The plaster method is the one that many boat builders use and probably why their seats fit some people really well and others so poorly. One of the problems with the foam method suggested is that the foam gets bloody hot and you can get some rather severe burns to delicate parts if you sit down on it while it is curing. Also it doesn't really foam uniformly. I recommend you stay away from the foam. When I did the plaster method, I wore a tight fitting swim suit and smeared it with Vaseline. It worked nicely but you have to be somewhat careful not to put all your weight on it while it is curing because your butt will flatten out a bit in you will get too much contact around your ischeal tuberosities (Spelling?). The way the experts do it is to build a seat with thousands of pressure sensors. They measure the pressure all over the seat and then adjust the seat to reduce local pressures that might cause discomfort. Two years ago I worked on a racing canoe for paraplegics. These guys really know about seats. If you are interested in the world's most comfortable seat, hie yourself down to one of those stores that specializes in devices for the handicapped. They may have one of the air filled gismos that is used by wheel chair athletes (looks like a bunch of black peanuts on end stuck to a pad) Talk about heaven! They are expensive. There are foam alternatives made by some small companies that are close to being as good but less expensive. They mix and match different foam densities to get the proper support for all your parts. (Your butt is a complicated thing when you hear the experts talk about it). Cheers John Winters Redwing Designs Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft http://home.ican.net/~735769/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Jan 29 1998 - 05:59:54 PST
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