Agree with this and would add
that you should be able to find a position for your legs and feet that changes the position for everything enough that you can avoid pain and stiffness, at least for a while. So move your feet to the space between the foot pegs (assuming there is room) and stretch your legs out, moving them back and forth the way you would if they were on the pedals. There should always be “wiggle room”. WW boaters need to be tight in their boats but sea kayakers do not.
maybe is the LV
I have 3 kayaks.
I also have chunky legs (from cycling).
In my higher deck kayaks (#1) I can paddle all day.
On my lower deck one (#2)I can only padle for an hour or so before my legs kill me.
In the LV (#2) my legs are more stretched out and have little bend at the knees.
Both LV and HV have the same seat (same brand kayak).
The best comfort is in my real high deck one(#3) where I can paddle with my knees closer together and at higher angle.
Ocean paddler reviewed the Explorer HV and recomended that boat over the standard Explorer for most paddlers.
Having a higher knee position allows for more comfort and better efficiency when paddling.
But hey, the LV is great fun for precise control in surf and tight places. Better roller too. I feel like I am “wearing” the kayak.
Rockpool seems to have higher decks for more comfort in the knee area…
Do you stretch?
I had sprained my knee, so it gets really tight anyways if i don’t stretch on a regular basis. But i also find that when i am slacking off on my stretching, both knees can get sore when pushed into thigh braces, which is a position you don’t normally sit in for long periods of time. maybe try some stretching and see if it helps
ther isn’t enough room in this boat
to have your feet go straight up and down. i have never had a knee injury and am 45 yrs. young. so it baffles me a little. i try to keep stretching as i’m going along.
maybe i need
to have the shop i bought it at go thru’ it again with me.i’m back down there again for an aca class in a a few weeks.
should my thighs always be in contact
with the thigh braces? or only when i need the control to edge etc…?
just learning all that
i have only had this boat about 1 month. never knew any of this with a rec yak. so i am still trying to figure it out.
thigh braces
Your legs should not be pressed up into the braces at all times. Your foot and leg position should allow your legs to rest just below the braces during most paddling. I only engage my thigh braces when edging, rolling, bracing, etc - that’s to say, rarely.
Old school
of thought was outfitting to the point where everything is tight, like you would for a ww boat. That really hampers your movement in the boat and your ability to control the boat with subtle shifts in weight distribution. I prefer a very loose fit where the boat isn’t always stuck on me, but I am able to make it stick to me when needed. Generally, I paddle with my thighs about 1 inch below the braces. When I press my butt check into the seat to edge the boat my opposite thigh begins to move up toward the thigh brace. The deeper I edge the boat the closer I get to contact with the thigh brace.
I probably should only use the thigh braces when rolling, but I’m not there yet in my technique and find myself, on occasion, lifting my knee to edge the boat. Fortunatley, this is tiring and I recognise it fairly quickly and return to controlling the boat with my sits bones.
Try a crossing in a beam wind and control your direction just by edging and sweep strokes (no cheating by using a skeg or rudder). You’ll learn very quickly that it’s painful to hold a boat on edge for a long time using your knees and thighs.
Best,
~wetzool
knees
I’ve been paddling for around 10 or so years and the first few paddles in the spring I get the same problem. Goes away after awile, takes time in the boat for the bod to get used to the odd position they force you into. Worse in low volume boats that I happen to like.
Bill H.
You want to look under his skirt?
No
As above, not always in contact, though if you have the Scorpio LV it may be quite close. You should find out in the class about using you weight shift, side to side, to help edge the boat so you aren’t locking your legs so much.
I suspect though that your first cure may be to make sure those thigh braces are adjusted well back from your knees, so they aren’t pressing into the tendons and muscles that are close around the knees.
will have
that checked also. i am trying paddling booty’s as opposed to thicker sandals also. that may give me more wiggle room for my feet.and maybe some relief if i can stretch better.
it’s set up like that.
so i think it’a ok as far as that.
great to know
that’s what i need to hear. so much of this style of kayaking is new to me, that i’m not sure what should feel like what. it helps to hear that it’s the same for other people. helps me narrow down what i really need to address.i’m trying a paddle booty to give me more room to wiggle my feet.thought that might help also.
definitely.
– Last Updated: Jun-11-09 9:01 AM EST –
Gotta ditch the sandles. Nothing is worse than tevas in a sea kayak, IMO. All sole and no support.
Also, try to remember to do some stretching or yoga every morning or evening. Regular stretching helped eliminate some kayak-induced stiffness I was having in my previously injured knee
adapting
It’s amazing sometimes how much the body can adapt to things, and how quickly it can do it. This is my first year with a necky chatham 17, which for me at 6’2" and 215 lbs is quite low volume, and the first 2 trips out in it i could barely get my legs under the thigh braces to hook them in, and my left leg was constantly falling asleep. Now i’m probably 7 or 8 trips in and i seem to have streched out to fit snugly into the space that’s in the boat, and my toes only get a little tingly every once in a while.
Sandals and stretching
Agree with Nate - sandals are a rotten idea in a kayak over long paddling. The straps also represent a a risk of trapping your foot on a corner of the footpeg, even the ones that fit closely and have closed toes like the Keenes. You had some wiggle room for that risk in the rec boat - literally - but not in a full out sea kayak.
As to stretching out in the boat - assuming you have foot pegs that’s the easy part. Drop your feet completely out of the foot pegs every hour for a bit, maybe every half hour while you are still sore, and let your legs lie along the bottom of the boat however they wish.
i think i’ve been
in the boat about 9 times now, and i have to say that i already have noticed the tingling in my feet to be better also. i was talking to someone with some experience today and the place that i paddle is always rougher waters, always a wind. so i am constantly up on the balls of my feet, with my thighs tucked up under the braces… the wind never really falls off where i paddle unless it’s at sundown or sunup. so maybe as i learn more about this type of boat i will learn to use my body to manipulate the boat more than just my feet and thighs…i mean i’m sure i’m doing it more than i am aware. plus i might be tense and just don’t think i am.well, guess i have a lot homework this summer. now i see why people have so many yaks!
Help for knees…
– Last Updated: Jun-13-09 11:22 AM EST –
Good advice above from celia and others regarding contact with braces. I ditched my tevas after 15 minutes in a sea kayak also. One thing I would suggest...I'm 47 with knee issues. My knees bother me a lot when I sit still for long periods of time (airplanes, driving, meetings, dinners, etc). My orthopedist suggested that I do leg lifts (lie on the floor, hands under butt, feet together, raise legs straight and hold a few inches off the ground). This strengthens the muscles around the knee joint, especially lower quads, and helps stabilize the kneecap. I have missing and worn cartilage in the track where the kneecap rides up and down. When there is an imbalance in muscle strength, the kneecap tends to get pulled to one side or the other, causing rubbing/pressure point leading to knee pain. They were a great help to me, and I can paddle for hours without pain. Side benefit is strengthening of core muscles that leg lifts provide to lower abdomen.
Give it a try. Cheap option with only an upside. Carry some advil too. (middle aged vitamins)