Just about finished a COHO LE and am wondering how well the back support and thermarest seat cushion works. Should I just get a Redfish seat?Thanks for all your help, Frank
Yes you should…
Yes you should or make something yourself. The backrest and seat pad were comfortable enough for me to sit on but offered nothing in the way of support for boat control. The seatback is too tall and the pad is like balancing on a beach ball.
Order the Redfish or buy a block of foam and start carving. After building a boat carving a seat is child’s play. There are lots of folks on this board who can help you with carving your own.
Compared to the Redfish…
… the stock Pygmy seat sucks. JMHO
I have a Redfish seat bottom with a Snap Dragon backband in both my Terns. If you tell Joe what boat it is for he will trim it to fit the hull shape…
get the seat
learning to carve your own seat is worthwhile but if you simply want something better then the Redfish seats are a worthwhile value.
The thigh braces need to intrude into the cockpit from under the coaming, just putting wedge shaped pieces of minicell under the deck may not be adequate if you don’t have long/large legs.
knee braces…
“just putting wedge shaped pieces of minicell under the deck may not be adequate if you don’t have long/large legs.”
…and knees that bend along two axis at once.
picky picky
Pygmy
Pygmy told me that I could return the seat for a refund.
I’ve had no problem with the oem
Backband but the $30. I spent for the sheet of minicel foam was worth every penny.
I had the orig. air mattress that I slid all over on. I tried one of those aftermarket foam seats but the darn thing raised me just that smidge too high (I’m a lot heavier from the waist up than the waist down) The minicel foam an electric carving knife (my susan is still trying to figure out what happened to dull the blades)an angle grinder and some trial and error afforded me a seat I can live with. I also installed hip braces.
On the backband…I went with a stainless turnbuckle and clasp setup…Makes adjusting the backband a snap.
Old CLC seat
My wife’s been using my CLC foam seat in her Tern, along with a Bell canoe backband (she hated the Bomber band we tried). Problem is, I sold the Chessie and the seat went with it - and CLC does not sell that seat anymore. It was a really simple one - 3/4" minicell, with an extra rim of 3/4" underneath to give it shape. Simple, but fit just great. I will try making one - otherwise, I’m in trouble!
Can anyone comment on the Happy Bottom seat that CLC markets?
That the same as Sweet Cheeks?
Anthony has that I believe - they the same seat?
Not sure
if it’s the same - the Happy Bottom has hip pads built in on each side, I believe.
comment
– Last Updated: Feb-28-07 10:29 AM EST –
The HB seat is molded for a specific production sea kayak seat frame, I think I saw one in a VCP Avocet or similar boat. The problem is that the seat isn't configured for the Chesapeake hip bracing at 17" width or the v-bottom of a four panel kayak. It was originally designed for a particular frame in a round bottomed plastic kayak. It's molded flat.
If you put the HB seat in a four panel s&g hull like the Chesapeake 17LT with wood hip braces at 17" wide the hip braces sit straight up and have enough width for someone with 26" hips. The wing-like hip braces are about 6" long and the CLC hip braces taper up to 3" wide, doesn't exactly match.
The flat molded seat is shaped nice but it's kind of short and is distorted inward sitting in the v-bottom of a fourpanel kayak. It would fit better in a Coho like bottom or other round/flattish bottomed kayaks and not v-bottomed. It's a nice shape but it's of the British style with short fore/aft dimensions with only under sit-bones support.
So most folks tear the foam hip braces off or don't install the wood hip braces. When the original Chesapeake 17LT was made,,as was the original Northbay there were no wood hip braces installed and the back band was installed with the straps going forward cutting across ones kidneys. Tearing off the integral hip braces seems like a waste to me but not having solid hip bracing or a secure mounting for the back band straps into the wood hip braces doesn't make sense either.
For marketing reasons selling the HB seat is more attractive as the profit is greater than a 2'x2'x3" block of minicell since CLC sells their 2'x2'x3" block of minicell so cheap, $29vs$38. A 3" block of minicell cut and carved will provide a lot more comfortable seat without compromising hip bracing or back band mounting but the profit is less. So folks buy the HB seat and CLC encourages sales of the HB seat.
"hmm, pre-made HB seat for $38,Redfish Seat for $135,block of minicell for $29?" obviously the HB seat looks like a screaming deal. Except it's not really designed for a v-bottom hull or the width of wood hip braces found on most kayak coamings.
In my Coho,
I didn’t like the thermarest seat, so I swapped it for a CLC Creature Comfort Seat, then added minicell hip fit kit, thigh supports and such. I recommend saving your money by carving your own seat though.
put the thermarest seat IN the CC seat
sit on it and let almost all the air out. Quite comfy. The CC. seat is n a 2"flat block of minicell with a mesh sleeve. Combining the two makes for a very comfy seat. The only problem I had with a CC seat in a Coho was that the mesh seat cover would rotate bit by bit so that the seat back was sitting forward of the back edge of the minicell losing a significant part of the support that molded seat is supposed to give. Then after awhile the adhesive attached velcro pads peeled off and the back band rubbed hip bones. The most comfortable set-up was letting the seat back angle back onto the aft bulkhead and only used the seat back for leaning backwards/resting. At which point I tossed it and carved a seat and put the back band back in.
For the price of one CC seat you can have three 2’x2’x3" blocks of minicell. That’s a lot of learning booboos to come up with a perfect seat.
Get the Redfish Seat.
I am about half way done with my second Coho LE. I used a Redfish Kayak seat in the first and will in this one too. I also have a Redfish seat in my wifes Osprey13. You cannot beat these seats for comfort and control. They may seem a little pricey but I think they are a good value. BTW got pictures of your build?
er-r-r, uh, gee,
sorry to be so dense but what is the Coho LE? I don’t believe that there was an LE model when I had mine. I don’t see it at their website.
COHO LE
The Coho LE (Limited Edition) is a Coho built with Sapele plywood. Check out this link to see a build of one: http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/building/thumbnails.php?album=12
Oh.
I thought that might be what it was. I hadn’t heard it called LE before. Makes sense. Thanks.
Redfish charges $48…
…for the Pre-sculpted seat only. Considering the cost of foam it’s a deal…
Look under materials then minicel foam.
I thought so…
…though I didn’t buy it that pre-sculpted blank is a good deal. Takes a lot of the work out of the production.