pygmy knee braces

Built a Arctic Tern a year ago. Great kayak to paddle. Was wondering what other did for knee braces. I’ve put knee braces under the edge of the cockpit. But seem a bit hard to get a good gripe on them. Anybody tried their brace kit or other setups?

Tern Knee Braces…

– Last Updated: Mar-17-06 6:20 PM EST –

I don't roll this boat but this set-up has given me more control. Sort of reverse braces that let me control the boat with the downside knee also.
It is a great boat..
http://img368.imageshack.us/my.php?image=outfit50uk.jpg
Just remembered that I did put the Pygmy braces in a Tern 14 and while they did work well I found them to restrict access into the cockpit but that was a smaller cockpit.. I don't have them in my current 14.

knee braces
I built knee braces out into the cockpit on two of the boats I’ve done. They are pretty easy to install, and once you have them in, it’s easy to trim them to a good size and to add a hook on the bottom with some minicell foam. Here are a couple of photos:



This one is my son’s boat

http://community.webshots.com/photo/133354146/2147545470050807370AFXbyN



And this one is my boat

http://community.webshots.com/photo/171970088/2914571720050807370vzRrbv

Knee Braces…Artic Tern
It’s an issue I’ll undoubtable have to address next season (having gotten a workable thin minicel seat fashioned along with hip braces)

I only wish there were a design which could slide out of the way for entry/exit and slide into place for paddling…The wishes of someone 63…

Coho thigh braces
When I made a Coho I went for a year attempting just minicell wedges under the coaming,no good.

Then I put in 3/8" thick pieces of roughly half oval ply 2 1/2" x 5" glued underneath and protruding into the cockpit like a keyhole,not good enough,THEN cut 3/4" off the oval and put a 1 1/2" piece angled DOWN about 45degrees for a hook,ahhh, just right.



Now if Pygmy redesigned the whole coaming so it sat on a recess,not just at the stern, the recess could have some thigh braces projecting into the cockpit,kill two birds with one stone,integral thigh braces and better coaming design without a two piece peak at the front.

I think we should call…
… that part of the Pygmy cockpit “Lee’s Peak” :wink:

Doncha think it’s anomalous?
the coaming comes to a sharp peak up at front just because that’s what the deck panels do,getting that peak down to the height of the deck would protect it better when the kayak is rolled on hard surfaces,besides it doesn’t make any sense for a skirt.

Lee’s Peak…
The one positive result of the peak is that you can recognize a Pygmy from a distance…

Mine is an “original” Tern so I have a peak front and rear, not all bad as I can lean back on it for a break.

If I do another Tern I thought about using the 14’s cockpit (smaller) and recessing the “Lee’s Peak”.

I’m really very happy with the boat for camping and fishing…

I’m trying to visualize that…
You used 3/8" oval shaped plywood and glued the wedges to them?

Some good ideas
It’s obvious some folks who’ve built pygmys found drawbacks to the design (by the novel and creative suggestions to remedy various items)

It almost sounds like there’s a ‘how to’ book or cottage industry waiting out there to remedy some of pygmys inherent design lapses before the boat is entirely built rather than add ons after.

sorry
try again,imagine a roughly rectangular piece of plywood,in this case 3/8" or 4mm with a couple layers of glass about 4" x 5", one side is half tear drop or ellipse,the shape inside the cockpit, the other 1 1/2" inces is glued under the coaoming. This leaves the 2 1/2"x5" piece visible and the other side glued in. For 3/8" ply you can taper the heck out of the underside. For 4mm taper the edge to the deck and lay down two or three layers of 6oz glass from underside of braces to underside of deck with one or two layers of glass to the inside edge of the coaming.



the dimensions aren’t exact