My brother said he once had these things he called kneeling blocks for paddleing his canoe. They were made of some kind of flotation foam and had an hour glass shape you sat on. Does anyone know what these are and where can I find them?
It sounds like a foam saddle, where
you kneel with your knees spread by the front of the saddle, and your butt sits on the back of the saddle. Some of them have a roughly hourglass shape. A couple of mine were ordered from Mohawk, and now that they are coming back into business, maybe they can help. Places that sell WW canoes like Nantahala Outdoor Center also have, or can get, saddles. They can explain how to mount one in your boat.
When referring to kneeling "blocks"
he may also have been referring to the foam ankle blocks some use when kneeling to reduce ankle stress. There are also toe blocks, used by whitewater paddles so that their feet don’t slip back. Finally there are foam knee cups or knee pads, to pad the knees for comfort and keep them in place. Whitewater shops are most likely to have knee pads. The other items are improvised and glued in with contact cement.
The saddle is usually glued in, and supported on top with a thwart.
Look here
http://nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1215
Also Here:
http://www.mikeyeeoutfitting.com/index.htm
I just use a thick foam pad and kneel or I sit in the seat, but the above sources have much fancier outfitting.