I hope someone can help me. My problem is the arthritis in my spine is catching up with me and I’m not ready to give up paddling. I have a 17’ tempest, and have tried different types of backstraps and none seem to help. What I’m looking for is a drop in seat arrangement to fit my boat. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!!!
Closed cell foam
– Last Updated: Nov-03-09 7:59 PM EST –
Try some closed cell foam. NDK used to make a closed cell foam backrest I put in my Point 65 X-Ray and it is the most comfortable and supportive I have found. I have a Tempest 165 and the NDK backrest won't fit (too much space between the bulkhead and seat pan) , but it is pretty easy to make one that will. I have some low back issues and the closed cell foam supports my lower spine and seems to allow for more torso rotation than the stock Wildy backband. NRS sells larger blocks of foam that you can shape to fit the Tempest. It is a pretty cheap option compared to some of the backband kits on the market.
Please also consider our seat as a nice
– Last Updated: Nov-03-09 8:04 PM EST –
replacement ... The seat itself is super comfortable and allows for nice rotation + lends itself to customization. The part I believe you would like is the the firm support you can get with the supportive seat back. You can run it backed off or snug it up for full support while but still having good range of motion with less friction.
http://www.onnopaddles.com/components.html
Several options for mounting.
Another source of a replacement seat
is redfishkayak.com. Don’t know if it would permit rotation to the extent that Pat says the Onnopaddle seat will do.
What’s the issue?
Which part of the seat is the problem?
The WS seats are some of the most comfortable and easily adjustable and if that is not comfy for you, it would be hard to get a seat that is …
But, in the Tempest, the backband is fairly low. If that is your problem, you need a high-back support. You may be able to talk to your Wilderness Systems dealer and get a replacement for your WS Tempest seat with a seat from WS Tsunami - same bottom as far as I know, except the back is a firm pad adjustable for height and goes much higher than the backband in the Tempest. The WS seats are not available for sale, but I’m sure the right dealer can do a swap for you…
May be you can rig something-up temporarily to support your back and see if that is the problem before you go through the trouble of actually replacing the seat …
Onno seat is great
I switched out the seat in a Perception Carolina with an Onno seat and I love it. Pat tweaked the seat when he built it to make for an easy install. My only regret was not switching sooner.