I wonder if the cockpit and hung seat are wider in EFT than in Thunderbolt. Or are they designed for the same fit?
Recently, I had an occasion to sit in X-par Missile kayak after Colorado River Race (http://users.frii.com/uliasz/wayfarer/dotsero.htm). A hung seat was removed and some sort of padding was used in that boat instead. The cockpit felt quite tight for my wide butt but I could get used to it. However, the “seat hangers” (extensions down from the cockpit coaming) were pocking into my hips. So, in order to paddle X-par Missile or Thunderbolt (which I am assuming is the same or very close in the cockpit width), I would have to cut off those hangers and used some other type of a seat. I am quite happy with a “bumfortable” seat in my Sisson.
Is the cockpit/seat wider in EFT than in Thunderbolt?
It doesn’t mean that I am decided about a new boat, but I am starting to feel limitations of my Sisson Nucleus at least in a more open water.
Tbolt/EFT seats
I would think that the EFT seat is wider than the Tbolt seat but give Doug a call to confirm. Dave Macadoo might also be able to answer your question, I think he has both boats.
I’ll Check
I have both an E.F.T. and a T-Bolt and will measure the seat width of both and let you know.
Or just call Doug who of course will know.
Love the hung seat!
I put duct tape over the screws & overlap of seat hanger. The ledge between hanger & coming was catching T-shirts. I have a standard hung seat in my T-bolt & it’s so comfortable that no pad is needed. Some of my other boats have a stick on pad from www.fastkayak.com
seats
Removed hung seat from t-bolt and now have just a piece of shaped whiite ethafoam covered by smooth gasket material that is loosely on seat to allow low drag as I rotate. Something like a rotating seat. The hung seat was tight on hips and gave greater stability but less speed. Hung seat in eft is a little snug. The icf seat mounted to bottom of boat is easy to adjust and will improve speed because you can easily move it forward for shallows. Maybe hung seat in eft is 1/2 in wider. Added thigh braces and bulkheads made of white ethafoam to both boats even though eft in understern. I love high visbility of unpainted kevlar for open water paddling. Why pay $300 extra for graphite to have it be 3# lighter and the add 2# of yellow paint. Bottom of kevlar is easy to see if upside down. For flatwater speed the icf seat from Doug is the way to go. Maybe you could add thigh pads for stability.