Looking for a FIRM seatback

Your advice would be much appreciated, I just bought a Necky Eskia, the kayak is fine, but the seatback leaves a lot to desire as far as lower back support goes. Maybe it’s because I am a pretty stocky guy ? No matter how tight I secure it, it still offers no lower back support. I feel like I am in the middle of a “Sit-up” all the time… Does anyone know of a good quality seatback that can be installed / bolted in place of the two-cent seatback that came with the kayak ? Thanks

Well, its kinda supposed to feel like
you are in the middle of a sit up. If you are paddling “correctly” youare rotating at your torso and your stomach muscles are the ones engaged. If you have a seatback that is high and firm enough to provide the support that I believe you are looking for, it may be a detriment to other aspects of your paddling.



You may want to consider a backband. These are low, but properly fitted will allow you to have a firm place to "pushP off of with your hips. Secondly, you could always build up a foam back, it is amazing what I have seen folks make out of it and it work.



Good luck, but you may be surprised how soon that “middle of a sit-up” feeling will go away after you paddle a bit more.



Andrew

Found it !
Thanks all, I found a adjustable anatomic touring backband on the web on Outdoor play’s website. Here it is: http://www.outdoorplay.com/store/Product3.0.asp?DeptID=562&SKU=EOU_PZBAT

Posture! But don’t shoot the messenger.
As joemess described, support for your lower back and kayaking are pretty much mutually exclusive things. The most efficient posture while paddle is with the pelvis tilted forward so that your torso hangs slightly forward of vertical. (Imagine pushing your navel towards your knees while feeling your weight supported by your thighs rather than your butt.) This allows the torso to rotate freely and affords a natural curve in the lower back. In this posture the seat back or back band won’t even come in contact with your back at all.



Often when people feel that “middle of a sit-up” tension it is an indication of overly tight hamstrings. They actually are forced to pull their torso forward because their hampstrings are too tight forcing the pelvis to tilt backwards. This then forces the lower back to over-extend and leads to lower back pain after a short while. Since the torso can’t rotate in this position, these paddlers are prone to paddle using too much arm so speed and endurance are adversly affected.



Try to paddle without a back support and you’ll quickly see what I mean. Once you get a feeling for what’s possible via this forward tilt you’ll be hard pressed to care about back bands or set backs. Soon after you’ll discover the fun and control you’ll gain from moving your weight and the paddle into the forward quadrants while you paddle.



Cheers and good luck!



Jed

IR Ratchet
The backband you noted is pretty tall. You might wish to consider the IR Ratchet (also available through Outdoorplay.)



I believe that most of the better Impex boats are fitted with the IR Ratchet and my experience is that it is among the best available.



Bomber also makes good back bands and the new model fitted into my wife’s Explorer is particularly nice - unlike earlier ones, as in my Elaho, this new Bomber band does not have meatal buckles.