Message-Id: <199706301433.HAA19335@ns1.intelenet.net>
From: Wolfgang Brinck <wolfgang.brinck@hksystems.com>
Subject: Re: new baidarka, numb legs and toes
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 97 9:39:35 CDT
In-Reply-To: <01IKNT7VTWSO96XXK6@MAIL-CLUSTER.PCY.MCI.NET>; from "snewell" at Jun 29, 97 10:30 pm
>
((((((((((snip))))))))))))
> The boat is a little tippy but secondary stability is good. The only
> problem that I have with the boat is that my feet and legs go numb after
> sitting in it for 30 minutes or more. I put floor boards under the ribs at
> the seat and heels and have tried using a 3/4" foam pad for seat cushioning
> but without improvement. Help!
>
>
> Scott Newell
>
I have built some boats without floorboards and am finding that some kind
of pad directly on ribs seems to be more comfortable than the floorboards
A freefloating pad seems to conform to your anatomy and is less likely to
produce pressure points which cut circulation and cause numbness.
It is more comfortable to not have boards at the heels as well, although
the tradeoff is that your heels might dimple the skin.
One of my friends has this special system
where he rolls his foam pad so it supports the backs of his knees, putting
his legs up and apparently helping with comfort.
I think the key to comfort is to have some range of motion for your legs.
Whitewater people seem to endorse the shoehorn principle where you
wedge yourself tightly into your boat. But I don't think they sit in
their boats as long as sea kayakers do, so a looser boat is probably
more appropriate to sea kayaking.
Also remember that kayak cultures trained their young in kayak sitting
so that when they became adults, they were less likely to have problems.
I think that the truth of the matter is that the human body was not made
to sit wedged into a kayak.
Wolfgang