Kayak seats get too hot

@naviathan@gmail.com said:

@JackL said:
Throw your PFD over it when you are not in it.

I don’t wear one…for many reasons.

You are required to have one for each > @kayamedic said:

@naviathan@gmail.com said:

@Overstreet said:

@Doggy Paddler said:
It limits movement.

It’s not a paddling jacket is it?

I wasn’t aware they made a jacket specifically for paddling.

Yep… I cannot imagine paddling in a Type 1 horsecollar… The Type III dont restrict motion and if you get one that fits right you wont’t even notice its there… It is a help when you have a situation that demands all your attention… Like getting the kid hanging on to the boat and paddle etc… Or even an inflatable PFD… Sounds like you are in hot country. I wear my PFD all the time mostly because its COLD … Today it is again 50. Water temp the same… And I can’t swim against tidal currents.

So anyway check out a paddle shop or NRS https://www.nrs.com/

Check out the Astral V- 8. Lightweight and cool compared to most PFD.

I think that the OP will have his hands full when his kids discover capsize is just plain fun… Every kid I have taught wants to do that first… Every adult I have taught does NOT want to do that at all. Its just a ball in the water if everyone has a PFD and uses the upside down Loon as an SUP.

Ah yes - kids & water. Given a chance (and possibly odd enough adults) kids will have fun (and likely learn something on the way. Standing on the deck is great fun as is sink the adult. Pictures are from the WMCKA symposium Memorial weekend.


@rival51 said:

The adult is wearing a paddling PFD.

As to keeping the kids in the boat… the way I personally discovered that a basic rec boat w/o float bags is unrescuable, at least without help, was when I was doing safety for a kayak demo day. Parents let their son go out in a yellow POS, forget which one, telling him to be careful. He obeyed. He waited to purposely capsize the boat until they weren’t looking.

I had spotted him for trying that from when he left the dock, so it wasn’t even a minute for me to get there. The kid scrambled up on my back deck with great balance. I was in my lowest volume sea kayak and still had to look back to confirm he was there.

I had to turn the issue of the boat over to a couple of friends, there was nothing I could do with that much water myself especially with the swimmer sitting behind me.

But the above photos are exactly the age where I have seen kids go out and have a ball using kayaks as large pool toys. I think it is great. And given the time it took me to get by the initial capsize part when I was learning to roll, I wish I had had the same experience at that age.

@naviathan@gmail.com said:
I have two Old Town Loon kayaks. The seats get way too hot in the sun. I’m talking blistering hot. It doesn’t take long either. If we beach on an island for even a couple minutes we have to splash water on the seats to cool them off before we can sit down. is there a seat cover we can get to reduce this problem?

I was thinking of you today when my wife and I were paddling our C-1’s.
When we got them, I changed out the weave type seats to tractor style ones and she covered hers with a piece of “Ridgerest” waffle type camping pad. she traced the tractor seat and then cut out the piece of “ridgerest” to match. I glued it to the seat with the silver side up, and it not only provides comfort, but never gets hot from the sun.
She did the same for her kayak seat, but just made it a loose piece that she puts in and takes out. She even cuts out where her "cheeks " go for a nice comfy seat.
You can get it at some of the outfitters, REI and Southern Tier.

I’ll see you at your funeral! Not wearing a PFD is the dummest thing you can do - you can’t rescue someone if you are under water. Go to a store and get fitted for a proper PFD!
As for the hot seat(s), throw something over it (white towel), turn the kayak over, paint the seat white, make or get a cover - silver car windshield blockers can be used - do something!

If you don’t wear a PFD when paddling, you have much greater paddling issues than a hot seat from the sun.

I suggest you put Ice down the back of your shorts. That should cool ya off…

Seems a shame when someone asks a question here and gets answers like the previous three

@JackL said:
Seems a shame when someone asks a question here and gets answers like the previous three

The original post was covered May 28th. Everything after is extra.

It seems a shame that someone could write for advise on such a shallow subject. Excuse me for trying to add a bit of humor to such a soar subject that doesn’t warrant a response…

@pitmartin said:
It seems a shame that someone could write for advise on such a shallow subject. Excuse me for trying to add a bit of humor to such a soar subject that doesn’t warrant a response…

I don’t think any sincere question is shallow or not worth asking. If you took the time to read the entire thread, you would have learned that the OP is obviously new to the sport, didn’t wear or carry a PFD, and had no idea USCG requires a life vest be carried for each passenger on every vessel or that there are PFDs made specifically for paddlesports.

You don’t know what you don’t know, and if you don’t ask questions, you don’t learn.

Thanks to the pNet/com community, he/she was given good advice.

@Rookie said:

@pitmartin said:
It seems a shame that someone could write for advise on such a shallow subject. Excuse me for trying to add a bit of humor to such a soar subject that doesn’t warrant a response…

I don’t think any sincere question is shallow or not worth asking. If you took the time to read the entire thread, you would have learned that the OP is obviously new to the sport, didn’t wear or carry a PFD, and had no idea USCG requires a life vest be carried for each passenger on every vessel or that there are PFDs made specifically for paddlesports.

You don’t know what you don’t know, and if you don’t ask questions, you don’t learn.

Thanks to the pNet/com community, he/she was given good advice.

Ditto!

I’ve asked many dumb questions in my life, and only wished I would’ve asked more of them, earlier on. If you don’t know something, the best thing to do is ask. Fear of appearing dumb has hurt me in my life way more than having asked what someone else might’ve thought of as a silly question.

@naviathan@gmail.com said:
I have two Old Town Loon kayaks. The seats get way too hot in the sun. I’m talking blistering hot. It doesn’t take long either. If we beach on an island for even a couple minutes we have to splash water on the seats to cool them off before we can sit down. is there a seat cover we can get to reduce this problem?

Same thing happens on my tractor seat in the strong southern sun. Cover the seat with an old towel while your out of the boat.

@shiraz627 said…
Same thing happens on my tractor seat in the strong southern sun. Cover the seat with an old towel while your out of the boat.

Yes. Quite a shock on a hot day.

It’s not ever a problem to ask questions. The problem is some things can be figured out without asking a question. I did read the whole comment. Newbie or not that was a shallow—for lack of a better word—request/comment. I thought the ice cubes down the shorts was a good idea BTW ;-))

Seriously, the answer to the original question was so ridiculously obvious that it never should have been asked. However, it did create the opportunity to educate the poster on how misguided and dangerous it is to assume that you can skip the PFD and swim your way out of any problem. Given that, perhaps the net effect is positive, assuming that the OP listens to the guidance he received.