Re: Cockpit Modifications

Posted by LeeG on Feb 4, 2008

re. thigh support. I'm assuming you are speaking of under thigh support as the muscles of your inner thighs are getting tired "suspending" your knees in an outward rotated position.

When you're paddling with moderate effort using abdominal and leg muscles the effort of paddling supports your thighs. Kind of like in cycling where your back is somewhat suspended with bent elbows, the effort of suspending your torso over the bars is dynamic with the effort of pedaling.

That said a few things can help, a sculpted seat like Joe Greenley sells, you can make your own easily with a 2'x2'x3" block of minicell from CLC. Putting in heel stops so the effort of driving the kayak forward goes through your full foot and not just the balls of your feet. Conditioning your body to sit comfortably in that position. Sit on the floor against your couch and practice sitting up pulling your back away from the couch rotating your hips down. Keep doing that regularly just to develop the postural muscles.

ok,,real thigh braces for kayaks. When you're sitting in the kayak rotate your bent knee up under the deck until it touches. Get some wedges of minicell and put them in so that your knee/thighs press against the minicell and not the wood deck. Eventually you'll glue them in. With 17LT you might have the minicell 1" thick tapering to nothing over 4-5". It's up to you. When your legs are relaxed your thighs could drop down an inch or so from the minicell. Experiment. You can duct tape things in until you want them permanent.

In Response to: Re: Cockpit Modifications by David on Feb 4, 2008

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