Looking for some advice regarding numbness or lack of circulation in my legs when paddling...and the resulting peglegging when I hit the beach: I'm 6'8" tall, 250 lbs, paddling a Current Designs Storm (yeah, plastic), slightly modified to accommodate my size (seat moved back slightly, footpegs moved forward, thigh braces removed), 1/8" foam padding on seat. Problem occurs both with a FJ wetsuit on - or without. Have always been wearing fairly tight neoprene booties when this happens (the only footwear I can get on and still get into my boat). I have trouble maintaining circulation in my legs - and I can't move around much to help while on the water. This will sound weird but when I hit the beach and get out of my boat my legs 'feel' fine - but when I try to take my first step, my leg(s) - usually just my right) many times just flops there or the knee 'locks' as I take my first step...peg leg style. If I didn't catch my balance, I'd topple over backwards into the drink!! I'm sure my first few steps look pretty funny. I'm wondering if the wise and experienced PWers have some advice or solutions for me - aside from buying or building a new custom boat....which I've thought of but isn't faring well in the budget hearings! Thanks in advance, Keith Keith Wrage 1925 Sandalwood Drive Onalaska, WI 54650 (608) 781-3441 (608) 317-7550 (cell) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
sounds like pinching of your ciatic nerve. try the under thigh supports as is illustrated in the Romany cockpit on the outfitting site below. Had the same problem, this fixed it. You may try a temporary fix with an inflatable paddlefloat. g > > > I have trouble maintaining circulation in my legs - and I can't move > around much to help while on the water. This will sound weird but > when I hit the beach and get out of my boat my legs 'feel' fine - but > when I try to take my first step, my leg(s) - usually just my right) > many times just flops there or the knee 'locks' as I take my first > step...peg leg style. If I didn't catch my balance, I'd topple over > backwards into the drink!! I'm sure my first few steps look pretty funny. > > I'm wondering if the wise and experienced PWers have some advice or > solutions for me - aside from buying or building a new custom > boat....which I've thought of but isn't faring well in the budget > hearings! > -- gabriel l romeu ± http://studiofurniture.com Ø http://journalphoto.org ± ± http://kayakoutfitting.org Ø http://furnituresociety.org ± *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Keith wrote: - >Looking for some advice regarding numbness >or lack of circulation in my legs when paddling G'Day Keith, I had a similar problem after fitting foam knee braces and hip padding. Could only sit in the boat for about an hour and made a right exhibition on landing. The following worked for me. I'm six foot one inch and 147lbs. 1. Left the hip padding alone, its snug but not too tight. 2. Reshaped the knee braces so that to brace I have to push my knees outwards to the hull. The knees are completely free to move if I bring them in to the centre of the cockpit. I've found that even in the roughest seas I seldom need to be knee bracing all the time. 3. Adjusted the footrests so that my legs were comfortably bent at the knees. Shorter friends of mine with the same problem have moved their seat forward. While working out the best arrangement we all tended to set up very temporary padding arrangements using spots of contact cement - experiment is everything - but its amazing how a problem that seems so dramatic will eventually be solved with experiment to find the right seating arrangement for you. Good luck and 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/ ***************************************************************************
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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 5/11/2003 1:10:30 PM Central Daylight Time, grsnapp_at_charter.net writes: > 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. This is what I did. I have not experienced sciatica, however I do not like hyperextended knees, and due to the fact that I use the bulkhead a nice minicell foam scuplture representing the backs of my thighs works well for comfort. It still is simple enough to slide in and out of the cockpit, too. I did carve a slot in the foam for a GP slide in and act as a paddlefloat. It works well enough, but not as well as a standard paddle float. I added velcro strips on the foam and on the bottom of the boat for attaching to the hull. On a long trip I can add the opposite velcro strips to platypus or similar water bags and they'll stick to the hull fairly well. Rob G *************************************************************************** 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'll try adding padding under my thighs - someone else mentioned that my neo booties could be adding to the problem. Many have suggested a bigger boat! Oh, if that were in the cards!! :o) It is true that for me my legs are always bent when on the footpegs - knees kind of locked into the hull/deck. I CAN wiggle my legs around a bit - and pulling my feet off the pegs allows me to flatten them out (with my feet flat against the forward bulkhead). In terms of what's hitting the seat with any amount of pressure, it is pretty much just the 'apex' of my rear end (although for something that large 'apex' seems to be the wrong term!). It is a bit like when I sit on a folding chair....with my feet flat on the ground my thighs do not contact the chair as my knees are higher than the seat level....folding chairs tend to be uncomfortable too. If this additional info sparks any other ideas, please post. I'll give the thigh padding a try and let the list know what happens. Thanks, Keith *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Keith Wrage wrote: > I'll try adding padding under my thighs - > It is a bit like when I sit on a folding > chair....with my feet flat on the ground my thighs do not contact the > chair as my knees are higher than the seat level....folding chairs tend > to be uncomfortable too. Sounds familiar. I'm only 6'2", but my father and various others in the family are fully grown, and the thigh padding is often a key element in seating comfort. Try it in a couple of ways, and the more length you support the better. GaryJ -- Director, Family Canoeing Centre Recreational canoeing courses for the whole family. +--------------------------------+ | /"\ | | \ / | | X ASCII RIBBON CAMPAIGN | | / \ AGAINST HTML MAIL & NEWS | +--------------------------------+ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Keith Wrage <keith.wrage_at_charter.net> wrote: > Looking for some advice regarding numbness or lack of circulation > in my legs when paddling...and the resulting peglegging when I hit > the beach: I think Gabriel Romeu's diagnosis is close -- you need more support under your upper thighs. With your dimensions, though, that may squeeze you some for getting in and out. The Storm may just be too small a cockpit for a 6-8, 250 lb guy, Keith, depending on where you carry those 250 lbs. Speaking as a guy who carries the weight in his mid-section and upper body, you might want to consider a full-on custom minicell seat job. See: http://www.kayakfit.com/ for details on the process, and access to materials. Easier than it appears. I did two: one for my SO and one for me in an afternoon (after the gluing of foam to cockpit was done -- I did this using velcro so I could remove the seats as needed). Squeeze in, make marks on the foam around thigh outline, exit, take foam out, carve __with right-angle high-speed grinder equipped with 80-grit__, emplace, repeat until comfy. After a couple trips, you will find a hot spot or two you will want to take down a little more. Don't fret about over-carving. The minicell takes contact cement well (Weldwood brand -- solvent version is best), so you can back-glue a chunk and recarve if needed. Worth the investment of time. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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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