Years ago Ocean Kayaks (Scupper etc.) was recommending and selling (I think) waders as garments for paddling their sit-on-top kayaks in colder weather. I don't know what their recommendations are now and I have never tried it myself. Back then I did question Tim Nemier (the then owner) about the possibility of flooding the waders but he said it wasn't a problem if using a belt like they recommended. It may be possible to find two part foam that isn't so rock hard as Kevin has been using. They used to use foam with some give in custom foam fit ski boots years ago and one former boot fitter turned kayak seat maker fit me into a Nigel Foster Shadow one day five years ago to show me how it worked for kayak seat fitting. If I recall correctly the foam had a little give and he expanded it inside a bladder that already had the neoprene wet suit material on the side that was going to be next to me. It definitely improved the fit of the "big guys wide seat" in the Shadow for me. Kevin neglected to say you should have the neoprene wetsuit you might want wear as well as the neoprene you plan to glue on later in place while foaming or you may make the seat width too tight once the neoprene is later glued on. I know, how about wearing the waders and foaming entire the rest of the cockpit area. Talk about the ultimate in control, not having to pump out in a reentry, as well as super insulation against the cold. The waders could be left in place in the cockpit and you would slip into them and really wear your kayak. Just a thought while composing the title for this dual purpose post. ;-) Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 02:36 AM 4/11/01 -0700, Matt Broze wrote: >It may be possible to find two part foam that isn't so rock hard as Kevin >has been using. They used to use foam with some give in custom foam fit ski >boots years ago and one former boot fitter turned kayak seat maker fit me >into a Nigel Foster Shadow one day five years ago to show me how it worked >for kayak seat fitting. If I recall correctly the foam had a little give and >he expanded it inside a bladder that already had the neoprene wet suit >material on the side that was going to be next to me. There was a variety of molded fit techniques in use for ski boots in the mid 70's. Some had an injections system that blew foam into the boat at the shop just after you bought them. Others had a soft foam that would mold to your feet with pressure. I bought a used pair Hanson Exhibition boots (also one of the first rear entry boots) from a guy in Colorado for $40. They had a plastic bag filled with a soft wax. The bag was between the outer shell and a 1/2" wide soft black rubber "bootie". When I first bought them I had to use a hair dryer to soften the wax a bit and get a reasonably comfortable fit. After using them one day, just the heat from my foot molded the wax so that they fit like a second skin. I used those boot for 8 years and just loved them up. Eventually the rubber bootie started to deteriorate and one day, on a cold morning at Squaw Valley I tried pulling them on and one of the booties just ripped in half. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I had thought of this Matt and was wondering how easy it was to contour with abrasives after it was applied. Matt Broze wrote: > Kevin neglected to say you should have the neoprene wetsuit you might want > wear as well as the neoprene you plan to glue on later in place while > foaming or you may make the seat width too tight once the neoprene is later > glued on. > -- ¤ Gabriel L Romeu ¤ http://studiofurniture.com + /diary or + /paint *************************************************************************** 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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