Thigh Braces

Advice
#1

I have a QCC 400 without factory thigh braces and am ready to fit some minicell to form my own.



Few questions…


  1. I have found L200 and M200 Minicell (as well as some with no designation.) Which would be better to use for thigh braces? I’m thinking of starting with a section 3" thick by 6" wide by 12" long for each side and forming it to fit. Am I off base here?


  2. I’ve looked at Brian’s photos as well as a few others referred to here and have a good idea of how I want to form them. Any rule of thumb how far the brace should protrude past the cockpit combing into the cockpit area? I would assume it would depend on the girth of the thighs on the paddler?


  3. Is the idea to have your leg (from mid thigh to knee) evenly contact the foam below the deck? That would mean the foam that contacts the thigh would have to be tapered down toward the bow? Would I need to provide some hook down (where they protrude in past the combing) to keep the leg in position? From the pics I’ve seen there is no evident change in thickness where the inner thigh would contact the brace?



    I hope what I’m asking makes sense. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.



    Thanks in advance!
#2

have u checked this DIY site?
http://kayakfit.tripod.com/instructions.htm

#3

Yes
The prime objective is to make your kayak comfortable for you. To that end, just start carving and sanding until you get there. The absolute worst that could happen is you have to rip everything out and start again.



You should take a look at this site, in addition to Brian’s:



http://www.kayakfit.com/



To hit your questions:



M200 is a bit stiffer/firmer than L200. I think I used M200 for seat and thigh braces on my boat, but I really don’t remember. Either would probably be fine.



Your 3x6x12 sounds ok. Remember, you need sufficient area underneath the coaming lip to glue. Twelve inches long is maybe more than you need, but remember the prime objective.



I prefer to have my knee caps not touching anything, so my thigh braces stop a few inches short of my knees.



You can hook down if you want to. Very common for ww boats. I did it on my long boat. It’s not necessary to make it very pronounced, just enough of a curve to conform to the thigh will do.

#4

Lost that link


Thanks. I lost the link to that site. Good info on sizing and theory.