and slick. I’m going to put in some footpads.
Is this stuff all stuff you get used to or do I need to change my cockpit. Thanks.
I have problems …
with my 17" kayak too!
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2488887580041263145ThcSAh
Andy
watch it
I find it very offensive to make fun of me because I have a disease sir. Very offensive indeed. Gnomiosis is not a laughing matter and if you’ve had to live with what I have you wouldn’t make jokes.
No offense meant…
There is difference between 17" (inches) and 17’ (feet).
Seriously, put a pad on the seat to move the bottom of your thighs away from the lip of the seat. I was having a similar problem and that helped a lot.
And please, educate me…what is Gnomiosis?
Andy
Yes, but
you can paddle ANYWHERE!
Do you paddle mostly …
underground rivers?
I wonder
Gnomiosis, huh?
Do you have to take off your pointy red hat when you paddle?
if you had a bar across the pegs
i made a foot bar about 3" x 18 " and attached it to the foot pegs with cord that tied through the holes in the pegs meant for rudder cables. i am able to keep my feet closer to the center of the boat and my feet can be more vertical. with this arrangement i can vary my foot position from wide and splayed to vertical and closer together (and knees more bent). another suggestion is to use a lot of body rotation and foot pumping so that your lower body is active and engaged.
Serious response
There are a complicated set of reasons for feet/legs going to sleep. In my own case I had a problem with varicose veins in one leg, which has now been corrected. I still have problems with pressure on my heels and I have solved that by installing pads on the floor of the boat. I removed the stock seat pad from my boat and that added to my comfort. But very definitely your situation may be different than anyone here. Experiment and give everything a fair time. For example, the position of having the knees pointing out with the feet more toward the center is strange to some people but is easily adjusted to with time. Other things depend on your physiology.
google Gnomiosis
google never heard of it—is it the conditon of being Gnomlike? As to your legs going numb—most peoples legs tend to go numb after paddling2–3 hours in a kayak—best way to stop it is to get out of the kayak—second best way is to take your feet off the pegs, stretch and wiggle your legs.
My Experience
I have to have thigh support to be comfortable. For my heels I put a somewhat compressed foam block under the ankles / calves. I can move the block around for comfort. Gnome more discomfort.
2nd the thigh support
I had the same problem which I fixed by raising the front part of the seat up so that it fully supported the bottom of my thighs. The Tempest 170 I have has straps that allow you to raise the front of the seat up.
Initially the front of the seat was touching the bottom of the kayak but now the seat front is suspended in air via the straps, giving lots of support when seated.
I would have thought that pressure on the bottom of the thigh would have caused numbness but it’s quite the opposite.
-Rich
hi
gnomiosis is a condition whereby one is a gnome, therefore needing a 17" kayak.
Sit up, pump legs, rotate.
– Last Updated: Jul-03-08 1:32 AM EST –
Add minimalist/spartan outfitting to that and things get better quick. By this I mean nothing that impedes the mechanics of paddling.
Circulation is the key factor, and you'll notice the better tips are really offering ways to ensure it's not compromised or restricted. Cushions may help, but in general are patches at best - and can lead to bigger problems.
Lily dipping, cushy outfitting, and worst of all leaning back can be killers. Body ain't made to just sit there in restricted space. MOVE! Decent technique and simple outfitting can let you step out of the kayak after 3-4 hours with more flexibility and blood flow than when you got in.
Takeaway: Less is more.
If your kayak has skeg or nothing (not rudder) you might try adding foam as foot brace surface (full surface) instead of foot pegs. That takes care of a lot, the rest being simple to work out.
used
I bought used because it’s way, way cheaper and I can get a better boat, and especially the accesories for less.
The owner said he was selling to get a sailboat.
I have the same kayak
and if yours came with it’s original seat I undestand your problem.
My legs used to go num just the same as yours.
Could not padle fot too long.
After some reading and research I came to the conclusion that the seat of the kayak could be the culprit.
I removed the seat and fabricated one form minicell.
Never looked back.
The original seat in the Tesla is a bit too short and puts pressure on your legs.
The seat I made out of minicell is much longer and supports the legs over a wider area.
Also the original seat has the front “lip” too high for my rather large legs and was not giving me enough clearance under the coaming.
Honestly, a closed cell foam seat (unless totally wrongly shaped) will always be the most confortable seat out there. Some might argue that is not the most “efficient” and that it might hinder body rotation but i did not find that.
In saying that I do have other kayaks with a rigid glass seat and they are not too bad but never as good as minicell.
Gnarlydog
seat
what does the original seat on the tesla look like?
thought it was a
condition in which the person who “suffers” from same ends up sitting in very small kayak on a very big lawn.
Canoe