I recently purchased a Pelican Vortex LX 80, because I’m a poor grad student who needs to be on the water somehow. The problem is it doesn’t have foot pegs. It’s a 7’9" boat, fairly wide, but did the trick for my budget and fit in my car (I can’t afford a roof rack yet)
Is there any way to add something inside the boat to get some sort of added stability? I know there are foot pegs one can install but I’ve also seen something about foam. I’m new to all this so could someone explain how to use the foam?
minicell foam…
You can buy closed cell foam blocks in different widths.
We could trim the blocks to fit against the front bulkhead then keep adding blocks until the correct foot position is obtained. Without a front bulkhead it might take a lot of foam…
http://www.nrs.com/product/2076/minicell-foam
Closed cell minifoam
Fill the nose of the kayak with some pieces so there is a wall in the bow you can put your feet against. Be sure it can stay in position when applying pressure on one side only.
Do not use foam padding that can absorb water, you’d be better off putting cinder blocks in there. This includes the expanding foam in a can.
You may find…
Minicell isn’t cheap. You may actually save $$, effort, and achieve a better result by going with foot pegs. While you’re at it, consider float bags. Your boat appears to have no flotation. If you swamp it, it’s a submarine. I know you said you’re a poor student, so your boats price tag was attractive. Realize that there are reasons for a price that low: lack of features for control or safety.