C1 conversion
Why not convert a kayak, they will offer the better fit. I had a friend who removed the first stern bulkhead and installed a pedestal in a Valley Pintail that had an ocean cockpit.
I tried that
I put a C1 saddle into a CD Solstice. As a kayak I called it my security blanket with it’s 23" beam. As a C1 it was pretty tender. But worse the cylindrical hull cross section forced my knees into the sides of the saddle. OUCH! By far the least comfortable boat I ever paddled.
I’ve considered the same experiment with my Caribou with the thought that the hard chines would allow some room for my knees to spread out. But I’m pretty sure it would be even more tender than the Solstice and I really want a boat that I can relax in on occasion.
Oh well,
I like dreaming 
Tommy
thoughts
i paddle the west coast of florida in my fiberlar rob roy. i’ve put more than 6,000 miles on the boat. almost all of it has been coastal paddling, from day trips to carrying 100 pounds of gear offshore of the everglades.
it works well here. i know the waves are relatively small, ie Lake of Mexico, but it’s done everything i’ve ever asked.
i don’t brace my knees against the gunwales or deck. i just put them in a curve of the chive and have experienced amazing control in 2 to 4 foot seas, measured Hawaiian style.
we don’t get major surf like california or even the northeast coast. the surf is small compare to many regions.
tommy, i wish you could paddle it yourself. i really don’t think bell finished what started as a great boat. modifications are necessary, but it’s a DY boat and a hell of a canoe. is it for you, i don’t know.
chad
Rob Roy mold.
Last I knew about or paid attention to (though things do change), the deck was molded then cut out. Hard to vacuum bag otherwise.
Agreed with Charlie - there are better boats to kneel in. If you were to put a pedestal in the RR15, it would probably do ok, but then again you’re exerting force via your knees and thighs both in a direction and on a part of the boat that it is not designed for. In my opinion, that seat should be moved back a couple inches from stock anyway, maybe one of PBW’s pedestals in a RR15 would be a worthwhile experiment.
If you want a 15-6 foot kneeler, I’d go for the Magic - same basic form of the hull, so the characteristics will match as well. Sue, the bag lady and Dan Cooke both make decks for the Magic, too. If you’re looking for custom hard decks or custom composite work, Ron is a great source, as is Dennis at Northwest Canoe in St. Paul if he has the time.
History
Ron bought Wild and Stars in Black/Gold from Bell in the mid 90’s; cut the tops down, decked them and rigged them for sailing. Neat stuff!
Seat location
From my experience a kneeling seat needs to be considerably further back than a sit on the floor one.is the thwart in the way? can it be moved aft?
Turtle
60s flashbacks!!!
And not all that good…
The first slalom C-1 I paddled was one of John Sweet’s early Yugos with an extended cockpit, ala’ Rob Roy. There was a semi-rigid deck that snapped onto the opening, with a built-in fabric skirt tunnel.
What I am getting at here is that if you REALLY REALLY want to do this, you will probably be successful. But is it really the best boat for the purpose?
Jim
seat placement
Find hull center on the rails. The front screw for a kneeling seat should be ~ 5" aft for a symmetrical hull, maybe 6" for a Swede-form hull like RR/Magic.
Damit Jim I’m a Paddler not a Designer
If you don’t like the Rob Roy as a fully decked ocean going canoe suggest something better.
Come on, is there an old C1 with a straight enough keel line to not be bedeviled by following seas (my Slasher hated them!) but still somewhat manuverable? Rudders don’t work for kneelers.
I’ll tell you, If a Rob Roy came my way I’d try what Kanulife is doing and go from there. Since that doesn’t seem likely I might just start frankenboating my Independence.
Hull center?
Is “hull center on the rails” the center of a measurment straight bow to stern, or measured along the curve of the gunnel? This is a great piece of info-thanks Charlie!
Turtle
kneeling in a Rob Roy
I bought the Bell kneeling thwart for my Bell Rob Roy upon their advise. The thwart was too low to properly sit in the canoe and it did not leave enough height to let me safely extricate my heels if I dumped. In my opinion the thwart was useless and I removed it and used the kayak for fishing and eventually sold it.The earlier Bart Hauthaway Rob Roy/Sugar Island I owned years ago had a much better design for both kneeling or siting.