Poll----Foam or foot pegs?

Advice
#21

foam
foam bulkhead and foam under my heels.

#22

Option 3 and 2 and 1
Just trying to think outside of the box for a second.



If you are conscerned about your bulkhead strength and don’t want to put pressure on it from your feet (my case with a plastic tempest and foam bulkheads), why not do an arrangement where option # 2, wood panel through the pegs and then build that up with minicell or other foam? If you run your pegs out to the last position, put your wood panel in and then build up with foam, you have avoided any stress on your bulkhead. You also don’t have to get rid of the footpegs and rails, or do any other modifications.



any pros and cons?



Paul

#23

reading greyak’s post
If minicel foam is so rigid as indicated, couldn’t you just build up foam behind the foot pegs, cut out from a 3" piece the footpeg impression and then add a thick piece in front? (I guess you could glue a thin board to the minicel to rest against the footpegs also?



sorry if this sounds stupid…I have never done this.



Paul

#24

That’s a valid concern, but…
…a 3" thick Minicel bulkhead is pretty hard to move, especially since you’re shoving it into a narrower part of the boat. If you add more thickness of glued-in padding, it should be safe.

#25

Adjustable foam pads
I make additional pads in 1/2" and 1" thickness that I use to fine-tune the fit if I change footwear. They actually provide a fine adjustment than footpegs do. If I’m not sure what I’m going to need before I go out on the water, I just roll up the pads and stick them in one of the hatches.

#26

ditto again
foam is the best

#27

I wouldn’t recommend it

– Last Updated: Oct-10-05 3:39 PM EST –

The foot pegs don't have much area and you risk having the bulkhead pivot on them and turn horizontal. That could create an entrapment hazard if your feet slip past the bulkhead.

One thing that some people have done is to make a plywood foot board that attaches rigidly to the foot pegs or rails.

#28

KajakSport Footboards
They are shaped like big shoe soles. Rubber mounted so they pivot and can be used with a rudder. Excellent foot support with not pressure points.



http://www.kajaksport.com/englanti/ohjainpedaalit.html

#29

kajaksport superwide foot pedals


these rock. superwide and grippy texture. they have a nice pivot action too

#30

Plywood
I plan to do exactly that this winter to my Pintail which still has the factory adjustable pegs. I’ll make up a plywood plate to mount to the pegs,foam it up on each side for footrests and then take my Chimp pump off the rear deck and install it between the pegs. Then I’ll put a Beckson hatch on the rear deck to fill that hole and I’ll hace a footpump and comfortable footbrace plus more room in the rear for stuff once all that plumbing is gone.

Should be a fun little project.

Cheers

Bert

#31

Caution: Most rails are NOT parallel
Keep this in mind when attaching footboards. They may not adjust well - and con put stress on the rails and hull if you force them. You may need to create slot in the boards or added pieces so the ends can move in relation to the peg. Adds complexity and can decrease the solidness of it.



The add/replace foam layers way is much lighter and less troublesome.

#32

ditto i like foam
my foam blocks are styrofoam from an old boogie board. i have three layers of foam. the first layer is wedge shaped. they fit snugly in a nylon camping stuff sack, the ‘package’ of foam fits snugly into the front of the cockpit.

#33

Great web site Brian!
you have some great foam applications

#34

If your Pintail has a flat aft deck…
…you might want to install a VCP hatch instead. Beckson deckplates tend to leak and they require very large holes for the size of the opening they provide. Installing a 7.5" VCP hatch in a Pintail is a snap.

#35

I’m a fan of Kajak Sport products…
… and their foot pedals do feel nice, but I’ve heard from several people that there are durability problems with them. Perhaps that’s been addressed. One definite downside is that they only work with Keepers footpegs, which are the crappiest junk on the market. After having several off them pop off under stress, I will NEVER have Keepers in a boat again. If you must have adjustable footpegs in your boat, get Yakimas.

#36

Thanks
I’m glad that people find it helpful.

#37

I have a flat aft deck
And no I didn’t realize Beckson hatches have leakage problems.Maybe I should go with the VCP hatches so they match the others.As Greyak noted the hull narrows so a solid board wouldn’t allow the pegs to move in and out when adjusting.I can get by this by elongating the screw holes but the only people who paddle this boat are me and my daughter and I change adjustments only one notch when she uses it. I moved the bulkhead back and use only foam on my Ellesmere but decided against moving the bulkhead on the Pintail because the front hatch is just too small to work through. The Ellesmere has a round Kajaksport hatch in front and I can actually get my head and one arm inside to work.



Bert

#38

Footpegs, for two reasons
1. When I wear Chota mukluks, the increased sole thickness means I need to move the position forward a notch, compared with my warm-water shoes.



2. On camping trips, I use the space in front of the footpegs to stash a Pelican 1300 or a medium drybag.



I’ve paddled a WW kayak that had an inflatable bag serving as footpegs. While it was comforting to know I could not possibly miss a place to brace against, I would hate to lose that space in my sea kayaks. Also, so far I’ve never missed the mark with the footpegs, though I’m sure it could happen.

#39

Kayak sport foot boards
I use the kayak sport foot boards in my NDK Eplorer’s yakima foot braces. You can just drill holes in the yakima foot pegs and bolt on the KS foot boards. NDK is replacing my Explorer and I have ordered custom bulkhead placement in the new one.