The primary reasons I paddle SOT are ease of entry and exit.
My right leg is marginally functional and my lower back after 3 surgeries isn’t much better.
If I sit in one position for long, those body parts lock up. I need help just to stand up let alone get in or out of a cockpit. SOT allow me to move around and remain somewhat loose.
There are SOT for most water conditions. They are not all heavy and barge like.
2 Likes
Things to consider:
-
Compared to the time you spend paddling, you spend very little time getting in and out of your boat. As long as you can do so safely, a minor amount of inconvenience is worth it if you end up with a boat that you can control better when you’re actually paddling.
-
Kayaks with huge cockpits really limit your control and your ability to learn key paddling skills like edging, leaning, bracing and rolling, because they lack of thigh bracing and you can’t effectively use a spray skirt. The width of those boats also hampers many paddle strokes.
-
Short/wide boats are slow. You don’t have to be performance/racing oriented to appreciate the difference. I’m not.
-
When you see a high-backed seat in a kayak, it’s a bad sign. They encourage poor posture and arm paddling, as you can’t rotate your torso or generate any real power in your paddle stroke if you’re leaning back against a tall backrest. If you look at boats designed for touring, the back band is even with or below the rear of the coaming and is designed to support your hips, not your back. This permits torso rotation and an efficient paddle stroke. Proper posture is a slight forward lean, not backward. Leaning back will give you a backache.
As a fellow cyclist, I understand some of what you’re going through and in general, it is possible to get comfortable and loosen your hamstrings in a sit-in boat, but perhaps your specific physical challenges may prevent that. Frankly, if you have serious issues with getting in and out of a kayak and/or your can’t get your hamstrings loose enough, you may be better off with a canoe with a raised seat. It provides more chair-like seating and given the limitations of kayaks with huge cockpits, you really wouldn’t be sacrificing anything with a canoe.
3 Likes