I'm 'only' 6'4" and 195 lbs. I had problems with numb legs at first. Then I discovered the trick of putting a semi-inflated paddle float under my legs. It did the trick. I shove it as far back towards my "sit bones" as possible. It's important to get is situated properly when launching, because it's pretty much impossible to adjust from in the cockpit. Now I can paddle long stretches and my legs stay awake and my rear end stays happy. Of course, after a long paddle (5 hours or more) my legs still stiffen up. When I get out of my boat I do so gingerly, and stretch a little before trying to take any steps. In my next boat I'm going to try sculpting a seat out of mini cell foam. I'm going to make sure there is as much support for my thighs as I have now with the paddle float. Having it there permanently will mean I won't have to worry about getting the right amount of air in the paddle float, or whether it's situated in exactly the right spot. Vaclav at One Ocean Kayaks has an excellent treatise on how to sculpt seats out of minicell foam. The URL is: http://oneoceankayaks.com/Wshophtm/kayakseat18a.htm *************************************************************************** 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 11 2003 - 11:07:12 PDT
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