G'Day, Help! Last week I increased the thickness of the knee pads in my boat to get better knee lift. During flat water paddling my knees are just barely in contact with the pads. The improvement in boat control is substantial but now sometimes (not always) after an hours paddling my legs get very cramped. Moving them about one at a time in the space between the pedals helps a bit but not enough and I wouldn't want to do this in a rough sea. The cramps don't always happen but when they do getting out of the boat can be embarassing as the legs have gone to sleep and sunbakers would be forgiven for thinking there was one drunken kayaker falling up the beach. Heaven help me if I tried to get out in the surf in that condition! Can anyone help with suggestions for exercises or foot wear or something? I don't want to reduce the knee pad thickness as it makes a world of difference to boat control. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Original Message----- From: PeterO >G'Day, > >Help! Last week I increased the thickness of the knee pads in my boat to get >better knee lift. Peter, My guess is that your new leg position is causing your rear end to put pressure on a nerve resulting in the legs falling asleep feeling. You might try padding the front of your seat to give more support to your legs. Surf landing with your legs asleep can result in a face plant in the sand. (been there, done that! ) A word of warning. Sometimes when people add padding to the knees it changes your sitting position enough to effect your ability to roll. In my whitewater kayaking days one time I bought a new boat that had a much lower deck than my old boat. Luckily I tried a practice roll in flat water before I took it into rapids. I discovered that with the lower deck I had less leverage with my knees and I had to modify my technique before I could smoothly roll it. I would suggest a few practice rolls before heading out . Bob ----- *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
>Help! Last week I increased the thickness of the knee pads in my boat to get >better knee lift. During flat water paddling my knees are just barely in >contact with the pads. The improvement in boat control is substantial but >now sometimes (not always) after an hours paddling my legs get very cramped. >Can anyone help with suggestions for exercises or foot wear or something? I >don't want to reduce the knee pad thickness as it makes a world of >difference to boat control. Peter, I don't understand why you made you knee pads thicker. Knee braces provide boat control by "hooking" around the knee and thigh. The thicker you make the braces the less range of motion you have with your legs which increases your chance of having cramps and discomfort. I always make my knee braces out of a block of foam that is 3 inches thick when I start but when I'm finished the area where my knee cap fits is only 1/4 inch thick. The sides of the brace wrap over the thigh and knee and that is where the boat control comes from. Maybe you have seen the photos on the www.kayakfit.com web site. Some of those pictures show the "hook" that I'm talking about. Carve more out of the foam so you can get more bend in your knees. I don't think exercise or footwear will help. Rex *************************************************************************** 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'm going to second this post. I made new thigh braces for my Gulfstream last fall. I found that my roll was way off with the new ones, even though I thought they were thinner than my old one. Any change on the grip on your boat will effect your roll. I'm almost having to relearn to roll with these new braces. I'd also say that it may be your need support in front of your seat or it may be that your legs are too straight or a combination of the two. There is such a thing is too snug. That can easily make your legs go to sleep. I had this happen, again, with the new braces. I have taken them down to almost nonexistent on the top and just the hook on the inside to get rid of just this problem. I LOVE the comfortable feel of the tight fit but for prolonged paddling, it just doesn't work. I had to give up and actually go back to the looser fit. Good luck. Joan In a message dated 12/30/01 2:16:29 AM, revkayak_at_mtaonline.net writes: << My guess is that your new leg position is causing your rear end to put pressure on a nerve resulting in the legs falling asleep feeling. You might try padding the front of your seat to give more support to your legs. Surf landing with your legs asleep can result in a face plant in the sand. (been there, done that! ) A word of warning. Sometimes when people add padding to the knees it changes your sitting position enough to effect your ability to roll. In my whitewater kayaking days one time I bought a new boat that had a much lower deck than my old boat. Luckily I tried a practice roll in flat water before I took it into rapids. I discovered that with the lower deck I had less leverage with my knees and I had to modify my technique before I could smoothly roll it. I would suggest a few practice rolls before heading out . >> *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 12/29/2001 9:45:52 PM Pacific Standard Time, rebyl_kayak_at_iprimus.com.au writes: > Last week I increased the thickness of the knee pads in my boat to get > better knee lift. During flat water paddling my knees are just barely in > contact with the pads. The improvement in boat control is substantial but > now sometimes (not always) after an hours paddling my legs get very > cramped. Peter 'O, The problem might be that with the thicker knee pads, your knees are lower, making the front edge of your seat to high, causing too much pressure on the veins and nerves on the underside of you thighs and resulting in the cramping. If this is the case, you will have to lower the front of your seat or figure out another way to rig some knee bracing that allows your knees to be higher. I recently had this problem myself and was able to resolve by the later method. Duane So Cal <A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/pirateseakayaker/squares.html">Duane's Survival Squares</A> *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
G'Day and thanks Bob and Rex, Rev Bob Carter wrote: - >My guess is that your new leg position is causing your rear >end to put pressure on a nerve resulting in the legs falling >asleep feeling. You might try padding the front of your seat >to give more support to your legs. Surf landing with your legs >asleep can result in a face plant in the sand. Bob, Sounds like a very credible solution so I'm off to try it in our smoke filled harbour. Rolling is still OK although trying to graduate from a Pawlata to a screw roll is occasionally confusing. Re stumbling on the beach, I think Sandy or Marinell still have some photo's of me flat in the mud at Long Island!! Rex wrote: - >I don't understand why you made you knee pads thicker. Knee >braces provide boat control by "hooking" around the knee and >thigh. The thicker you make the braces the less range of >motion you have with your legs which increases your chance of >having cramps and discomfort. Rex, A case of my ignorance is not bliss:~) Your solution may explain why I can feel pressure on the inside knee when trying carved turns. Thanks also for the web site reference. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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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