where should thigh braces be for

getting the most out of your roll? I am making new ones as i write this and got stuck already. Should they be mid way between hip and thigh. The ones i had wouldn’t move back off my knee enough and my seat pan doesn’t move either.I am short! So here i am , trying to customize like a blind man doing a bar-b-q.



Thanks,

Pam

what kind of boat?
…and what kind of roll? Take a look at the greenland rolling thread.



I like relying on only a masik and a tightly padded seat (yet I don’t use a GP). You can carve a masik out of a foam block pretty easily.



Here’s one in wood:



http://startkayakingblog.com/greenland-kayak-2011-build-schedule-skirts-skins-group-to-start-kayaking/

No one rule

– Last Updated: May-26-12 6:33 AM EST –

For most people, the thigh braces on most commercially made kayaks is somewhere on the lower thigh but not at the knee. Naturally the paddlers height determines this.

Sit in your cockpit and put you hand under the coaming and over your thigh and experiment to see what feels best for you. You will get more power from your torso twists if its not too far forward towards the knee. Personally, I like them about 5 inches back from the knee.

It’s OK to experiment
Surf Kayakers do a lot of outfitting and experimenting. With contact near your knee if your hips are anchored in a tight fitting seat (and seat belt for the real bonzai types) you get more leverage for driving the rolling knee down, which turns the boat over. In practice most people have more contact closer to mid thigh. If you custom form your braces from closed cell foam you can move them around and experiment for what works for you.

It’s a P+H Scorpio LV
i am doing Greenland rolling. Working on the froward finish and next the storm roll

I bought some from junk boat
They touch my knee and lower thigh. You need rugged bolts and large washers to keep them from pulling thru

being a plastic rimmed cockpit…it
flexes A LOT. How do i keep it stable?

this is what I did

– Last Updated: May-25-12 3:42 PM EST –

What seadart suggests is how I settled on a minimalist approach (masik). But the point is to try different things and see what you like best. Some people like a tight fit, others like a looser fit.

I'm not sure I'd worry too much about the flex. But please don't go bolting thigh braces to the underside of your deck, you'll regret it.

It had a bolt there from the factory.
I was just using what already exist. Hmmm. It’s so hard to know.

Careful of tight fit if you’re short
You don’t need a super-tight fit to roll if your technique is good. My experience as a short person is that too-aggressive knee/thigh braces force my legs apart, put pressure on the backs of my thighs, and trigger debilitating sciatica.

ooooh, don’t want that,
as they are now , they are at my knee.If i slip just a little i have no purchase.Hope that makes sense.I’m thinking that i have a plan though.

Seat
I’m a believer in moving seats. Do you think your local shop could move it for you?