Subject says it all really. I find myself almost constanstly switching between indian style, my feet under my butt, and my legs stretched out in front me. I think I prefer feet under my butt most, except that my feet end up falling asleep. I tend to switch to indian style before entering rapids because I feel most stable that way.
When there’s too much flat water and I get bored I sit on the very front tip and make the back end rise way out the water.
In a puddle?
I don’t ride in them things
They sink in sudden thunderstorms. Too touristy for me.
However you need, no rules on this.
Are you talking about a ww. boat?
Assuming you are talking about a solo inflatable kayak, most people sit with their butt flat on the bottom braced back against the central thwart and legs stretched out in front.
There is quite a bit of variation in how duckies are laid out. In some, it is possible to brace your feet against the front of the tubes if your legs are long enough. Some have vinyl pockets bonded in that you can slip the front of your feet into so you can brace your legs better. But in most, your legs are probably going to be rather loose.
If I were going to paddle a ducky on whitewater and couldn’t reach the front tubes with my feet, I would probably find some inflatable device like a canoe flotation bag or inflatable cushion that I could wedge into the front and use to brace my feet against. Or if it was my boat, I would fashion some toe pockets and bond them in.
But if you feel more stable with legs folded, I don’t see anything wrong with that.
I was terrified. I paddled one and can’t remember how I sat. It was on a class IV run… It was a raft trip but we took turns in the ducky.
That was many years ago… It was pretty narrow IIRC ( and I might not)
@Overstreet said:
I don’t ride in them things
They sink in sudden thunderstorms. Too touristy for me.
I’ve been out in a few storms and I’ve never sank. It’s self bailing, it drains faster than water can dump in. The tourists here ride rafts. Lol
@Overstreet said:
Are you talking about a ww. boat?
Yes, an inflatable kayak.
@pblanc said:
Assuming you are talking about a solo inflatable kayak, most people sit with their butt flat on the bottom braced back against the central thwart and legs stretched out in front.There is quite a bit of variation in how duckies are laid out. In some, it is possible to brace your feet against the front of the tubes if your legs are long enough. Some have vinyl pockets bonded in that you can slip the front of your feet into so you can brace your legs better. But in most, your legs are probably going to be rather loose.
If I were going to paddle a ducky on whitewater and couldn’t reach the front tubes with my feet, I would probably find some inflatable device like a canoe flotation bag or inflatable cushion that I could wedge into the front and use to brace my feet against. Or if it was my boat, I would fashion some toe pockets and bond them in.
But if you feel more stable with legs folded, I don’t see anything wrong with that.
The thwart, they call it a pillow, has straps that can be moved, but it takes a little longer than it’s worth bothering with. I don’t own it. I never get the same one. I can’t reach the tubes good enough to brace myself on them. The trips I do are either 8 or 12 miles. After that much time I seem to get uncomfortable and just have to change positions
@kayamedic said:
I was terrified. I paddled one and can’t remember how I sat. It was on a class IV run… It was a raft trip but we took turns in the ducky.
That was many years ago… It was pretty narrow IIRC ( and I might not)
The river I’m on is only class 3. I’ve been out on days with a lot of water after heavy rain and got worked. I was out Saturday on a more normal dam release flow and was having too much fun to be scared. I’ve made a lot of progress since the beginning of July IMO.
So… is this actually a skilled activity, or are you just along for the ride?
@DryFlyTrout said:
@Overstreet said:
I don’t ride in them things
They sink in sudden thunderstorms. Too touristy for me.
I’ve been out in a few storms and I’ve never sank. It’s self bailing, it drains faster than water can dump in. The tourists here ride rafts. Lol@Overstreet said:
Are you talking about a ww. boat?
Yes, an inflatable kayak.
Oh, so you’re not talking about an M-series landing craft.
a lot of how well a ducky works has to do with how well it is set up, the best ones have a good thwart, pillow , or well supported seat. I find if you want to improve performance you need thigh/knee straps. You can run cam straps through the self bailing floor to achieve this if there aren’t tie in points. Yes, its okay to move around in the boat, duckys are pretty decent platforms to use a camera.
I like streams with lots of current, and try to keep the mileage short when I’m out in a ducky.
Some are even set up to kneel in
https://soar1.com/soar-10/
That is a wild looking place.
That’s my swimming pool, my duck and my wife. I promise. Really. I’m not kidding. Seriously.
@DrowningDave said:
That’s my swimming pool, my duck and my wife. I promise. Really. I’m not kidding. Seriously.
Why paddle elsewhere?
I need “me time”.
Here’s one I took of Dave’s wife and duck when he wasn’t home…
I was wondering what that smell was. 