Dave Kruger wrote: > > Someone asked: > > > > Is there some reason I haven't thought of why > > > someone isn't producing an inflatable kayak seat. > > Could be that an inflatable seat would lead to a severe case of "mushy tushy," > the awkward feeling that your bottommost part is not firmly seated. I know I > was not happy with a small Thermarest cushion as my seat in one of my boats. > YMMV. > > I like my feet and upper thighs to be "locked in," and suspect that I would > lose some control of the boat if I had a really soft cushion under my butt. > > I also think some of the forward force my body exerts on the boat is produced > by the tush-hull contact, and with "mobility" down there, I might get chafing > with an inflatable seat. I agree with David on the mushy feeling. Nautiraids have inflatable seats. Depending on the model, some of them feel like a water bed underneath you and can be very disconcerting; as your boat yaws to one side, so does your seat and you get a double effect of the sway. You just don't feel secure on it or sufficiently solidly fitted in your cockpit. It works better with their doubles than their singles. And an effort has been made in later years to give the inflatable seats articulated covers with the semblance feel of individual air chambers and this has helped some; a row of individual air chambers (say three or four) would work best for something inflatble under you to get rid of that mushy and swaying feeling. I have an older Nautiraid with a sling seat made of hypalon and with an inflated backrest against a piece of supportive plywood. That feels pretty solid. I had some sciatic nerve problem awhile ago and started putting a Thermarest under the sling, the type of seat that does have foam in it as well as the ability to be slightly inflated. I use it with all the air out of it I can. The nerve problem is gone and when I remember I will just remove that foam seat and see if things are okay that way. ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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