From: <skylakeboatworks_at_yahoo.com> > Is there a relation between flexibility and numb legs? > Possibly, but I'm not so sure. I have three kayaks and all are different. The WW kayak puts my legs to sleep fast! It's a tight fit and my feet are wedged into place. There isn't a WW kayak made today that'll fit my legs/feet. I look in the newest shorty playboats and don't even want to think about getting into one. One hour max in that boat. My old Solstice GTHV is one of the bigger kayaks made. Lots of room in the cockpit. My feet are likely to go to sleep if I wear rigid-soled paddling shoes and less so with soft-soled footwear. My legs can last a reasonable amount of time, but not all day - I need a stretch break every few hours. When I looked in the cockpit of the Ellesmere I recently bought, I figured I'd have to rip out the seat and change all the outfitting. It is a tiny bucket of a seat with a high seat front under the thighs. Under the deck I have _just_ enough room for my feet and the legs fit ok. Much to my surprise, it is the most comfortable kayak I've ever paddled. I have yet to have any part of my body go to sleep (well... the brain). I don't need to take breaks and taking my feet off the pegs to straighten them is superfluous. Longest time without break so far is over three hours. Some folks will point to the high seat front as the reason. I've heard many say that support under the thighs is important. I can't honestly say that's true in this case. There is barely any contact with the seat at that point and I feel that if it was higher, it would annoy me. Fit of the cockpit is the biggest issue, I think. Not too tight and not too loose is probably right. No pressure points and no awkward twists in the legs/feet/spine. If you're really stiff, stretching will no doubt help. Experiment with the fit and have someone judge your paddling position as well - no slumping and no leaning too far forward. Mike *************************************************************************** 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 Sun May 27 2001 - 17:50:41 PDT
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