Exactly. Pungos are rec boats so why would you need real thigh braces at all? I have long legs so I appreciate the pads I can rest my knees against.
I’ve either not had knee braces to begin with or removed them in all of my kayaks. I never felt any loss of control. I’m not a sea kayaker, but I do kayak on large lakes with waves. For me, the key to control is the width of the kayak and the height of the deck over the knees. If both of those are within an inch or two of your knees, you will have good contact when needed and room to change position to relieve pressure, without always being constricted by knee braces when you don’t need them, which is really not good for your hip joints, as I learned the hard way. And of course entry and exit will be easier for many people without knee braces. The best solution of all is removable knee braces to suit everyone. Delta kayaks would fit so many more people if the braces were removable and the cockpit were 1.5" longer.
UPDATE. I had a thorough conversation about removing thigh braces with Delta’s repair guy. He told me that he has done this quite a few times at the request of customers. I haven’t gotten around to doing it yet but probably will.
I cut the thigh braces out of my Eddyline Equinox about a year ago and I have no regrets. I have sciatic nerve problems and being able to pull my leg up occasionally and rest it comfortably against the coaming took precedence over the added contact with the braces. I did paddle the boat a year before cutting them out to be sure though. I glued minicell foam on the inside of the coaming, rapping it around underneath to cover the cut and to add padding to the coaming.
This is exactly why I want to do this, to be able to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve and other sensitive parts. What thickness of foam did you use? Do you have a link for a source?
I bought a 12" x48" sheet, 3/16" thick years ago. I can’t remember where I ordered it from. I’ve used it mostly for cushioning under foot pegs. (I paddle barefoot when I can.) I got the plain because I did not trust the adhesive on the self adhesive type. I use Weldwood contact cement. Works great.
A little thicker than 3/16" would give better cushioning and still work.
I can relate to this thread even though i paddle ww boats. When i was younger the fit of a canoe or kayak wasn’t a very big deal. I could adapt better, now though it is a much greater concern. In ww paddling, controlling the tilt or lean of the boat is essential and that happens by engaging the hips, upper thighs, or knees or a combination of those parts.
I like to snug in just above the knees. My body doesnt like pressure on the hips or directly on the knees. So i have gravitated toward a boat with smaller cockpit (for a ww boat) and deeper thigh hooks for a while- wavesport diesel. I still paddle a diesel some but getting in and out of it is a chore. My friends would help me in or out. This is of concern, particularly wet exiting. Although since getting the hips replaced this has improved. Ultimately though the diesel is a bit small for me, i take waves in the chest, and come out stern heavy through drops.
When my hips were at their worst, before replacement, I tried the other extreme, a massive crossover Liquid Logic xp 10. While the boat was very easy to get in and out of i missed the performance of being connected to the boat. I pushed the xp to its limits running the new river gorge, lower gauley, and upper meadow but just like some canoes in my youth, I found myself straining a bit to heel the boat, thus putting more strain on my body.
Now i paddle a dagger vanguard, a replacement to my pyranha 12r ( wore a hole under the seat in a year and a half). These kayaks are more narrow than regular ww kayaks. Regular ww boats force you to splay your thighs and knees out and thus put more pressure on your hips. I like my legs more straight in front of me. Basically both the vanguard and 12r were designed to win the green race which is way beyond my capabilities or desire but these boats do fit my old body well. They are heavy to load compared to shorter ww boats but the length helps some on the flats when i get the boat up to speed the waterline lengthens, boat has 6" of rocker.
Im not much on changing outfitting but it helps to start with a boat that fits my worn down body. That much i have figured out. Pain free paddling is more enjoyable paddling.