I have struggling with my hips- pre and post replacements. Think of going the crazy creek chair route. Heck I might even use it now for couch surfing? Any and all input welcome.
Along the same idea are the drop over seats by Cloud10
The cockpit geometry is going to be the limiting factor. The more rec style opening the better.
I know of a boater that uses one in a Placid Boat Works canoe and a paddler that uses one to make his SUP a SOT.
I carry one in cold weather as an insulated seat for lunch time and if I’ve got a chilled person on shore whom I’m trying to warm. On Watertribe races I’ve used it as my sleeping pad.
Give it a shot. They’re mighty comfy. I have a couple in the store for lounging but that does put one at dog nose level so be forewarned if you have a puppy.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The Connection, Inc.
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Hyde Park, NY
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I use a similar seat folded under my seat to raise the happy bottom seat elevation.
Tried the Crazy creek in and out of a canoe years ago. Didn’t do a thing for me, other than adding some cushion. The Cloud 10 seat Marshall mentions anchors the back support on something more solid than the seat cushion itself (gun’l mount?) apparently some as some other back support straps. Since I became a kneeler, I quit looking into back support systems.
I use one in my Wilderness, primarily to cushion my back from the malplaced thwart. They’re fine for limited use, no real support for the back. Well made, just not a very functional design.
I don’t know if you can still get them shipped to the USA (and they are pricey) but I used to have one of the molded foam “made in New Zealand” Bumfortable foam seats which really cradle your pelvis. Had gotten it for a boyfriend who was always complaining about kayak seat discomfort (mostly because he had weak abs and stiff hamstrings) so I did not need it myself and therefor sold it after we broke up.
https://www.gurneygears.com/bumfortable-kayak-seat
The seats that Pakboat makes for its folding kayaks are very comfortable and infinitely adjustable. You can buy just the seats from them – the lower seat is inflatable suspended in a frame with an adjustable backband.
I’ve sometimes just tucked a 3 foot length of the thicker round pool noodles around the inside of my cockpit around my lower back and sides to add some lumbar support and hip stabilization on longer paddles.
hey, thanks willow leaf for the suggestions, I really like the idea of adding some pool noodles for “hip stabilization”
tdaniel: you can get really fat pool noodles, almost twice the diameter of the regular ones, and then slice them in half lengthwise with a frozen food or bread-cutting knife (i find those big fine-toothed knives better than regular saws for cutting dense hard foam.) In some cases the split foam wide noodle makes a better wraparound inside the cockpit – depends on the size of the opening and your own body curves.
I’ve collected various profiles of pool noodles – they make quite a variety of them and they are always super cheap at the end of Summer here in the cold winters zone. I find lots of uses for them – stick short pieces in my Kokatat knee-high boots to help air circulation to dry them out. Stuffed several lengths in front of the footpegs in one of my boats when a friend’s kid was too short to reach them even in the highest position --gave him something to brace against. String rope through 3’ lengths of them to make cushioned cradles for hanging my boats in the basement rafters.
Someday I may try to make a kayak out of strung together pool noodles, just for the heck of it (won’t expect much from it).
I used twelve pool noodles in a small rec kayak to add flotation. I connected 2 lengths of 5 in long sections that wrapped all the way from the seat to the bow and back. then added one more to each side. Worked well!