Peter Treby asked: <<I wonder if anyone agrees that the so called "Ocean" sized cockpit is safer and more seaworthy than anything larger?>> <snip> Peter, The ocean cockpit is far superior, bar none, when it comes to remaining firmly ensconced in your sea kayak -- well, for me anyway. It obviously decreases the chance for skirt implosion (all things being equal, which is always, however). The down side is ease of exit and entry, including the implications for ease of self-recue being impinged. 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. Having said all that, one might want to consider WW river kayaks, which have a larger opening footprint than the ocean cockpit in question. If any one wanted to remain in a kayak in wild water, surly it is the Class IV paddler. They gain their secure purchase from proper thigh bracing. The ocean cockpit achieves the same goal by moving the deck closed to your torso, thereby rendering greater purchase for one's knees. I found the stock set-up not enough, and as you may have read in the past, I augmented my Nordkapp with a custom built knee tube that looks like an upside-down turtle shell, glassed into place just above my knees. I am always only micr seconds away from a solid knee brace, bilateral or otherwise, when I "kneed" it. :-) The type of stuff I paddle in demands the availability of a secure seating arrangement, and one that provides all day comfort in the most challenging of conditions. I do know that not everybody likes the knee-press position for bracing, as it can be difficult with respect to pressure points. I'm very relaxed in rough water, and only press hard during extreme maneuvering are heavy breaking seas/boomers. I laid the glass up specifically so it had some give to it, yet did not impair the overall integrity of the knee-tube. Other paddlers much prefer thigh bracing as their pet methodology. I find the "birthing position" causes too much inner thigh strain for my shorter, stocky legs. In some respects, I wonder how much all this matters to many PW'ers anyway. I see a lot of talk about velcro seat fasteners. I found out the hard way that this is not a seaworthy, safe way of securing a seat, yet many do. Overall, I agree with the majority of PW'ers who maintain that it is a matter of optimizing the fit of what you have, and suiting it to your individual requirements, rather than delineating the performance characteristics by size of cockpit. As well, I was under the impression that larger cockpits were often for larger paddlers, which bring us back to relativity. My wife who is not large and is short torsoed, loves her new smaller cockpit, as compared to some of the other arrangements we have tried in the past. You can also fabricate your own thigh brace extensions using a curved form with lots of cloth and glass, and epoxy it into place after, then pad out. If someone will volunteer, I will e-mail that person a couple of pics of my modified-concept knee-tube set-up, as I don't have a web site to post to for your viewing perusal. they in turn could post the site. I dunno. DL *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Doug Lloyd wrote: > > You can also fabricate your own thigh brace extensions using a > curved form with lots of cloth and glass, and epoxy it into place after, > then pad out. If you paddle a plastic boat, it's fairly easy to add thigh hooks from a WW boat. Add foam to suit. I removed the original thigh braces from my Sea Lion and installed ones from a Pirouette. Also installed some Dagger thigh braces into a friend's Narpa. Much more secure for busy water and rolls. -- Steve Cramer *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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