I have a foam seat in my kayak, which restricts free rotation due to the foam material. In the warmer months I’ve used two pairs of shorts - a bike and swim shorts and they mostly do the trick.
I’ll be using my dry pants in that seat for a first time this weekend during a local race and I suspect I would want a more slippery contact than what I would get this way.
Any suggestions to make the seat more slippery so my buttocks can move around during the stroke? I won’t have much time to experiment before tomorrow, so looking for ideas to try on the spot. May be I’ll put the pair of shorts on top of the try pants… I’ve seen some sit on top of a plastic bag but that might slip ot of position after some time on the water.
Other ideas for a quick fix? Thanks!
Grease is slick and waterproof.
You said short term.
Hmmm…
I could use some 0-W40 synthetic oil leftovers from my car that won’t thicken even in cold temps. But clean-up would be tough -
glue on some nylon?
How about covering the foam with a scrap of nylon fabric?
lube
take a large plastic bag, spray PAM inside it, and sit on top. The two layers should slide easily.
BTW…I have not tried it. If you do, let us know if it works
It’s torso rotation…
...not spinning on your butt.
Try rotating at your waist.
Freya Hoffmeister’s Technique?
Though that might work better in August… but I bet you’d get a lot of interest as a new racer.
Torso Rotation pic
torso rotation
While I have a nice comfy non-slick seat I do know at least one BCU 5 coach that prefers a non padded, slick seat to improve rotation. Not that he or anyone has the corner on the technique market, but enough that I don’t dismiss the idea of a slick seat for better form.
Paddling like that guy with a slick seat
should give you great abs,and butt blisters.
All of 'em
Why not wear the bike and swim shorts inside the drypants.
Mostly
Of course it´s mostly torso rotation. But there must be some reason why professional racers use rotating seats.
Slippery seat
That’s why fibreglass seats are so good, it enables good rotation from the torso down through the hips. I have known some people to glue light sailcloth material to their seat to provide some slipperiness.
Both
Actually, there is a really big difference if I can or can’t slide my buttoncks back and forth. With knees high and together, sliding the buttocks back and forth at every stroke is easy and really the only “right” way to do. Actually, minimizing torso twisting is one of the goals - why twist excessively if you do not have to…
I’m not that serious of a racer, just I’m so used at sliding in the seat that when I can’t do it easily I feel I lose several inches of the best paddle travel section on each side…
In my other kayak I have a slippery plastic seat and sometimes top that off with a thick gel pad that makes it more comfy but still allows me to rotate my butt well. I’ll try the two-layer plastic bag tomorrow to see how it feels.
Freya?
What is she is doing on the slipper butt topic? Ihave not seen that info …
I’ve came across mentions online about some of her other and more “revealing” paddling habits that. But if performed by someone like me, that will probably have the opposite effect on onlookers compared to when she does what she does -
It’s both
Serious racers use the torso muscles as well as leg muscles to do the heavy work, instead of the arms, for moving the paddle. They flex their legs to pivot their hips as well as twist their torso.
Ragnar
Bag Lady
I had the same problem with a foam seat and it bugged me a lot. The Bag Lady can make you a neoprene seat cover, or maybe you can make one yourself. You can ask about neoprene fabric at a diving store. Or maybe call Chota—they sent me large piece of extra material with my mukluks. I never did figure out what it was for, but it was about the size of a seat.
No padding is better
You won’t get butt blisters with a well designed fibreglass seat, you will just slip nicely for rotation.Neoprene won’t help 'cos thats just as grippy as the original padding. Which is also why a wetsuit isn’t a help, it grips the seat too much and prevents rotation.
Geoff
emergency slippery.
20 or 30 gallon garbage bag… double it and place on seat… OK, this is if you have to race tomorrow, nothing permanent.
Thanks - race is over -
Not cold enough, so just used my regular 2-layer of shorts…