The older kayaks have backbands that look like nothing more than jerry-rigged luggage straps. Do I have to spend $50 to get one for my ww kayak? OR does someone have a handy and cheaper alternative? Do they really support the back?
You could try this
You can probably rig something from a length of 2" wide tubular nylon webbing.
If you can find a length of Lexan plastic or something similar that is a bit less than 2" in width, or can be cut down to that width, you can warm the plastic and shape it into an appropriate curve, then slide it into the tubular webbing so that it maintains its shape.
I have not made a kayak backband this way, but I have used this technique to make contoured knee and thigh straps for whitewater open boats.
eBay
There is a guy on eBay selling something like this! I think it is molded plastic. He’s calling them back rests. I wasn’t sure if they were ok for WW kayaks though.
Does any more experienced paddler than myself know if their functionality is improved more than marginally by more sophisticated design and higher price point?
Voice from the past
I owned a number of the old school boats back when and some didn’t have backbands. Instead, the stern foam pillar came further forward, up against your butt. You could fashion something similar out fo closed cell foam.
Backbands in performance boats are intended to maintain your position in relation to the footpegs without impeding torso rotation or layback, not supply back support.
Hard core sculptor
– Last Updated: Jul-25-11 10:12 PM EST –
That will be me, getting the closed cell foam and shaving it off with the sharkskin (?) file, customizing my outfitting like I know what I am doing! ;) Great information though, about what a back band is meant to do.
Minicell
You can do a lot with some minicell foam, a bread knife and dragonskin (foil for shaving foam).
adhesive and a question
Assuming one went that direction, what is the adhesive of choice for attaching the foam to the foam bulkhead behind it? Do you have to do any scoring?
Is there any advantage to the “give” of the bungee-d band style seat?
Having been around river kayakers that float as much as they paddle I had a high back on my Perception Eclipse. Now that I have an interest in coastal paddling I needed to get the seat back out of the way of the skirt tunnel. No way both of us could fit in the tunnel, and even if I could get it over the seat back it would pop off every time I moved. Being poor and having limited time this is what I came up w/,
Some plastic cut from a 5gal bucket,
and foam from a cheap seat pad.
Drilled a couple holes in the edge to run the cord that held the seat back through and tried it out.
After a trip of 20 miles the only issue I had was it not staying in the groove that they have for the seat back, so I added a couple little bungee straps that I had on hand.
I’m not sure that it’s a “real” back band since it sits in the groove they have for the seat back but it definitely worked for me.
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A youtube “diy kayak back band” search brought up at least two good vids.
July 2011
Yep. Does this forum prefer that new threads are started instead of adding to old ones? I’m good either way.