I recently purchased a used (mint condition) Current Designs Extreme HV touring kayak. I’m 6’2" 215 lbs with about a 34" inseam. Everything I read prior to buying the boat indicated this particular model accommodated bigger people, such as myself, very well. I fit in the cockpit just fine, but when I adjust the foot pegs to where they need to be for my legs, the rudder cable doesn’t reach the peg assembly. I thought this would be a simple fix by simply extending the length of the cable, but when the pegs are positioned for my legs, the assembly is pushed all the way forward and is up against a bolt preventing the assembly from sliding.
Any ideas or recommendations on how to remedy this? I’m sure there’s a way to rig this and make it work, just not sure what it is yet.
Sliding rudder controls
Are you describing the sliding pedal system of rudder control rather than the locked in place gas pedal type? If that’s what your Extreme has, may I respectfully suggest that the sliding type is a POS. Sounds like replacing it with the gas pedal type will solve your problem and make your pedals actually functional for bracing, rolling, etc. Well worth the money. Look up Onno, Smart Track, et al. Just my $.02.
Sliding rudder controls
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. So you’re saying I can retrofit what I’ve got with the gas pedal-style controls? Thank you!
Yup
Although I seldom use a rudder, I retrofitted an older Necky I have with the gas pedal type & made a world of difference. Solid pegs instead of mush and much less likely to pop a rudder cable. You’ll thank yourself.
new to touring yaks
My only kayaking experience is with rec boats and my whitewater boat. Touring kayaks with rudder systems are new to me.
I would imagine that swapping out the pedals is all pretty straightforward. My problem really lies (I think) in the fact that the entire sliding pedal assembly won’t accommodate my long legs, so I’m wondering if simply adding a gas pedal type of mechanism will solve that, or if it too will be too short.
Does the gas pedal system entirely replace what’s in there now, or is it some kind of add-on?
I need to research it more.
Thanks Seaaadic : )
Sodakman, email sent over.
I have had the same issue with my 34"
inseam legs with every ruddered boat I ever tried. I have to take the foot pegs out of most . It cost Epic a sale on a V-8 because the pegs were 2" too short.
I replace the pegs with an angled minicell block.
Sliding footbraces are an abomination
You’ll appreciate the changeover
My Solution
I’m 6’-3", 210 lbs, 35" inseam and have size 12 feet. I’ve taken the rudders off and replaced the foot rest systems the two ruddered boats I’ve had and now my boats have skegs.
My size and shape doesn’t allow me to fit in most boats. I made my Zephyr 160 fit by moving the seat back 2". Moving the seat made and amazing difference with fit and I don’t notice a performance issue with the misplaced seat.
I have a Sterling Reflection, Capella 173 and a Zephyr 160. They all fit me fine.
I had the Extreme and …
… with my leg length 36" inseam and size 15 foot I had plenty of room. Mine came with the toe control pedals. Mine was not the HV but the regular, not sure if that makes a difference.
If your bulkhead is too close for some reason, then there isn’t much you can do, short of moving the bulkhead forward a bit.
Some sliding pedals tend to take extra room compared to non-sliding. You might be lucky if that’s the case (I’ve seen in on one kayak, not sure if this will be the case for yours too).
With the toe-control setup, you also do not need to adjust the cable if you change the foot-peg position - the cable is constant lenght, the pedals just slide fore and aft along it to the desired position… But if you are retrofitting, then your cable might indeed need to be changed.
If you are retrofitting, I would suggest you get the entire system - with cables, pedals, and rudder assembly for a complete do-over. Of course, Pat from ONNO offers something that would work even better due to the full size center pedals (as opposed to small foot-pegs) and is lighter.
I’m 36" inseam and fit in the V8
How come your 34" inseam is too long for the V8? Did you try it with heavy footwear?
I currently paddle the V10 Sport (same length as the V8 in the cockpit, I think) and I fit in that thing barefoot with one notch to spare and just fit with light footwear. I used to think I fit barefoot on the last notch, but lately had shortened it by 1 notch to help with more leg work and rotation.
That’s with just under 1 fist under my knees above the hump when sitting straight with both knees together. If you desire less knee height (which you would only want if you do not use your legs to paddle) it will feel short. But for the ski you are supposed to have that clearance, e.g., your knees must be bent in the center position, so that when you push with your driving leg you have room to lower your knee and rotate your bum in the seat. If you are not doing that, you are hand-paddling (which is OK if that’s what you want, but not how the ski is intended to be used).
As a reference, the V12 is too short for me by at least an inch if not more; the V10 (regular, not sport) is the same as the V10 Sport (but too narrow in the seat for me).
ONNO
Thanks for all the feedback.
I’ve been in contact with Pat, from ONNO (who actually posted in this thread) and so far he’s been a rock star. It’s looking/sounding like his product will fix my problem.
It also looks like I’m not the first person to run into this problem. It’s really perplexing to me why kayak manufactures are making large capacity boats (like my Extreme HV) but aren’t making the foot peg assemblies equally accommodating. Sort of like making a bicycle without an adjustable seat. #dumb.
Thanks again. Additional insights and recommendations are welcomed here.
I sat in the V-8 at the factory store in
my socks. Maybe I have long feet?
Hmmm, i paddled the V8 once
with my regular paddling booties and I don’t recall it being short. I had it on the last notch all the way out. The toes on my size 15 feet obviously go higher than ideal relative to the toe pedals for the rudder. But on a ski you push with the heels, not with the balls of your feet as in a typical kayak. Did you have your heels all the way at the foot board when you sat in it? And again, with heels at the footboard, you should have about one fist under your knees (the underside of your legs should not resting flush on the leg bump in the cockpit). Your legs shoud have a bit more than a right angle at the knee, but I think less thaan 130degrees…
Measure cable length
One problem I found when retrofitting fixed rudder pedals is that the cables that come with the replacement pedals can be too short for longer boats. It’s not a problem if you know about it beforehand and can plan to add the extra length at the rudder, but it can be really frustrating to have everything put together and discover that the only place to add length is at the cable ends by the footpegs (waaaaay inside the cockpit).