If you have to add more than 2-3" of foam, it doesn’t make sense to use Minicel for all of it, as it’s expensive. For outfitting boats that require a lot of foam, I use 1 1/2", blue styrofoam insulation that you can get at any home center. It’s inexpensive, light weight and makes great filler material. The last 1-2" of padding are Minicel foam, for comfort. I also add wedge-shaped pads, ~4"x8" that are cut at ~15 degrees, which allow our feet to angle forward naturally (I don’t know anyone who’s natural foot position in a kayak is dead vertical). This distributes foot pressure over more than just balls of your feet and toes.
Some additional pointer when you’re adding stacked foam like this:
- Only the last pad needs to fit the hull tight enough so it can’t move. It will hold the others in place.
- Always leave room along the keel for water to drain. I just make a groove in the pads.
- Make a small hole in the center of all of the pads, run a string through it and tie it off to a washer, disk or stick recessed into the last pad on the bulkhead side. Make a finger loop on the end of the string in the cockpit. This will allow you to easily reach in and pull the stack of pads out, if you need to make adjustments or just want to allow everything to dry completely.
