The fit of my sit-in fiberglass kayak is quite snug. There’s no room to move my legs and after sitting for a while, my feet fall asleep. Do you have a suggestion how to best provide cushioning to eliminate the discomfort? The manufacturer (Impex) is out of business and the molded plastic seat with its thin foam cushion fastens to the hull of the boat with two screws. The seat cushions I’ve seen online, designed for chairs, wheelchairs, etc., appear too thick for my purpose, to say nothing of the disadvantage of sitting on a foam sponge.
Thank you for any suggestions!
A cheap, un-elegant thing you can try is to just get something to put under your thighs for support; something like a rolled up towel or a section of pool noodle. I often put a foam block or section of pool noodle under my calves down near my ankles to lift my heels off the hull. Very comfortable.
Your seat can be modified to achieve a bit more room and comfort rather than replace it with a modern Impex seat (they are in business -Impex by Abitibi & Co.)
Your simplest would be a ornate foam seat (I have one at my Store and can supply a picture later) but to accomplish your needs I think you would be better served laying down a sheet of 1/4”-1/2” mini cell foam as a base and attaching a Cloud10 seat pad. You may add additional foam under the thighs for support. I did this with a Valley Rapier I used to have. Worked great!
https://www.cloud10gear.com/products
Contact Immersion Research for backband strap extensions (or I may have some kicking about) to connect the IR backband to the old seat bolt holes on the deck. This will effectively raise the backband about 3/4” and your seat creation may lower you up to another 1/4” after all is done.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
9 W. Market St.
Hyde Park, NY
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845-242-4731 mobile
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Above good advice. I would add one thing to consider. I don’t always do well with seats that attempt to be very ergonomic, where the forward lip under my thighs is a bit higher than the level of my sit bones.
I spent more seasons than I should have trying to respect the concept of the ergonomic seat in an older P&H boat. It was a guaranteed backache by 2 hours into a paddle. I elevated the base of the seat a bit by filling it in with more minicell , also added some support in front on the seat.
I finally decided that the sheer flatness and lack of ergonomic support was what made my NDK seat work without this issue. I cut out some of the foam pillars under the front of the P&H seat to really flatten in out and the problem went away. Not that I never get a backache from paddling in either of these boats, but it stopped the pain in the P&H boat that arrived like clockwork every paddle.
Apparently my hip angles are happier with a bit less support from the seat than manufacturers think I need. Others may have this same response.
@artwo said:
The fit of my sit-in fiberglass kayak is quite snug. There’s no room to move my legs and after sitting for a while, my feet fall asleep. Do you have a suggestion how to best provide cushioning to eliminate the discomfort? The manufacturer (Impex) is out of business and the molded plastic seat with its thin foam cushion fastens to the hull of the boat with two screws. The seat cushions I’ve seen online, designed for chairs, wheelchairs, etc., appear too thick for my purpose, to say nothing of the disadvantage of sitting on a foam sponge.
Thank you for any suggestions!
If you really looking forward to the comfort! Why not try out Inflatable Kayak, I think there would always be kind of discomfort you’ll face with the traditional one! what do you think?
There are articles in California Kayaker Magazine that may be of interest: http://calkayakermag.com/magazine.html. Specifically issue #4 had an article on seats. Though if you are so tight in that you can’t move, you may not be able to add some of the comfort items (which may take up more space that you don’t have).
Legs falling asleep can also be a user issue. Increasing your flexibility through stretches or yoga may reduce the going asleep part. Hamstrings are a common culprit.
Above advice is solid. I’ll add two things:
- Consider a thin layer of minicell foam where your heels rest
- Be mindful of your pelvic tilt and lumbar curve.
I’ve been spending a fair amount of time (and money) diagnosing the low-back strain that I developed after my paddling started becoming a regular form of exercise. Everybody’s body is different, but for me, the culprit is over-developed and tight psoas muscles that are forcing a posterior pelvic tilt toward the “slouch” position common to most frequent sitters. Like Celia, ergonomic seats that feel like car seats are more provocative than a simple flat seat with a tiny amount of flat cushion. The flatter I can get the seat the more I can hold myself erect with a subtle anterior pelvic tilt. The “slouch” position tends to put all the strain on low back, and of course, all nerves travel through the pelvis en route to your feet.
Now my personal frustration that a good backband supporting upright posture seems to be the antithesis of some of the greenlandic, shift-in-your-seat rolls that I’m trying to learn. Hoping I just build strength and balance in all the right places so that I’m not so reliant on the backband for the upright support.
I second Marshalls comments. I own a Currituck and after a few hours in the boat a had the same problem. Legs falling asleep. A section of pool noodle is a great idea!
Worked great for me on long paddles
Could you add a photo or your kayak’s cockpit as it is now…looking straight down?
For me, it was all about toughening up my butt. That wasn’t difficult at all, because I am a bike rider. I will admit that when I first got into kayaking, I did use a rolled up towel under my thighs. That helped for awhile, but in the end what really makes the difference is lots of time in the saddle. One of my boats has a solid fiberglass ergonomic seat (no cushion). Oddly, this is the seat that I got used to sitting in all day. When I would switch to another boat, it didn’t take too long before there was some discomfort; in fact one of my boats with padding and all was the least comfortable of them all. Gradually as I spent more and more time in each boat, all the comfort issues went away. Seat time and conditioning works and I’m nearly 76.
You might find some similar issues in a brand new vehicle that you’re not used to. That was exactly what happened with my wife’s new SUV. The first few times I drove it, I couldn’t find a comfortable place for my right knee. After a good number of miles, that is no longer the case.
I used to try to make modifications to stock seats for the sake of comfort. Add on cushioning, rolled up towels, pool noodles, partially inflated paddle float, heel padding. Eventually I started carving mini cell seats and all my comfort issues went away. For whatever reason once I started using my own mini cell seats my perceived need for a back band went away. Better posture? I don’t know but in my boats that have any sort of back doo-dah installed it is adjusted so that it doesn’t touch my back at all until I am about to touch the back of the cockpit rim.
No back, thigh, foot, knee discomfort. After 5 to 10 hours in the cockpit I’m ready for a rest but I’m not feeling pain. I’m 70 years old, not in great shape and have arthritis in my knees and shoulders. I paddle Euro with a Werner Ikelos. I love my mincell seats.
In spite of doing hamstring stretches as part of my regular workout routine and stretching before I got into my boat, I still would have some leg issues on 15+ mile paddles. Switching to a minicell footbrace instead of using the foot pegs solved it.
I’ve heard good things about mincell seats, but never had the chance to try one.
I think Rasins would recognize this seat. It is my next seat option attempt. The foam is in the office.
Or you could order an ergonomic fiberglass seat from NC Kayaks.
@raisins said:
nice, I’ll save it.
another one, much the same:
You can save a bunch of time and agonizing by ordering a seat blank from Red Fish Kayaks. Not sure if Joe is still doing it but for some common boats you could get the bottom of the blanks pre-shaped to fit the hull. Fine tuning and shaping is all that is required.
http://www.redfishkayak.com/foam.htm
The bottom line on minicell foam seats is that you can’t screw it up. If it doesn’t feel quite right just change it. If you take off too much in some place you can just glue some pieces back on to it and reshape. An early experiment of mine was “Frankenseat” which I cobbled together with 6 or 8 pieces of scrap foam. It is a great seat! Ugly as sin but very comfortable and performs really well. It’s still out in the garage someplace waiting for the right boat to come into my life.
Jon
Easy seat comfort is to buy soft seat from Costco about 15-20 dollars. It is covered in durable neoprene like fabric over super spongy gel. You can easily hose this off and dry in one day. It easily fits every kayak and person. Get comfortable, buy this and smile
As a big fat man I have had to cut a lot of ill fitting seats out of boats. I’ve found the surf to summit hot seat works great and it is even better if you put a wedge under the back half. It’s a lot faster and may be cheaper than building a custom foam seat.
@FrankNC said:
As a big fat man I have had to cut a lot of ill fitting seats out of boats. I’ve found the surf to summit hot seat works great and it is even better if you put a wedge under the back half. It’s a lot faster and may be cheaper than building a custom foam seat.
Do you have a picture of one you have done? Did it make the structure of the cockpit any weaker? Thanks!