Thread: Comfort

I wish I could help with that one, but to be honest, that was one thing I looked at when I got my yak. Maybe you can try putting some an old life jacket collar on it or something like that. Maybe bubble wrap?

You know, I'm getting older, but I have a lot of pain in my left hip after only a short time in my yak. Always the left. I wonder if it is the placement of my feet because of the molded indentions of the foot brace?

Help me out here,what is the purpose for foot braces? I have a nucanoe,which has no foot braces,are they really benificial?

They are beneficial for hard paddling or for rough waters. They also help stiffen up that area of the kayak. I am not a fan of them, but I do like foot pegs on a sliding track.

Try some minicel foam to pad, or pool noodle. DAP/Weldwood contact cement (red can) on both foam and roughed up plastic, let dry 5 minutes, then press together.

With two years of kayaking, I have met few others who don't suffer at some level, with "pressure points" issues. It can affect any part of your body and in influenced by numerous factors, from dominant side (LT or Rt) to your wallet placed in one pocket or the other.
Chiropractors will tell you that your body tends to guard itself by muscles constantly adjusting to compensate for fatigue, injuries or weaknesses in body structure. An example could be as simple as me being right handed thus pulling harder on the right side as I paddle. In doing so, I am then leveraging my body elsewhere in the kayak as a brace point, thus it could affect my hip, my back, and so on.
As for the foot braces: I was told that while they may feel good at one location when you start, they feel worthless by end of day on the water. Try moving them at times, shifting your "brace points". may even try them at different places (not straight across) to again shift away from a sore spot. I carry a thinner boat bumper and a towel in my "sit-in-side" kayak to change the resting angle of legs, behind my knees, for example. Some kayaks tend to force you into a position and that's it due to the molding of the plastic or the lack of adjustments in seat, foot pads and such. Adding a 1/2 thick folded towel to your seat can make a big difference after a few hours of fishing. Changes a lot of angles and re-positions your body.
A section of one of those pool noodles, between your ankle and side of boat can again, change positions and add cushion. Maybe a length across the boat bottom at your ankles will shift enough to help.
No two persons built the same.... look for ways to take care of those pressure points. In the medical world, persons who are in bed for extended time are re-positioned every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to avoid this same issue. failing to do so can cause the skin, muscles and joints to compensate, even to point of "bed sores"! And the poor soul isn't even catching fish....

Originally Posted by ET Fish

You know, I'm getting older, but I have a lot of pain in my left hip after only a short time in my yak. Always the left. I wonder if it is the placement of my feet because of the molded indentions of the foot brace?

I had that issue too. I just chalked it up to being old. But I bought a 1" EVA foam seat cushion for $7 at Dick's (the kind you use at stadium bleachers) to make my yak's seats a little more comfortable for longer sessions. It accomplished that and it also made the hip issue go away. For me, I think it was a matter of sitting just a little bit higher up.


D7

Perhaps the seat height is why my kayak doesn't have foot braces.Nucanoes have the ability to use higher seat bases,allowing the user to sit in a more conventional boat style position.

Yep.... The little things make a difference.
dumeril7 adding the cushion is about like me adding a towel to the seat! I say keep trying the little things until you reach a point of satisfaction. Then modify as needed, on a more permanent bases! (Measure Twice and cut once!)