Dare I chime in here? I think you have to balance between comfort, seaworthiness, and bracing when choosing a cockpit. While I have tried an "ocean cockpit" in a NDK Greenlander, for me it is too tough to get in and out of, and would take significant modification to make it good for me to brace in. On the other hand, I am enamored of what is generally termed a "keyhole cockpit," which is I believe is a modification of the whitewater cockpit. This is on many kayaks, including NDKs. It is longer than the ocean cockpit, but has flanges that come up over the thighs to allow good bracing. You get in one leg at a time. In this cockpit I need only some thin padding for the thighs and for the knees, and some hip pads on the fiberglass seats. (I am considering adding a knee tube, but I'm not sure yet.) With a good neoprene deck on a sprayskirt, this should hold you in and stand up to a wave dumping on your lap. Of course, I haven't yet tried Doug's "The acid test for me, is to suspend my Nordkapp upside-down in straps, then climb in (a dry re-entry and roll). If I can hang there after letting go of all props, then I know it is a secure fit." :) Doug, please post a picture of you doing this! BTW, thanks to Rex for that pointer to his www.kayakfit.com website. I had not heard of it, and it is fantastic. I am looking at this issue as I wait for my kayak to arrive. Gabriel Romeu also has a good site for this. My wife Jacqueline went yesterday to kayak on the Dead Sea with Nigel Dennis and our club. She had a great time: salt formations, hot springs, and the famous Dead Sea medicinal mud! Kayaking tomorrow will make three times this week! Best wishes, Josh in Ra`anana ============================================================================== Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum, Research Fellow Tel: [972] 3-640-6448 Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and Fax: [972] 3-641-5802 African Studies Tel Aviv University Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978 Israel E-mail:teitelba_at_ccsg.tau.ac.il www.dayan.org ============================================================================== *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Jan 11 2001 - 01:13:03 PST
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