Jackson Happy Seat in a Jackson Journey 14

Well…it has been a little over 2 Weeks since I have been able to Kayak due to our horrible weather in the Southeast but the last time I Kayaked…after a few hours I decided to put a big beach towel under the front of my seat and kinda under my legs to sort of force my thighs even more snug against the thigh pads without having to put my footpads any closer than they already are and I noticed that things just felt more comfortable. I am really happy with my current setup as I have tried numerous footing positions and have found that sweet spot and do not necessarily need the happy seat but I am just curious about it…but my question is this:
I kayak in a Jackson Journey 14 and I noticed that they make a “Happy Seat” which pretty much simulates what I tried doing with the thick towel under my legs. Would it be worth trying out the happy seat? I notice that on youtube it appears as if only white water Kayakers seem to enjoy this contraption but I think it may be something to try out just to make my Kayaking that much more comfortable.

It may be overkill I do not know that is why I am asking.

Thanks in advance.

I personally would not want my thighs forced under the thigh braces locking them in. Pedal adjustment should let you have thigh brace contact.

SealLine makes a self inflatable Kayak Thigh Support Cushion (about $50). I know several people who use/need this to get comfortable in their kayaks.

@rsevenic said:
SealLine makes a self inflatable Kayak Thigh Support Cushion (about $50). I know several people who use/need this to get comfortable in their kayaks.

Kinda pricey but may be worth looking into. I do not necessarily need to have this extra cushion under my legs it just makes it more comfortable for me especially once I get around that 3 hour mark of Kayaking. I like how this one looks as the “Jackson Happy Seat” looks like it is going to be overkill with it’s huge size…I just like the idea of having something under my legs just to take some pressure off my legs. I have adjusted my footpads so that my legs fit nice and snug on the thigh pads but still I notice when I put a thick beach towel bundled up under my legs up in front of the seat everything just starts feeling much more comfortable for myself. I may get me one of these Sealline cushions…just wish it was not quite as expensive but if it helps with my comfort in my Kayak it will be worth it. Thanks for the reply.

Any reason you wouldn’t just continue with the towel? You could buy a few of 'em for the price of the seat.

@Sparky961 said:
Any reason you wouldn’t just continue with the towel? You could buy a few of 'em for the price of the seat.

Just wrap in bag to keep them dry.

@Sparky961 said:
Any reason you wouldn’t just continue with the towel? You could buy a few of 'em for the price of the seat.

@PaddleDog52 said:

@Sparky961 said:
Any reason you wouldn’t just continue with the towel? You could buy a few of 'em for the price of the seat.

Just wrap in bag to keep them dry.

Yes this is probably the best thing to do. My foot positioning is in that nice sweet spot (believe me I have tried many) and my thighs hit up on the pads just right giving me that ultimate “Connected” feel to my Kayak…but sometimes after a few hours of kayaking it feels so nice to tuck a nice big beach towel underneath the front lip of the seat and right under my legs…it is kinda hard to explain how it feels (I have gained so much more flexibility in my lower back and thighs from Kayaking and I really have not been kayaking all that long) and already I can now sit fully upright and even lean forward a little while paddling where as the first few times I went kayaking I was leaning back real hard against the back band support that I thought it was going to break or something…and I was trying my best to lean forward.

It really amazed me when the first time I put my sprayskirt on that I had forgotten to tighten the back rest support and didn’t even notice it as I was paddling away…it was very loose and it took me a few minutes or so to realize the back band was not even touching my lower back…this is when I knew how my flexibility had gotten much better in a somewhat short amount of time. Still though I love the “Jackson Journey14” and I am sure many may know that the back-band rest support is in no way a back rest at all…meaning you cannot really just lounge and lean back in this thing like you would see on a typical Recreational/Fishing Kayak…it is just as it says, a back-band support and not so much a back rest. I now love the back-band now that I am getting really used to it and when tightened it puts me right in that proper paddling position…AKA Frog leg position.

Also…I stated a thread asking if anyone know of some kind of back rest I could put behind my seat so that I can lounge in it and relax. Well…even given the advice of using a “Norsaq” which I still might order one day…I can now just simply sit upright and rest my hands on the front of the cockpit and I am now completely relaxed. If I decide to do a little sunbathing I will take off my PFD (if the weather is nice) and just put that in the back of me and I have a fully functional back seat…the difference now is that I no longer have the need to have to do this every 10 minutes of kayaking like I did when I first started.

…but back to the towel…it simply just relieves some pressure from my legs but not in a dramatic way but just enough to make me say “ooh that is comfortable”.
It feels very good on my legs and is very refreshing when I use the towel after a few hours of Kayaking.

I just do not want to have to depend on always needing to put a towel or a cushion from “Sealline” under the front lip of the seat/under upper legs every time I go out kayaking so I do not get used do it.

…I guess it almost feels like I am out in a mild 14’ touring Kayak only now I am sitting in a lounge chair relaxed only my posture is really well executed at the same time.

I have noticed in some videos that in some of the “Wilderness Systems” kayaks that they have a front thigh adjustment built into the seat that you can push up or down…I am pretty much simulating the same thing only with a beach towel.

I guess I could wrap the beach towel with something so it does not get too wet or even just find some foam pieces like from Lowe’s to put under that part of the seat (and BTW the new Jackson Journey Kayaks no longer come with the sweet cheeks but now a basic foam seat but to me very comfortable) and this minor upgrade should definitely make my longer kayaking trips even more comfortable.

Cool. :sunglasses:

Raising the seat level cored my worst leg problems. Putting sumthing under the front would cause my legs to go to sleep after a couple hours.

@Overstreet said:
Raising the seat level cored my worst leg problems. Putting sumthing under the front would cause my legs to go to sleep after a couple hours.

Yes so far I have only used the ghetto method of rolling up a long thick beach towel and cramming it under my legs right under the lip of the front part of the seat…however i do not actually start using this until I have paddled for about 2 hours…then I’ll use this method for about an additional hour or so… I have not tried Kayaking this way for long periods of time and the thought of my legs going numb overtime does not sound very appealing to me. Sure for some reason it makes me feel more comfortable in the Kayak…so next time I will immediately put the towel under my legs and do a nice long Kayak venture and see if my legs go numb as well.

If you’re over the age of “majority”, you should probably get out and stretch at least every hour or two anyway.

@Sparky961 said:
If you’re over the age of “majority”, you should probably get out and stretch at least every hour or two anyway.

What age is that?

@PaddleDog52 said:

@Sparky961 said:
If you’re over the age of “majority”, you should probably get out and stretch at least every hour or two anyway.

What age is that?

Purposely left open to interpretation.

Good at near 65 I can do 4 hours straight at decent clip. No leg or back pain. Worst time for me is first 10-15 minutes.